2 new baby cockatiels!! what do I do??!!

[Prettywings]

Hello,
I guess I could say im a new breeder...although I never intended for my birds to breed! I have a male cockatiel named Amir who is about 7 years old and a female cockatiel named Willow who is about 4 years old...anyhow they always lay eggs on the bottom of the cage and these eggs never hatch....back in february one egg hatched and the chick was abandoned from the getgo..possibly because he fell out of the cage and I made the mistake of touching him...that was the first time one of the eggs had ever hatched...until now..........

I have 2 baby cockatiels living on the bottom of the cage on paper towel and the parents are so far doing a good job feeding and sitting on the babies...The babies are 4 days old and 2 days old..Everything is going good, but today I noticed that Willow is not sitting on one of them completly (the 2 day old) the chick is often beside her or partially under her...Im concerned that he he not getting enough warmth. Willow is also sitting on 3 eggs..could willow find it hard sitting on 2 babies and 3 eggs?

I am hoping that this is not a sign of abandonment although she and the make continue to feed the chick.

One thing I might note is that this chick had a hard time hatching and my husband and I actually had to assist the chick..he was actually stuck to the shell and there was some blood in the shell..could he be weaker??

I guess Im just looking for a little advice, im not sure what is normal or what to expect...this is all very new to me.

Thanks!

[Prettywings]

I got their ages wrong. The chicks are about 1 1/2 days apart. One hatched at about 4:00am on September 24th and the other hatched (assisted hatch) at 10pm on September 25th.

[Ashling]

Call an avian vet and get some advice. They can show you what to do if the babies get abandoned. Do lots of research on the net- there is tons of stuff out there on tiels breeding. I wish I could help more but I don't want to give the wrong advice. Go and buy some tiel handrearing food just in case you need to take over feeding but do not do this if you don't know how, you can do more harm than good. The bigger baby will be too large to fit under mum for long. Make sure the room temperature is warm.

Are your tiels tame? Would they be upset if you put the babies and eggs safely in a nestbox?

[christie99]

She shouldn't have trouble sitting on the eggs and chicks at this stage.

The assisted hatch may be the problem. If a chick is not strong enough to hatch on it's own, it usually has something drastically wrong with it. When you assisted, you injured the chick, the skin tears easily. You need an avian vet at this time to assess the chick, and possibly teach you to hand feed.

They really do need to be in a nestbox. Touching eggs and chicks with clean warm hands shouldn't be an issue, birds cannot smell you on the chicks.

[Prettywings]

Hello,
Yes my birds are very tame, I have tried the nest box in the past with no luck, although my birds are tame they are scared of everything. The room is quite warm, I have put a heater in front of their cage for extra warmth.

Its very interesting, because although she is not sitting on the chick the entire time, she is still feeding him with the other chick as is the male. If I move him into the center with the other chick then she sits on him no problem....She just doesnt seem grab him and pull him in if he rolls away as she does with the other chick and eggs. Could she just not be seeing him?
This only just started yesterday...

As for possibly injuring him, I really hope that I didn't, I tried to be very gentle. once he was out of the shell the chick itself was not actually bleeding, there was only blood inside the shell. The parents cleaned him up right away and sat on him and he now looks normal.

I will definately call an avian vet this afternoon.


On a side note, they are both growing quite well and can hold their heads up pretty good at feeding time!

[dranger1108]

here is a good website about cockatiel breeding
Breeding Cockatiels, how to breed cockatiels, cockatiel breeding, causes of cockatiel infertility and failure to breed, why cockatiels won't breed, how to candle eggs, nest box, nestbox, how to set up a cockatiel nestbox, what to use and put inside a

[Monica]

Originally Posted by Prettywings

back in february one egg hatched and the chick was abandoned from the getgo..possibly because he fell out of the cage and I made the mistake of touching him...that was the first time one of the eggs had ever hatched...until now..........

More likely due to inexperience than you handling the chick. It is said that birds don't have a good sense of smell... and even if they did, many birds (not all), have a strong parenting instinct. They'll defend their nests, and with parrots, at least some will even search their nest and mourn for their lost chicks (i.e. chicks removed for handfeeding).

Originally Posted by Prettywings

I have 2 baby cockatiels living on the bottom of the cage on paper towel and the parents are so far doing a good job feeding and sitting on the babies...The babies are 4 days old and 2 days old..Everything is going good, but today I noticed that Willow is not sitting on one of them completly (the 2 day old) the chick is often beside her or partially under her...Im concerned that he he not getting enough warmth. Willow is also sitting on 3 eggs..could willow find it hard sitting on 2 babies and 3 eggs?

It's really not natural for parrots to be sitting on chicks out in the open. Perhaps you did not introduce a proper nestbox... or perhaps not at the right spot... or introduced it in a way that did not peek the curiousity of the birds. One reason for the nestboxes is that they may be able to contain more warmth than a chick who's not inside of one (but many have been raised without a nestbox)

Originally Posted by Prettywings

One thing I might note is that this chick had a hard time hatching and my husband and I actually had to assist the chick..he was actually stuck to the shell and there was some blood in the shell..could he be weaker??

Originally Posted by Prettywings

I have put a heater in front of their cage for extra warmth.

A heater may have caused the chick to have trouble hatching, because at this point in time, they need extra humidity more than warmth (since it is the parents job to keep the eggs warm).

Originally Posted by Prettywings

Its very interesting, because although she is not sitting on the chick the entire time, she is still feeding him with the other chick as is the male. If I move him into the center with the other chick then she sits on him no problem....She just doesnt seem grab him and pull him in if he rolls away as she does with the other chick and eggs. Could she just not be seeing him?
This only just started yesterday...

They *are* inexperienced parents. If they were handraised, then they may be even more prone to "not getting things right" the first few times around. It really helps to have experienced breeders around new time parents, so that the new parents can "get it" faster than having to learn it on their own. Sometimes, just the noise of experienced breeders, and not the actual visual of them, can help.

One person was having issues with their hen raising chicks - until they showed the hen some videos from youtube of good parents - and then she "got it" and raised her babies just fine!

[Prettywings]

I will check out that website. So far today she is sitting on both.

Although they may be inexperienced parents..I think they are trying their best and doing an ok job..the chicks are growing

[tielfan]

The parents might accept an open box or basket with 2 to 3 inches of wood shavings or shredded paper towels in the bottom, if this nest was placed in the same spot where they're currently nesting and the babies/eggs placed into it. The wood/paper will provide more insulation for the chicks, and the sides of the box/basket will keep the chicks from moving too far from where they're supposed to be.

If you want to use wood shavings I'd recommend Kaytee aspen or pine litter, available at many pet shops (frequently in the small mammal/rodent department). I know from experience that Kaytee litter is nice and clean - some brands are full of dust which is bad bad bad. Do NOT use cedar, it's too aromatic for birds.

[Prettywings]

what could I make a nesting box out of to put at the bottom of the cage? something that is heavy enough not to tip over.