# Egg Hatching/First days



## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Hi guys,

Firstly just wanted to say thanks for all the help I received last year when my Cockatiels started breeding; it made such a difference! 

I wasn't planning on letting them breed again, but about three weeks ago there was a broken egg on the bottom of the cage so Jasbop obviously wants to be a mom :]

Three of the five eggs are fertile, and the first one has a little crack and I can hear the chick pecking at the shell from the inside. So I just wanted to check, how soon after the first signs of hatching should the chick hatch? I've read it can take up to two days, but other sources say after 24 hours you should assist? Last year I had two DIS that could have been saved if I'd known to assist. I want to be absolutely onto it this time!

Also, just want to double check in terms of parental feeding - how long until they should start feeding the chick? And is there any information on early signs of splayed leg and how to prevent it?

Thanks so much!


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Update: I can now hear the chick cheeping from inside the egg! But the pip mark hasn't started changed yet.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

The normal hatch time is usually 24-36 hours, but some can hatch sooner than that. Anything longer, and you may need to assist hatch. My 3 chicks hatched within a few hours after pipping. Here is a pipping illustration done by srtiels (a very knowledgeable mod on this forum): http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/uploads/1/5/2/0/15203836/313343_orig.jpg 

The parents will only feed the chick fluids (so it is kept hydrated) for the first 12 hours, as the chick is absorbing the yolk during this time. 

Best way to avoid splayed legs, is having plenty of bedding! 

There is lots more information here: http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/candling-eggs.html about candling/hatching.


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Thank you so much  I will update if the baby hatches or if I need to assist!


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

The pip mark hasn't changed at all overnight; the air cell is quite large so I think there is a humidity problem. That's what happened to one of my eggs last year and I had to assist; the membrane had stuck to the chick. The chick is still chirping away inside the egg. Is there anyway to partially assist if it's a humidity problem; i.e. Just moisten the membrane, or will I have to full assist like last time?

Last year I got the chick out fine, but the chick wouldn't eat, I could see my female try to feed it but it wouldn't eat. I wasn't sure if that was because it was too weak (had been left in the egg too long or not).


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Edit: There are now more pip marks, but in the same general area as the first one was; i.e. they haven't moved across the egg at all yet. Does it seem likely that the chick is unable to rotate?


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## RMAC81 (Oct 16, 2013)

I have a humidifier running in my aviary 24/7 helps keep the chicks from sticking in the eggs. I was always taught to assist after 24 hrs, like Renea said the chick is absorbing the yolk the first day. Mom and dad should take over after that.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

It does sound like the baby is unable to rotate. I've seen srtiels advise people in this situation to use a Qtip and warm water to moisten the membrane. Here is Susanne's article on hatch assistance: http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/assisted-hatches-updated.html Susanne may be able to give you individualized help if you go to her ICR Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ICR.unite/


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

I've done an assist hatch before using the linked article; the chick survived the hatch but died later - it wouldn't feed :[

I first saw the pip mark around this time yesterday (so roughly 24 hours), but I hadn't checked the eggs that morning so it might have appeared earlier. I can feel the chick moving in the egg (it's a lot more vigorous than last years chick) and it's still chirping loudly.

Would it be better to wait until the morning to assist hatch or start now? I'm not sure if I should give it a little more time since it could potentially only be roughly 24 hours since it pipped or if I should go in now.

Thanks so much!


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Edit: I assist hatched it; very glad I did as it had defecated in the shell so was ready to come out! 

Are the parents able to help with dehydration at all? It's intestines were quite dark!


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Also, should the parents be sitting on him? I've just put him back in and they haven't sat on him yet


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

They're also nibbling it? Is that normal? It doesn't look vicious at all, but it's not under the parents with the other eggs so not sure if they're rejecting it?


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

More questions... I hatched the baby last night (has red eyes which is exciting!); he's still here this morning. I was just wanting to check about assist feeding; should you wait 24 hours after hatching before you need to assist? I want to be ready in case I need to step in! I have everything that I'll need to do it. 

Thanks heaps


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Have the parents started feeding and brooding the baby yet? I'm concerned that the baby might be weak and cold, and they're nibbling at it trying to get a proper feeding response from it. The effort to get a feeding response can turn violent and lead to the baby being hurt or killed. If the parents aren't sitting on the baby it would be best to take it out of the nest and warm it up yourself, and assist feed a little fluid to help it gain strength. When the baby seems stronger you can put it back with the parents, but keep an eye on the situation. Here is Susanne's article on assist feeding newborns: http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/assist-feeding-chicks.html


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

I gave a drop of water last night and this morning; his crop looked like there was a little bit in it, but I wasn't sure if that was the water or not. 

The mom doesn't want much to do with it and won't sit on it, but the dad will. They're both currently in there most of the time save for themselves feeding. 

Should I assume to start feeding every 2 hours if the crop isn't full at 7 tonight (24 hours from when I assist hatched it) or should I start now? 

How often should a new chick chirp? It's chirping most of the time so I don't know if that's normal or if it's begging for food? I have a couple of pictures that I'll post in a second; they were taken just after the second drop of water was given this morning.


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Here are two pics; he's still quite dehydrated - I gave him a drop of water right before the pic was taken. 

You can still see the yolk slightly (I think!) so not sure if I need that to disappear before feeding?

He's way fluffier than when I hatched him!


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Just checked the box now; he's under mom which is good as she was quite dismissive of him earlier! His chirps are quite strong and he's still all wriggly. 

Any idea what colour he'll be? Mom is a pearl and dad is a grey? I got a surprise with his red eyes!


