Breeding cockatiels is much harder than it appears, please DO NOT attempt to breed unless you know what you are doing and are confident that all their offspring will find homes (or you're prepared to keep them all until they do!).
First, make sure that the birds selected for breeding are healthy, genetically sound, and not related. You wouldn't want to breed a brother and sister or two sick birds! Also make sure the female is between 2 and 10 years old, the male should be 1.5 to 12 years old. They can possibly breed longer if they are in good health.
There are several rules for breeding certain mutations. For example, it is highly ill-advised to breed two birds that both have red-eye mutations (lutino, fallow, recessive silver). The NCS encourages breeding for healthy, proportionate birds that match their standard (can be found on the NCS website). It is also ill-advised to breed birds that both have the same fault, such as crossed wings or small crests.
After you find a suitable pair, you must make sure they are bonded. Signs of bonding include grooming each other, eating out of food bowls at the same time, calling for each other if separated, and mating.
They should be in a large cage with an appropriately sized nest box, lined with nesting material (I use hay).
After mating, they will start laying after 10-14 days, one egg every other day until they reach a total of 4-8 eggs. They will probably not start incubating until three or so eggs have been laid, so do not be alarmed if they are not sitting on them right away.
They will hatch in the order they were laid 18-22 days later. The chicks are born blind with fluffy yellow or white down. They begin to open their eyes and get pin feathers at about 10 days. If they are being handfed, they are pulled at between 2 and 4 weeks; any younger and they do not have an immune system, any older they will refuse feedings.
Baby cockatiels will wean anywhere between 6 and 12 weeks.
First, make sure that the birds selected for breeding are healthy, genetically sound, and not related. You wouldn't want to breed a brother and sister or two sick birds! Also make sure the female is between 2 and 10 years old, the male should be 1.5 to 12 years old. They can possibly breed longer if they are in good health.
There are several rules for breeding certain mutations. For example, it is highly ill-advised to breed two birds that both have red-eye mutations (lutino, fallow, recessive silver). The NCS encourages breeding for healthy, proportionate birds that match their standard (can be found on the NCS website). It is also ill-advised to breed birds that both have the same fault, such as crossed wings or small crests.
After you find a suitable pair, you must make sure they are bonded. Signs of bonding include grooming each other, eating out of food bowls at the same time, calling for each other if separated, and mating.
They should be in a large cage with an appropriately sized nest box, lined with nesting material (I use hay).
After mating, they will start laying after 10-14 days, one egg every other day until they reach a total of 4-8 eggs. They will probably not start incubating until three or so eggs have been laid, so do not be alarmed if they are not sitting on them right away.
They will hatch in the order they were laid 18-22 days later. The chicks are born blind with fluffy yellow or white down. They begin to open their eyes and get pin feathers at about 10 days. If they are being handfed, they are pulled at between 2 and 4 weeks; any younger and they do not have an immune system, any older they will refuse feedings.
Baby cockatiels will wean anywhere between 6 and 12 weeks.