[KimBear]

Now that I have an email alert that lets me know when there are messages here, I should be able to get to the posts as they arrive.

Hope all went well with the cockatoo egg.

Assisted hatches should be done as a last resort, and then by someone who has some experience.

As you can see, just getting fertile eggs from a pair is only part of the battle. The eggs still have to be incubated properly, and the chick cared for.

Often inexperienced pairs will have difficulty with their first couple of clutches, but will "get it" eventually. There are many breeders that choose to incubate all their eggs and hand-feed from day one to avoid any problems. However, it's not an easy process. There are certainly pros and cons. If this pair produces fertile eggs again and has more trouble, it may be that they aren't going to make good parents.

One consideration here is that this pair is of two different species. That may explain why they're having some difficulty. The owners may want to consider not letting them breed any more, or finding mates of the appropriate species. Not wanting to start an argument about hybrids here. Just a suggestion.