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 Post subject: Re: Caring for new chicks and parent birds
PostPosted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 12:14 pm 
Cockatiel
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thank you. Formula mixed with warm water? The problem about most of the food is that birds are not very predictable and the food cools down, wilts, dries out, etc. Sure I give the maximum when I see they came to eat but I can't be sure they will be eating formula right now. She ate again oatmeal that I cooked in the morning with raisins (are cooked raising OK?) even though it was on the table since the morning (I am sure it didn't spoil so quickly) and wasn't very appealing to me.
And again, they left the nest for a break. I waited until they finish eating and took the hen to the box because the male was the one who sat before this. She seems to be tired of the box (wanted out of box time to play because this is what she does when out) but this could be understood as her night was so long. She acts a little bit immature.

The chicks didn't cry when parents were not there, so I assume they have been fed. I am just worried that they are getting cold. We keep T at 75F in the house.



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 Post subject: Re: Caring for new chicks and parent birds
PostPosted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 4:37 pm 
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Unweaned babies need to have warm formula but adults can eat it room temperature. Adult birds eat cold food in general, but young chicks can't regulate their body temperature and their digestion as well as adults can.

It's normal for the male to sit in the daytime and the hen to sit at night, so she may have thought it wasn't her responsibility to sit yet. When both parents are out of the nest you can take advantage of the situation to check on the babies and see if they have full crops. If you have good bedding in the nestbox, the chicks should stay warm for at least 20-30 minutes without a parent sitting on them. If they were outdoors in cold temperatures the safe time period would be a lot less, but they won't lose heat too fast with indoor temperatures.



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 Post subject: Re: Caring for new chicks and parent birds
PostPosted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 6:42 pm 
Cockatiel
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Thanks. Poor Trillie, who got up at 7 to eat bread, got so tired during the day that I found him and the chicks sitting inside their cage at 8.20 :)
So, if they have lots of babies, is she still the only one who takes care of all of them during the whole night? The problem is that her night is a quite long one. But I don't worry yet because there is only 3 chicks who don't need much yet. I will try to move them to the large cage so I wouldn't have to worry - all the birds would be in the same cage and could decide if help needed.

Cuddles, except eating oatmeal, also tried eggs, sprouts and baked sweet potato. Unbelievable!!! but it upsets me that she eats much less green veggies for some reasons.

What is your opinion - how long egg yolk can be served? I remember when I traveled as a child by train, we would pack food to eat in the trip (more than one day trip) and boiled eggs was one item to always pack but the eggs were in shell. We never had any problems.

Its not easy to serve fresh when they come to eat in 2 shifts - hen, cock....
What consistency for the formula?



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 Post subject: Re: Caring for new chicks and parent birds
PostPosted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 7:01 pm 
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The egg yolk only lasts for a few minutes in my house so I've never had to worry about spoilage issues lol. I scramble an egg, and after it cools I cut it up in small pieces and store it in the freezer in a bag. Then I take a little bit out when I need it, chop it up even smaller, and mix it in with the sprouts. One egg lasts for a long time.

As the babies get older they won't need to be fed during the night. If all the eggs hatch, the oldest ones will probably have stopped feeding during the night by the time the youngest ones hatch.

The formula consistency doesn't matter too much for the parents as long as they're willing to eat it. If they want it to be more watery they'll drink some water.



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 Post subject: Re: Caring for new chicks and parent birds
PostPosted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 9:18 pm 
Cockatiel
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Honestly, I don't know what to do in the future. I don't want Cuddles and Trillie to have babies 4 times a year, and I don't want to separate or lock them.

What kind of people buy/adopt cockatiels on Craigslist? I think one category are those who want to replace a lost pet. Any bad people possibly? can birds be bought for a bad reason like training fight dogs? is it common for people to buy more than one bird from the same clutch?



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 Post subject: Re: Caring for new chicks and parent birds
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 6:33 am 
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It's always possible for people to get animals for a bad reason which is why it's recommended to sell them not give them away for free. People who want to do something bad prefer not to pay while people who want them for a good reason are more willing to pay.

There's a good chance that you will be able to control their breeding urges in the future. The important thing is to take action at the first signs, because if you wait their hormone levels will rise to the point that it's too late to stop them.



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 Post subject: Re: Caring for new chicks and parent birds
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:33 am 
Cockatiel
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I opened the box to remove egg shell, and Trillie threw himself towards my hand, one little baby squeaked under him :( I hope he didn't damage the baby.
4 babies hatched, every day so far.



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 Post subject: Re: Caring for new chicks and parent birds
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 5:25 pm 
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If you wear gloves or have some kind of soft implement in your hand (like a rubber spatula) you can quickly push the parent bird away from the eggs and babies to prevent them from getting trampled. The parent bird will usually leave the nest at that point so it shouldn't be a long battle.



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 Post subject: Re: Caring for new chicks and parent birds
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 5:37 pm 
Cockatiel
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Poor older chicks just do what parents do, so they basically eat all day long..... in two shifts. I am afraid they can be fat soon. They have toys and they play in little bit, but they still depend on the parents a lot. I wish I could offer more interaction, but I am also busy with feeding the parents and other routine.

Trillie spent last night in the breeding cage. I wrote chicks and him were in the cage by 8-ish, but I took him to the kitchen so he could eat. He ate and flew to the nestbox. I was putting everybody to sleep and just locked him there. He settled on the perch. In the morning, when I opened them, he was inside the box.


Last edited by Chipper on Wed Jan 14, 2015 5:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.


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 Post subject: Re: Caring for new chicks and parent birds
PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 5:43 pm 
Cockatiel
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do you have any advice how to keep wooden furniture from being destroyed?



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