# Caring for chicks and parent birds



## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Hello,
this is a continuation of my previous thread "My birds are having sex"

We have 4 chicks and 3 eggs so far. 3 hatched on 15th and another one of 17th, as scheduled  
I already received a lesson on hand-feeding from the local bird store. They say they take chicks for hand feeding and future selling at age 3 weeks. Not sure what we will want to do with our chicks. Still getting used to having little fuzzies  I will see how my hand feeding goes. 
IS it always a case that chicks have to be pulled out from the parenst at about 3 weeks? people in the store gave 2 reasons for this: if you don't pull them out, the chicks are going to be wild and difficult to tame. Plus, often the parents would start the second clutch and stop taking care of the babies. Do you agree with this? 

Still all the broken shells are in the nest box. Apparently, parents didn't eat them as they were supposed to. Should I remove and discard them??? 

I'd like to ask about crop milk. If parents are not eating enough soft food, how exactly are the babies affected? No crop milk produced, or its consistency is hard to digest, or anything else?

Thank you!


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

WE are having some changes in parents' behavior. 
Started yesterday, the cock suddenly became hungry. He even flew on top of the kitchen table where the hen is having her feeding station. She is still crumbling up waffles I prepare in toaster so he was picking up this crumbles. He has a kind of watery stool that I worry about. Maybe it's caused by changes in his diet? He also makes a lot of sound (screaming but it doesn't sound like stressed scream, rather like he is calling for his partner) and they both spend a lot of time outside the nestbox (I wonder if they are just searching for more food because babies need more, or are they preparing for the second clutch and start abandoning the babies). They do feed the babies, I think, but they certainly are not keeping them warm with so prolonged absence. The egg that was scheduled to hatch yesterday, didn't hatch. DO I NEED TO PROVIDE HEAT IN THIS SITUATION? its not cold in the house, we are having warm wonderful fall. I even have to run air conditioner sometimes.
I normally pick up the hen (our cock is wild and won't let me pick him up) and take her to the nestbox if both parents are out for too long. she doesn't seem to like it, but she still goes in to her babies. 

I would like to check about a product they both LOVE to eat (there are a very few items that they eat, so I don't want to cut it off unless its harmful for them). The ingredients are: 
organic corn meal, expeller pressed sunflower oil, whey, cheddar cheese (milk, sea salt, cheese cultures, enzymes), maltodextrin, sea salt, natural flavors, organic sour cream (cultured organic skim milk, organic cream, cornstarch, dry organic skim milk, acidophilus, bifidus culture), torula yeast, lactic acid, citric acid. 
We already talked about milk being toxic but this is probably milk in a different form? They are "Simply Cheetos puffs" by FritoLay. Is salt toxic? I used to have a tiel who would fly to your shoulder if you are eating corn tortilla chips and those are made with salt. He was fine. WHats your opinion about this product?


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I am responding because no one with knowledge and experience has answered you yet.

I would be worried about the chicks and remaining eggs not being warm enough. I have seen pictures where owners have put a rubber glove filled with warm water into the nest box (where the parents have abandoned the chick(s)). I believe I have read that one of the parents should be in the nestbox nearly all the time.

I have also read that if the chicks' skin is red they may be dehydrated and may need to be given a drop of pedialyte. If you can post a picture of the chicks perhaps someone can advise you.

I hope someone with better expertise than me will respond to you soon. Where are our experienced breeders?

If these are first time parents, they may not know what they are doing yet. This is also something I have read on this forum. It seems that with the second and later clutches the parents get their act together, if they are truly bonded with each other.


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## AJR (Jul 19, 2014)

my breeders are all seed junkies and rarely eat soft food the chicks do fine being feed seed from the parents. you don't have to pull the babies to have hand tame birds you just need to handle them as often as you can. You can also assist feed them if parents are not feeding them enough. You need a gram scale to keep up with their weight. If your house is warm the babies should be fine if parents leave the nest to eat. if they like seeds feed them all they want to eat.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Thanks a lot! 
our cock has stool that looks a bit abnormal to me - green thin coil that floats in whiteish liquid. Is it bad? 

my problem is that I have a lack of time to learn all I need to (reading I mean). I am a mom and a student. My dear hubby just came in after day at work, he just put trash into the garbage can - and proceeded straight to the nesting box to peek inside. If I was asked if I wanted to breed cockatiels, guess what the answer would be  But it doesn't mean we are not glad to the babies. I am sure they will be a lot of fun! 


