How To Stop Egg Laying In Cockatiels

My bird has not been around a male but she laid an egg about 4 weeks ago. Then she laid another about 2 days later and another 2 days after that. She hasn't laid an egg in three weeks until today. When will she stop and can I get her to stop laying eggs? (April Zembellas - Nevada)

It is quite common for cockatiels to lay eggs. They will normally lay a clutch of 3-5 eggs at 48 hour intervals and then depending on how maternal the bird is feeling they will normally incubate them for one to three weeks before accepting they are not going to hatch. First of all you need to make sure that she has a good supply of calcium as well as protein, vitamins and minerals to replace those that have gone into the egg production.

Ensure that she gets plenty of exercise between hatches to keep her fit. There are several triggers to egg laying in cockatiels - possibly the most important being daylight hours. If the bird detects a lengthening of the daylight hours then this will trigger her to start laying eggs. You can help suppress this by keeping your bird covered or in a shaded/darkened room for at least 12 hours a day.

Also, since your bird is more inclined to lay eggs when feeling safe and secure, she may feel less comfortable if there are frequent but subtle changes to her habitat, such as moving her cage furniture around.

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