It's harder for a bird to learn when it's older, just as it's harder for an adult human to learn certain things than it is for a child. The correct developmental age to learn flight skills is just after they fledge, and if they don't learn it at that time it will be harder to learn it later. So to everyone who breeds birds: please let your babies learn to fly properly!

does "properly" mean let them learn after they fledge? What is our part in it - just to monitor that they stay out of trouble? are they supposed to learn to fly outside the cage?
The kids are doing well. Sometimes, when the time is good for me to get them out, I see that they are in a sleepy mood. I am guessing, getting them out is not the best in this situation. We have a train table (with borders) that we put kids on so they don't fall out easily. They normally huddle all together in the corner and this upsets me. Slowly, some of them start exploring surroundings. One baby is just shaking a little , instead of doing something. Is he just shy and needs more time to get used to us, or could it be something else?

To learn how to fly, they need out of cage time in a safe environment after they fledge, because they will crash into things a lot. Windows and large mirrors should be covered up so they don't fly into them. The room shouldn't be too large - my babies learn to fly in a 14x14 room, which is a lot safer for them than being able to fly through several rooms and build up so much speed that they hit really hard when they smack into something. There should be lots of good landing places and not a lot of delicate things that they could plow into (like a shelf full of glass figurines).

Right now your babies are in the "early fledgling" stage. At this age they may be nervous and might not move around too much, but after a few days out of the nest they'll become bolder and will start flying more. It will help if you can put the parent birds nearby when the babies are out of the cage. Having mom and/or dad there will make the babies feel safer, and if you give the adults something to do (like eating some food or doing step-ups with you) the babies will watch and learn. The baby that's shaking is probably just nervous, but keep an eye on him. If he's still shaking when he's in the nest there might be a problem.

Thank you Carolyn.
We have had the first egg of the new clutch today. So..... how will it be when all the big babies are in the nest (at least at night) + new eggs + mom will want to be there... I am already glad I only have 4 big babies
Also, is having poop from big babies OK for the egg well-being? I do clean the bedding but not every day.
I don't need to provide another nest box, right?
I have a feeling somebody will keep the egg warm from day 1. Should I remove the egg for safe keeping til later time?

my daughter named them Stella, Bella, Sammy and Tator Tot (not sure of the spelling for this one). I didn't approve this names but eventually this is how we call them for now.
Stella (the pearl girl who had a flight yesterday) is sitting on the rope perch very well. Another baby just joined her. My main task for now is to organize the cage so they would have more room. Its very crowded there.

I am thinking to start hand feeding in the nearest future. I have seen it done in the bird store + I am watching videos. I am sure its not going to be easy. Is it very essential to feed them when they are absolutely hungry? I am not going to fill them up, just feed what they eat.

If the chicks are very hungry and the parents aren't feeding them, it's best to give them some food. The babies will be too distraught to think of feeding themselves - experimenting with food is something that they do when they're not starving.

Any baby that can sit well on a perch can sleep outside the cage if you like. It's best to be close enough by that you'll hear if there's a night fright and can flip on the light. Chicks don't settle down as quickly as adults do.

The poop in the nest won't harm the eggs.

we moved nest box outside the cage but we don't like the results. Poor parents need to get in thru the top and they are not figuring it out.

What about the laid egg???

Would cage 30 " long * 17.5 " wide * 34 " tall be too small for number of birds we have? I found a used one in the bird store for $60. I think its similar to the one from Amazon that was recommended earlier but a bit smaller and not so fancy. Does anyone know if the cage for 120 at Amazon has front door sliding up or opening on hinges like a normal door?
I am not so sure about mounting the nestbox outside. Didn't seem sturdy enough when we did it. Also, chicks are flapping their wings so hard that everything is shaking. Not sure how good its for the egg. I returned the box to where it used to be.
I think, our hen wants to be left alone with her egg. Our dad normally copies what hen does, so the chicks didn't get fed well today. For the night, I put them inside the nestbox and mom left some time later to sleep on the perch.

the cage is at the bottom . What you think?

Corporate meeting. Discussing question: to drink or not to drink???