As for the glove with hot water, I think it would spook the parents when they would want to come in.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

I have a feeling that we have a problem on the cock's side. He is the one who supposed to go for a day shift, but instead he is flying around, picking crumbles that are left from the hen's feeding and screams like he is trying to attract the mate. Sure, that's because he can't eat on his own - too scared of anything but seeds, so he needs her to eat with him. 
I can't pick him up and take him to the nest, like I can do with her (he is not tame). I am trying to take her to the nest but she doesn't want to, as she just spent a whole night with them. Eventually, from time to time they do come in, right now I locked both of them in the cage so they would feed and keep chicks warm. 
Yes, in this situation there is a chance that remaining eggs won't hatch. 

I will try to get chick out and take pictures to see if they are on track for development.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

Darn! The cock sounds just like my ex-husband!


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

I am ready to try something small and warm in the nestbox. What could this be that would stay warm for some time and wouldn't be too big ? Rubber glove filled with water? what if the parent chew on it and it gets damaged? How about small plastic bottle filled with hot water?


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

"How about small plastic bottle filled with hot water?"

That sounds good. Maybe not too hot though.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

I am also taking other suggestions about small heating pad that can be used in the nestbox. Don't want to bring anything with electric wires in there. 

Mystery about egg hatching. On the day she laid her 3rd egg, she started to incubate them during the day but not at night. For about 3 first nights the eggs were not warmed all night long, and people said - the embryos won't last long but then she started to sit at night too. I think - maybe 3 eggs that don't hatch are those eggs # 1, 2, 3? But, the first chicks hatched on the same day and it was on the day 21 from beginning of incubation, so its logical to assume that there were eggs # 1, 2 , 3. Otherwise it would be probably too soon for #4, 5, 6, 7 to hatch. Or, the last eggs haven't received enough parents' warmth because of the born chicks. Sure, it could be anything else. Egg 5 skipped to be born, but today is a due day for #6, so maybe...

What kind of cleaning agent is safe to use for kitchen sink, bathtub, etc? I am not using anything in the room where they are but I read that fumes can be harmful. I have all natural thymol based spray (claimed that it can be used even on baby toys without wiping) and peroxide hydroxide spray. Researching how to clean is in the line but maybe somebody would answer quicker.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

I am thinking to make a sock with rice and corn to keep chicks warm. Actually mom is much better today about sitting in the nest.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Found some non-electric heating pads. I liked two of them - one has clay in the bag that you microwave and they supposed to keep heat very well, another is a bag with "100% natural material" which is claimed as "moist heat" (also microwavable). Which one to prefer? 


Is it OK to clean the nesting box? I am about to get chicks out for picture taking so it would be a good time to get it cleaned (its poopy!) 

Parents feed them but don't sit with them except for feeding.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I am following your posts with great interest, even though I have no knowledge to share. I hope you can keep the chicks warm.

I have been cleaning with a solution of 1 part vinegar to 7 parts water, with a couple of drops of dishwashing detergent.

How about just scraping out the nest box?

Would love to see pictures. Hope all goes well for you.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Got all of them out of the box and cleaned the box a little bit. Actually just removed all the stuff, scraped the walls and put a clean bedding. Didn't want to keep them out a lot. I took the pictures just before 6 pm. I know parents fed them at about 3pm (I saw it) but I was gone between 4 and 5 so who knows maybe they fed more. Are crops supposed to be empty? As you can see, they are not. Everybody was pleasant to touch and hold and didn't show any sign of distress. All of them have eyes open, I think some closed their eyes being probably sleepy of to protect from the sun. Sorry for kind of blurry pictured. I wanted to do it quickly. 
I haven't used any heating in the nest box so far. The clay based one says it heats up to 130 F that sound heck a lot!


