Cockatiel cracked eggs !

Nathan & Jenn wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
> I was cleaning out my cockatiel cage a few weeks ago and found a cracked egg
> in the bottom of the cage. I haven't found anymore and I'm not sure which of
> the two birds it even belonged to. Should I be expecting more eggs? I've had
> them for a few years and this is our first egg. I assumed they were both
> male until now. I don't want them to breed so do I just leave them alone?
> Thanks, Jenn
>
>
We throw the eggs away. We dealt with unfertilized eggs (luckily) for
years until our male got it "right" and one actually hatched. At a week
and a half mama bird turned into Joan Crawford and started pecking
mercilessly at the baby. We had to learn to handfeed very quickly.

We now have three cockatiels, but want no more with breeding. Also, we
find there's lots of fighting in the cage when we have eggs sitting there.

I spoke to our vet (avian specialist) and she told us to just throw the
eggs away. Laying isn't dangerous as long as you supply a good diet that
includes a cuttlebone for the female. When I told her I heard
differently, her comment was "Chickens lay every day".

We've been throwing eggs away for over three years now with no adverse
effects.

April G.
San Antonio, TX
agru.etsy.com