2 week Old Cockatiel

[Prettywings]

My cockatiel chick is 2 weeks old today! Im not a breeder by any means, this little guy(or girl) is our little miracle who hatched on the bottom of the cage with his 2 other siblings who passed away at 5 and 6 days old. Having said that...
I do not want to jeopardize this little birds life, so I am going to let the parents feed the chick until (s)he is weaned. I do want the bird to be friendly so my husband and I take him out every day and play with him for a few minutes so he gets used to humans. So far so good! (S)he just looks at us and then falls asleep in our hands.
I weighed him this morning and he is 50grams which according to cockatielcottage is in the correct weight range. I will be taking him to an avian vet as soon as I am able to. My question is when should I take him? I want to ensure that he is developing correctly and is healthy.
He is getting some pin feathers althought does not have a ton. His parents are feeding him all the time althought it appears that they dont sit on him anymore because he is too big. There is no nest in the cage just nesting material on the bottom where he sits...although he often wanders around the cage. Both parents play a role in feeding him, although I noticed that my male sometimes picks at his feathers shortly after feeding him. Im not sure if he is trying to preen him, or pluck him. I monitor this closely and I am prepared to take the male out if necessary.

Is there any advice that people can give me? what should I expect in the next days? will the parents teach him to eat seed? or will they just stop feeding him one day? At what age should he begin to eat seed at?

Thanks!

[christie99]

He is breening the pins, as long as he doesn't pull them out, they are fine.

CALL your vet and ask when the chick should be brought in. I wouldn't do so until he says it is safe. Young birds have a hard time maintaining their temprature, so doing so early could cause him to be sick. Chances are since the parent birds are feeding there isn't any problems.

The chick will start to explore seed, but the parents will still feed for several more weeks. Millet spray is a good exploratory food. They will cut back on feedings forcing the chick to start to eat on its own. Most parent fed birds will wean between 4-8 weeks. Each one is different, don't force the issue.

Cockatiel cottage will tell you more of what to expect. I've only bred my tiels once, my hen plucked her chick starting at 3 weeks old and I had to seperate her from the male and chick.

[Ashling]

I'll just say it sounds like you are going well! The parents should teach him to eat seed but as you know it's your job to monitor his weight and make sure he gets enough food. Keep the room temperature nice and warm for him since he doesn't have a nest box.

[Prettywings]

Good, I was hoping that he was only preening him! I think its best that I let the parents raise him. I dont want to take any chances with him. If one of the parents begin to pluck him or nip at him would it be okay to remove the parent? Can one bird raise the chick on its own? I am hoping that he is developing good, he is mainly getting pin feathers on his wings and his little mohawk(as I like to call it) is sprouting. He is adorable! I am interested to see what color he/she will be! The male is normal grey and the female is a pearl. So far the chick has a grey mohawk and grey wings and yellow tail feathers which starting to grow.

[Prettywings]

the room is quite warm, I have a heater in front of the cage, so he is nice and warm at all times. I will be sure to weigh him every morning and if I see he is not gaining I will take him to the vet. I would like to learn how to handfeed just incase I need to assist. I want the parents to do it but I would rather be safe than sorry and do extra feedings in case (s)he needs it!

Is it okay that they are not sitting on him at 2 weeks?

[christie99]

It will probably be a normal grey, but you never know.

Plucking is easy to tell, you will see bald spots and hear screaming. Removing the offending parent is fine, a single chick isn't too much for one bird to raise. If that happens, I would call the vet and ask about him teaching you to handfeed, just in case. Co-feeding also can reduce the stress on the remaining parent.

Yes, it is fine that they are not sitting on the chick. At this point it is difficult, and they maintain their body temprature better. If you are worried, you can place an avian heat panel on one side of the cage that the chick can move towards when it is cold.

Having the heater in front of the cage, as you have been told before can cause problems. Mostly because the birds have a hard time moving away if they are too hot.

[Prettywings]

how do I post a picture?

[Prettywings]

Good call on the heater, althought I find sometimes he moves closer to it so maybe be is a bit cold? I do watch for signs of over heating or shivering.

[christie99]

You would have to save the pictures to photobucket (or a similar site) and use the IMG code to insert it.

Nobody can see your facebook page because your profile is private. Post the video to youtube.

[Prettywings]

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/a...g?t=1255492610

Here is a picture of the chick. I believe he is 13 days old.