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Baby 1. 44g, born Oct 15th


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Baby 2, 35g, born Oct 15th


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Baby 3, 42g, born Oct 15th


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Baby 4 is 2 days younger and weights only 22g but still looks very cute (the best pic I've got), born Oct 17th


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

Oh, they are so cute!


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Dianne, thanks! 
When I checked inside of the nesting box later, I saw that they all kind of scattered inside (even when the mom is there), while they stayed always together before I messes up with them (especially when mom wasn't there). Should I worry about it? I put them back all together but they probably wandered away of each other as a result of disturbance. Can chicks move themselves towards mom (being in the ? I can only move them when parents are not with them, otherwise I can lose a finger  

How do they look and weigh, experienced breeders?


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

Instead of pedialite you can use gatoraide.

Broken shells should be promptly removed to keep them from accidently trapping a hatching chick or injuring another, the parents will not eat them.

Technically, what the parents feed is not crop milk since cockatiels do not produce that milky substance in the way other birds do. But the food fed to chicks should be less solid. Veggies and bread are good choices.


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## devilangel09 (Feb 5, 2008)

They look perectly healthy to me my lil chick was born before those and somewhat dehydrated so I've recently been giving the chick coconut water to help hydrate her only give every 2 days and her skin improved greatly and seems to be growing well


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Thank you all! 
My main question: do we need to supply heat at this time? Parents are back to the nest box for feeding only and for the night. The temperature in the house is between 74 and somewhat 78F (being hot outside). Is pine bedding still OK for them? When am I supposed to switch for a different floor for them? It looked today like one chick was standing by the nest round opening and was looking out  The new bedding is taller so they can reach. 

I still have 3 eggs in there which are probably DIS or infertile. When I was cleaning I didn't see any cracks like the chick would be trying to get born or anything else. They are white eggs (you can see them on the first picture), but they got soiled in poop a little bit. I put them back into the box. The last egg was laid on Oct 3rd. What to do with them?


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

As long as all the chicks are kept together, they should not require additional heat. Be extra careful about keeping the room their nest box is in at around 75 degrees though.

Pine is still fine. I would not make the new bedding taller, they are way too young to be leaving the nest. I fear the chicks might wander out the opening unable to find their way back; they can not perch or climb at this age and will likely just fall to the cage floor. Remaining eggs are too old to hatch and bad, best to toss them out.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Would it be OK if the temperature higher than 75F? I open windows during the day (keeping closed the one near them) and the temperature sometimes reaches 79-80. I assume higher than 75 should be fine. 

A little concerned about the future. I guess what we do now is very little work compared to what we going to face soon  If you were a first time bird parent (of the parents who are first time parents , would you take babies to the bird store for hand feeding and getting into new homes? I can't imagine taking them away in just a week or so. Do you think I would be able to rehome them into responsible homes later, not being a breeder with the name? We could keep some of them, of course, but probably not all of them. My daughter says we should keep everybody, but she already said it about baby rabbits we had  When bunnies grew older it got harder and harder to take care of 6 rabbits total so we rehomed some of them. But if we keep a baby bird or two, we will need to watch for them not to mate with one of the parent in the future, right?


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

could I ask how long parents feed babies (I understand, it varies, but in general?) and how long babies need baby formula? Also, if parents feed them long enough, they won't need formula at all? Should I get formula now (I am about to place online order)? 
Should the babies stay in the nest box until they fledge? If my nestbox stands at the bottom of the cage, is it OK to move it up high and try to assemble it outside the cage? Why should the nest box be in the highest possible location? Is it how babies learn to fly (should they basically start falling down to pick up flying ability)?


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

2 weeks old - group portrait


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Some of them walked really fast to the end of the table into my hands 
But in general, they can't control legs well yet, right? 

3 chicks who were 2 weeks yesterday, today weigh 72-76 g. The youngest, who will be 2 weeks tomorrow is at 54g today.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

I think this is the youngest one


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

What issue with feet should I be looking at?


