Fertile Eggs

Question
QUESTION: (I couldn't send another followup, so I had to write a new letter.. I was the one writing about the cockatiel egg, that we took out of the cage and are incubating) We haven't tested to see if it's fertile.  I didn't know you could! Thanks for telling me =D .. But is it possible that all of her eggs could be rotten.. Or however you say, 'unfertile'? Because she hasn't laid on ANY of her eggs.  One more thing, would Charlie (the male bird) lay on them, if they weren't fertile?
ANSWER: HI Shiri,

A rotten egg is different from one that is infertile. A rotten egg is one that is in the process of decomposing, this will happen whether fertile or not. An infertile egg is one that (like a chicken egg you eat) does not have an embryo because the male did not fertilize the female. And yes, if one egg is infertile, it is likely that they all are.

I don't know what is common for the cockatiel species as far as who incubates. I do not allow the eggs to develop in my aviary. I do know that I have never seen the male sit on the eggs. If the female is sitting on the eggs then the male will guard her. With this behavior is how I know they actually have fertile eggs.

Jennifer
www.feathersandscales.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Jennifer,

 I didn't know that.  I don't know how to tell a fertile egg from a infertile egg.  (As you can tell, I'm not very experienced with birds..) We got Charlie when he was full-grown from a family member, so there was really no need to know anything about eggs.. So I'm very dumb when it comes to Cockatiel eggs.. Sorry.. But, what does that mean, 'because the male didn't fertilize the female.'? .. And the one time Banjo (the female) sat on the eggs, because she saw Charlie (the male) doing it, Charlie did guard her pretty much.. He'd snip at us, if we'd look down at her.
   And, could Banjo just not have that instinct to lay on her eggs?  

Answer
Hello,

Reproduction in birds is not too different from us humans. The sperm must meet the egg inside the female for it to become fertile. Infertile means this did not happen. Maybe they haven't mated, or maybe it just didn't work all correctly inside the female. Either way the female will lay a formed egg.

Yes, unfortunately many of todays pet birds do not know how to care for their young. This is a result of the common practice of removing the young from their parents and raising them by hand. Birds are highly intelligent creatures. They learn a lot of necessary skills from their parents that us humans cannot teach.

I think you will find this website very helpful to you. It has good and easy to understand information on the reproductive process of birds.

http://exoticpetvet.net/

Also my website has links to great bird resources.

And please do not apologize for asking questions! The best bird owners are those that never stop wanting to learn even if they've had birds for many years.

Jennifer
www.feathersandscales.com