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Q: Will having a hen mean I will get eggs?
A: No. Only a small portion of hens feel the need to lay an egg, and even then it can be discouraged most of the time.
Q: Will having a male mean he will be horny?
A: Not neccessarily but unfortunately around 50% of male cockatiels will be enamored with something at some point in their life, often a toy or hand, and may attempt sexual relations with that item. Again, this can be discouraged most of the time.
Q: Will only having one gender of cockatiel mean I can avoid dealing with hormones?
A: Not neccessarily. Cockatiels are known for their tendancy to mate with inanimate or non-avian items or a bird of the same sex. Hens will even lay eggs without a male. Luckily it is easily discouraged most of the time.
Q: Can't I just get my cockatiel spayed or neutered?
A: Unfortunately, no. Although there is a procedure to spay or neuter a bird, this procedure is very costly and very dangerous due to the location of a bird's reproductive organs. Their organs are located deep in their body, run up through a good portion of their torso, and are very close to their kidneys. They also have a much greater blood supply then mammlian reproductive organs. Most vets will refuse to perform this procedure because most birds do not survive the surgery. In addition, due to a cockatiel's small size there is an even greater risk from the anethesia. A spay in a bird is only done in life-threatening situations.
Q: My cockatiels are having sex! Am I going to get eggs?
Probably not. Cockatiel hens have a sort of built-in birth control, they can choose whether or not to have their egg fertilized. If the situation is not right for raising a family, they won't. Many parrots will have sex just for the sake of having sex.
Q: What if I want to breed my cockatiels?
A: I highly recomend that you reconsider. Not only are shelters often overloaded with cockatiels, but breeding parrots is a lot of hard work with a lot of things that can go wrong. A cockatiel hen can die if you try to breed her improperly. Or you could find out that your cockatiel pair are very bad parents and all of your chicks die. And do you know that your cockatiels are healthy enough to breed and raise healthy chicks? If you bought your birds from a pet store or adopted them, you have no idea what their genetics are like. Not only that, but hand-raised cockatiels only sell for around $35 in my area. After buying all of the equipment and feeding all of the chicks until they are weaned and old enough to sell you would need to sell nine chicks just to break even. A normal cockatiel clutch only has four chicks. If you just want to breed cockatiels for the experience, volunteer your time at a wildlife rehabber or local reputable breeder. You can care for and watch plenty of chicks there. If you are still determined to breed your cockatiels get both of them a full check-up with blood work, start feeding your hen extra calcium and protein, make sure your cockatiels have been eating a good diet for at least six months, make sure your cockatiels are at least one year old, make sure you have a scale, an incubator, hand-feeding syringes or spoons, hand-feeding formula, and a candy thermometer, and start doing research. You will need to have a breeder or experience bird owner show you how to hand-feed properly, know how to recognize and fix common breeding problems, clean your bird's living environment several times a day, handle the chicks for at least a half hour every day, and have an emergency vet on speed dial.