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

They may have some difficulty walking at this age since they are walking on part of their ankle. I would check to make sure the legs of the chicks are straight when standing upright and that the feet are not bent at awkward angles immobilizing the chick. This would be splayed legs which is preventable. The chicks in the photo do not appear to have this. If at some point one of them is not walking I would see a vet or attempt to correct the crooked legs with pipe cleaners.

Chicks require parental feeding or formula for 8 weeks at least. But some do not wean for 15 weeks, just depends on the bird.

75 is the minimum room temp when I have chicks that age. It can be higher, but preferably below 100 if possible.

It looks like all the chicks are pied, congrats!


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

OH, my goodness! Those chicks are adorable and look really healthy. I would adopt one in a minute!
You must be very proud.


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## estypest (Jul 31, 2014)

Chipper&Trillie said:


> 2 weeks old - group portrait


What a great picture, bless them ! And their little crests !


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Thanks, Dianne, estypest, and Darkel777! I am proud  
I will explain about the legs. Sometimes I had a feeling - a put a chick down and the position of the legs is so awkward that it seems that legs don't even belong to this bird (and the bird wouldn't pull them in a more appropriate position). I wonder if this is because I happened to put him down that way or if its some pathology. 
2 of them walked after being put down (I believe those two on the pics) but 2 others remained sitting. I will keep an eye on them.


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

Chipper&Trillie said:


> Thanks, Dianne, estypest, and Darkel777! I am proud
> I will explain about the legs. Sometimes I had a feeling - a put a chick down and the position of the legs is so awkward that it seems that legs don't even belong to this bird (and the bird wouldn't pull them in a more appropriate position). I wonder if this is because I happened to put him down that way or if its some pathology.
> 2 of them walked after being put down (I believe those two on the pics) but 2 others remained sitting. I will keep an eye on them.


It sounds like a splayed leg. You will want to act quickly to correct it, here is a page at talk budgies forums that shows how to fix it. It is very simple, and involves tying the legs together in order to correct its posture as it grows. The bird in the photo is a budgie, however, the process is the same.

http://talkbudgies.com/budgie-breeding-[articles]/104500-splayed-legs-budgie-chicks.html


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Thanks! Mine don't look like airplane wings though. Is walking good for chick at this age (2 weeks) or bad? Should I let them walk or not? 
By the way, they suggest to leave unhatched eggs inside. I removed them yesterday. Put them back?


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## Darkel777 (Jun 7, 2013)

Chipper&Trillie said:


> Thanks! Mine don't look like airplane wings though. Is walking good for chick at this age (2 weeks) or bad? Should I let them walk or not?
> By the way, they suggest to leave unhatched eggs inside. I removed them yesterday. Put them back?


Walking is fine.

As far as I am aware, unhatched eggs help keep single chicks warm at the start of the hatching process up until the last egg pips and burrows out. After that, I am not aware of any use for them. I tend to remove the unhatched eggs by that point.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

I don' know what going on. First of all, nobody sleeps with them in the nest box. Also, I have a feeling parents becoming not so great at feeding them. Nobody seems to be feeding at night, not even in the morning. But parents still come to the feeding station and eat all day long. I hope they feed kids, maybe not so frequently, but still feed them. After parents ate some food in the morning and they fly into the cage, I lock them up and even force to get inside the nest box. 
ZuPreem baby formula should be delivered tomorrow. I also got Roudybush high energy breeder food, but this needed to be fed kind of some time ago. Is Lafeber Nutri-berries a good food for feeding parents? I just got some but they ignore it so far. 
DO people sometimes combine parents feeding with hand feeding? How do I determine when to feed and how much to feed if we combine? and how to make sure they need this assisted handfeeding? I will certainly weigh them today, do they need to be weighted every day?
I am also totally messed up. If you heard about small airplane crash in Wichita KS that took life of 4 people (who worked in the building it crashed on) - I knew pretty well one of them. She left a 10 yo daughter that my daughter used to play with. We are visiting them today. Everybody is shocked.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I am sorry the plane crash affected someone close to you.

I have heard of combining parent feeding with handfeeding. It is referred to as coparenting.

I have also read the first time parents sometimes don't really know how to care for the chicks properly. 

You might try a google search on "coparenting cockatiels".


