Last Updated on February 24, 2024 by Mitch Rezman

Q: My cockatiel has been sitting on eggs for 32 days, how do I remove eggs & nest without making my cockatiel agitated?

Catherine responded,

It is long past any ability to hatch out the eggs.

Remove the eggs and any nesting box and/or loose material. Ignore your bird’s protests, they are driven by her hormones, nothing to do with loving you. If you are afraid of being bitten then use a cloth or a piece of cardboard to gently move the bird away from the nest.

Next issue. Is your bird laying eggs without a mate? If so, frequent infertile clutches are not healthy for your bird and should be stopped if possible.

We have experienced a broody cockatiel hen before and learned a lot from it. We tried the usual suggestions of removing the eggs, leaving the eggs, and buying dummy eggs. None of it worked.

We learned about a Light Treatment and it worked.

You need to mount a strong daylight or full spectrum bulb directly over the bird’s cage so it shines down on the bird closely.

If your cage is tall or quite large you can move the bird into a smaller cage for the light treatment for the best results.

The bulb is mounted as close to the top of the cage as possible so it is 6 to 12 inches from the bird.

The light is then left ON for 72 hours (3 days and nights). This treatment affects the Circadian Rhythm (CR) which is controlled by the Pineal Gland that is affected by light through the eyes.

After 72 hours the CR is reset and the bird naturally loses interest in broody behavior.

For severe cases that resume laying after the 72-hour treatment, it can be done again for 7 days straight. Light on 24 hours a day. Do not let the bird out of the cage, keep it under the light the entire time.

 

Yes, the bird will sleep, eat, chirp, etc at all hours. This is a proven practice and works. It was taught to us by Dr. Gregory Harrison, the founder of Harrison’s Bird Food who had been using it for years when we spoke to him on the subject about 10 years ago.

We have talked people through this treatment for small birds up to macaws.

Be sure to remove any nesting materials, shredded toys, nests, huts, or loose ball toys. If toys are hanging and can rest on her back, remove or move them elsewhere in the cage.

If you pet her below the neck (stroking her back) stop it and only pet her from the neck up to reduce the chance of stimulating her sexually.

After the treatment is complete then set the light on top of her cage on a timer 12 hours on and 12 hours off daily, forever. We have ours set at 8:30 am to 8:30 pm. You can adjust yours earlier or later, but leave it on 12 hours a day.

This should help to get your bird back to her sweet self without eggs making her crazy.

Regards,
Catherine

Dear Catherine,

I have a female cockatiel & male cockatiel, when she started laying eggs I took them every time she laid one.

She laid a total of 11 (fertile) eggs, then I bought some dummy eggs, to stop her from laying more eggs.

And I placed the eggs into a nest; thinking that if she sees they’re not hatching then she will quit.

So now it’s been 32 days, taking turns, and still going. We don’t want to breed cockatiels because we have no experience to take care of the little ones.

Today I removed the nest & fake eggs, and after 1 hour the female started being super agitated and got very aggressive toward the male cockatiel.

Should I remove the fake eggs gradually? Also, I forgot to mention, that we have a cage for them but we don’t use it, they have a room where we place them to sleep, and we thought they should have more freedom.

Alright let’s start with this,