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From: duane@cbnewsj.att.com (duane.galensky)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: INDOOR: Cockatiel laying eggs
Message-ID: <1991Mar1.143031.19384@cbnewsj.att.com>
Date: 1 Mar 91 14:30:31 GMT
References: <63028@bbn.BBN.COM>
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 44

In article <63028@bbn.BBN.COM> llovero@BBN.COM (Linda Lovero) writes:
>
>Hello all -
>
>My cockatiel, Kiwi, laid an egg two days ago...

...stuff deleted...

>
>My questions are:
>
>	Should I be worried that she's laying eggs too frequently?  The last
>time she laid eggs in November and I gave her extra Petamine and scrambled some
>(chicken) eggs with the shells for her.  We got another bird recently which 
>some people tell me might have caused her to lay eggs again.  When we had a
>male cockatiel she did not show any interest in him. Kiwi was hand fed
>and does not seem to like other birds much.  My new bird, Pedro, is a Jenday
>conure so they won't be breeding.
>

my unpaired cockatoo has been laying recently as well, twice in
the last month.  my avian vet suggested that cockatiels are more
prone to this.  obviously, complications can arise, including
a broken egg in the abdomen, and egg-binding due to insufficient
calcium.  she told me that given heavy-duty calcium supplements,
there should be no problem with the cockatoo unless the frequency
got near six eggs in three weeks (phew!)  she prescribed a vitamin
supplement on a calcium gluconate carrier (called "PRIME") which
samantha takes on her bananas, and also another variety of calcium
in syrup form to mix with her drinking water.  she also suggested
green beans, broccoli, and egg shells in her omlettes.

>	Was I wrong to take her egg away?  Since she was out of her cage I 
>figured she didn't care anymore, but I was surprised to hear the sounds she
>was making when she went back in.  How long should you leave an infertile egg?

she suggested that i leave the next egg in the cage to trigger
whatever it is that makes her stop laying.  she explained that
breeders "double clutch," that is, they remove the first clutch
and incubate, thus inducing the pair to go for it again.  she
recommended that the best thing to do is simply get a male
bird, and let them do what comes naturally...

duane