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## RexiesMuM (Sep 7, 2011)

Soo cute  I love the pearl pied the most hehe .


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

I am sooooo ashamed!  
today I got them out and they were kind of lined up on the long coffee table, I thought maybe to take a picture of all of them standing, nobody felt like walking (it was 8pm old time so they were probably about to sleep). The parents were in another room eating. Suddenly, parents flew in, and the chicks got startled and one of them fell off the table (stupid owner!!!). There is carpet on the floor, the table height is 16 inches (40 cm) and the chick looked all right when I picked him up, but I am very worried. What should I do? 
Today the chicks weigh 97, 98, 101, 107g being 18-20 days old. A lot, isn't it?


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## cknauf (Aug 27, 2012)

Falling onto carpet should be okay. Examine him for any cuts, scrapes, bruises, etc. Chicks at this age are resilient--they'll be learning to fly soon, so it's assumed that they'll be falling and crashing all over.

Parents will taper off feeding chicks as the chicks get older. If the chicks are still growing and the parents are willing to feed them, I wouldn't worry about it.

By this age the parents don't need to sleep in the nestbox at night. The chicks are big enough and developed enough to keep each other warm through the night.


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## nassrah (Feb 27, 2012)

Chipper & Trillie Im sorry to hear about the plane crash . Even when we dont know the people involved,you feel sorry for the tragedy . My heart goes out for all these families,lots of love for the little girl that used to play with your daughter . Regarding information and proper advice about cockatiels in general and breeding , I would advise you to send a private message to Suzanne Russo , SRTiels is her nickname here . She is an expert,used to be one of the Top Moderators here,she s got books on the subject.She will be happy to help you,I am pretty sure. Your chicks look lovely-Congrats X x Teresa


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

*Teresa*, thank you for your kind words! We have funeral on Friday. 
*cknauf*, thanks a lot! The problem is that I have no clue anymore which one had a fall. We have 1 chick that is a very different color, otherwise they all look the same. I am sure there are some minor differences that would probably helped me to tell them apart, but I don't get them out every single day (I do checks opening the box but not getting the chicks out). *Does anyone band their chicks at this early age? *
They all were looking up waiting for food today and behaving normally, so I am assuming the chick should be OK. Yesterday, while I knew which one fell off, he seemed not to be hurt.


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## cknauf (Aug 27, 2012)

I know the problems with telling chicks apart...I've got three chicks now I can't tell apart for anything. The only way to tell them apart is one has darker feet and another has whitish spots on the back of his head.


Chicks are banded between 7 and 14 days old, depending on how fast they're growing.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

so.... if they didn't get banded, then they can never be banded???


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

I haven't posted here for awhile. The chicks are now exactly a month old. 

Everything was great until parents started a new clutch. I am very frustrated with the situation. Here are the problems

1- Mom started to lay eggs (3 by now) and she is very quietly sitting in the nestbox all day long. She doesn't even eat. She comes out to eat in the morning to the kitchen table (where I used to feed them when they were feeding first clutch) and basically this is it. She used to be craving mineral block - not anymore. I am not saying about veggies, maybe a tiny peace in the morning. I guess she comes out a few times during the day to drink some water and maybe eat some seeds (this is all she can find in the cage).

2- Dad is being..... hmmm... I would call him a jerk, or he is simply not very intelligent (sorry, Trillie). He is not eating much as well. Just because he copies that the hen does, and she is not eating. I really doubt he has anything to feed the chicks.

3- chicks are losing weight and I am very concerned. For example, one lost 4g during the day today (evening weight vs morning weight), another one lost 2g, two others showed the same weight as in the morning.

They have lost a lot compared to the peak weight at about 3 weeks. Bella was 106g at peak, now she is 86. Stella was 95g, now she is 79. Our younger chick, Tator Tot, was one of the biggest (103g) - now he is the smallest at 78g. Sammy was 96g, now he is 79g. Is it the way it's supposed to be??? The chicks are 4 weeks old.