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

She definitely looks like she's feeding it now! He's being super loud and chirping quickly when she goes to feed him.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The baby is probably lutino but cinnamon is also a possibility - they can have red-looking eyes at hatch. If it's cinnamon, the eyes will turn darker after a few days. And since Mom is NOT cinnamon or lutino, that means the baby is a girl! Cinnamon and lutino are sex-linked mutations, and one of the requirements for getting a boy in those colors is that the mother must be visual for the mutation. If Mom isn't visual the baby has to be a girl. Dad must be split for whichever mutation this baby turns out to be.

It sounds like things are going well now - the baby has a good feeding response and both parents are taking care of her. But if you have any more problems, I seriously recommend that you talk to Susanne at ICR https://www.facebook.com/groups/ICR.unite/ She's the expert at hand-holding people through a baby-related crisis, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to join right now and show her the baby pictures to get her opinion.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

P.S. I'm kinda leaning toward cinnamon. I think the eyes might be a little too dark for lutino.


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Awesome, thanks heaps. I've joined ICR; just have to wait to be accepted I think! I'm at home for the next 24 hours so will be able to keep a close eye on things and so will post if anything goes wrong!

I think the first egg is a DIS :[ No pip mark or anything. Hopefully the other two will go smoothly; one looks like it has a pip mark (I hope that's what it is and not a crack!). I don't want to keep checking because the mom goes crazy and I'm worried she'll accidentally injure the chick :S


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Have you candled the remaining eggs to see what's going on? Parent birds jumping around in the nest trying to bite your hand are a definite hazard to the eggs and babies, so when you need to check on things you need to scoop an aggressive parent out of the box as quickly as possible, with your bare hand or with an implement if you're afraid of getting bitten. Just make sure that no eggs or babies get scooped with the parent. My birds are usually aggressive early on but then they get used to me messing with the nest and don't cause too much of a fuss. They aren't happy about me interfering but they stop bothering with the crazed attacks.


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

I've candled two of the three; #1 was the first laid and hasn't hatched yet and no pip marks so I'm assuming DIS. Should that one be removed? #2 and #3 are due to hatch tomorrow and then the day after(ish). One looked like it was potentially pipping this afternoon, so I'll check in the morning to see if it looks like its stuck.

It seems like the chick has been fed; I gave it a small amount around 3 in the afternoon and it's crop look like the crop of the chick in the attached pic; the mom fed it around 7pm, so I'm hoping she'll feed it overnight. My male cockatiel has decided not to sleep in the nest tonight so she's alone - hopefully she'll be alright! I'll check on the chick throughout the night though just in case. 

The chick still wriggles around and cheeps a lot and doesn't look dehydrated any more which is good. 

Also, how much light to they need to be able to feed properly at night? Or can they do it in normal darkness levels?

Thanks!


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

I'm not sure how full the crop should look after being hatched for 24 hours; should it be the same size as the fed chick in the above picture or bigger?


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Candled the remaining eggs; two are still good - one of them I can feel chipping at the egg from the inside but no external pip mark. How long should it take for a pip mark to show once the chick starts trying to hatch?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

What did you see when you candled egg #1 - had it developed at all? Unless it has started to turn a nasty blackish color on the outside, I'd leave it in there for now.

If you can see food in the baby's crop then it's probably OK. My parent birds wait until the babies are a few days old before they start stuffing the crop so full that it's bigger than the baby's head.


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Egg #1 is starting to darken compared to the other eggs. Is there a point when you should assist hatch when there is no external pip mark? The chick in egg #3 is definitely starting to hatch as I can feel and hear it chipping away at the shell; I'm not sure how long it takes for that external pip mark to show?

I might have to invest in a humidifier as both eggs that I've had hatch have been low in humidity and had the membrane stuck to the chick. I've put water out, but yesterday was the first day that I'd seen the female bathe. 

I fed the hatched chick this morning as her crop was empty, so obviously hadn't been fed overnight. They seem to be better at feeding her throughout the day so I'll check that she's fed throughout the day and assist at night. 

Thanks for your help!


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Egg #1 was fertile, but had no pip marks or movement even as #2 was hatching. It looks like it was quite a late DIS from what I can see :[


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Susanne's assist hatch article tells how long to wait before you start assisting: http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/assisted-hatches-updated.html 

If you provide a night light or even something a bit brighter than that (without making it seem like full daylight of course) it will help the parents see well enough to feed the baby in the dark. My parent birds do feed newborn chicks in the middle of the night. I don't know how typical this is but it can be done. You don't have to worry about the lamp light putting your adults in breeding mode, they're obviously there already lol.


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

I've read that article (so helpful) but I'm still a little confused about when I should assist if you can hear it chipping away at the shell but no pip makes appear? I could hear it pecking the shell last night, should a pip mark be showing now? Also, should I leave the one infertile egg in the nest?? The DIS one is turning black so I think I'll remove it


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If the egg is turning black it's best to remove it. I don't have any experience with hatch assistance and don't know the answer to your pipping question. Susanne would be the best person to answer your question.


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Ok thanks heaps


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

I've attached some pictures of the baby after I fed him this morning; I'm worried I fed him too much? It didn't seem to be going up his throat at all but it looks a little bulgy? I've read 1-2cc for the first 1-5 days, but then I've also read that it should be 10% of the chicks body weight and she's currently 4 grams? She's fine now; I just did another feed - it doesn't look like the parents are getting the hang of feeding :[


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

I cleaned her face after feeding


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

My parent birds don't stuff the babies this full at this age, but I recently learned that it's perfectly fine if they do go for "bigger than the head" with a newborn. If you look at the early pictures at http://www.justcockatiels.net/watch-me-grow.html you'll see that the crop is quite large.


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