Now how they spend a day. In the morning dad goes to eat to the kitchen with mom. Then he pretends he doesn't know this chicks. He may feed some of them a little bit Or pretend he fed. Then they all fly, chasing him and begging for food. I put him in another cage today and took him to the basement during handfeeding time so he wouldn't distract them. It didn't work. They are still not eating formula. I shouldn't force chicks eating, right? The chicks don't look at nice as they were. The feathers are dirty from the formula that I try to clean but can't clean completely. I am concerned I am blocking their noses with formula that dries there. They just don't open their beaks and some don't even stand still. I started handfeeding 3 days ago but didn't go far. 
My family told me that he fed them "a lot" while I was gone, but I doubt he would have a lot to give them. Then in the evening we have another lovely "flying all over" game, and this it when I am trying to feed them. He is escaping from them and they are trying to chase him. Our cock isn't tame so I can't just put him in the cage and take him down. They go to sleep after 10pm when we are finally done with everything (hungry, I bet)
What is also surprising is that chicks aren't really trying to do much. Probably saving energy to chase the father.
In this situation, is it better to separate the chicks completely? This weight loss isn't normal I guess. They also look and feel much smaller that they were.
What can I try ???


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Hi, I just saw this post and that you hadn't had any response. How are the chicks doing now? Did you manage to find out anything/get help with feeding? Hope your babies and cockatiels are doing okay


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Thank you. Our chicks are almost 8 weeks old. They are funny, flying everywhere, playing with toys, and eating (seeds, pellets, etc) pretty well. I feed them formula once or twice a day but I can't say they love it. Some eat, others do not. Their father feeds them a little bit. 

We also have a new clutch of 6 eggs that is not hatching on time. I didn't candle, I try not to mess with eggs. There were a lot of shaking in the cage from the growing chicks (that cage is not very large) until I moved the chicks into the new cage several days ago. Our heater just broke and was broken several days before, I was using a variety of portable heaters that we have which made temperature /humidity kind of unpredictable. 
They started to incubate from day 1, today egg #4 is due and no one hatched so far. I wonder if every single egg could be infertile (I saw birds mating though). Parents look like they are about to give up on the eggs.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

today I say both parents being out of nestbox for a long time. Until this, they carefully incubated eggs all the time. 4 eggs are past due but 2 more still could hatch if fertile. 
Do they have a way to know that eggs are not going to hatch? Can they feel it? I put the hen in the cage, she got inside the nestbox but very soon got out and went flying.
Should I lock one of the parents inside for a few more days?


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

What would you do in this situation: 

4 chicks from the first clutch are 2 month old today. The second clutch of 6 eggs didn't seem to be fertile, and I missed the moment to take the box down (actually the parents decided to have one more clutch when the second clutch was getting to the due date for the last egg of the second clutch). 

She just laid a new egg. I candled the eggs, and I think I could tell apart the new egg from the old eggs (none was fertile)

What would you do in this situation? Allow them to lay a whole clutch or remove the box and try hormone reduction techniques? anyone had success at the stage when the first egg has been laid?


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## RexiesMuM (Sep 7, 2011)

Personally I would remove the box , Allowing her to triple clutch is not safe for her health.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

RexiesMuM said:


> Personally I would remove the box , Allowing her to triple clutch is not safe for her health.


thanks. At least she didn't have any chick in the second clutch. But still can lay her eggs even without box, right?


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Mine will often lay a couple after I have removed the box but then will stop I.e won't lay a whole new clutch. Definitely remove the box and maybe move some perches and stuff around as well.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Should I let them into the old cage? I also have a new large cage where the chicks and the father spend a night. Otherwise, they are out of the cage all day.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

xxxemmzxxx said:


> Mine will often lay a couple after I have removed the box but then will stop I.e won't lay a whole new clutch. Definitely remove the box and maybe move some perches and stuff around as well.


do you throw away this couple of eggs?


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Would someone allow birds to have the third clutch if the second were not fertile?


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## RexiesMuM (Sep 7, 2011)

A responsible breeder would not let a third clutch happen. Even tho they did not hatch and they never fed them it is the loss of calcium from the production of the eggs and the stress of laying so many eggs not to mention egg binding is what I worry about most.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

can't egg binding happen just because she is now at stress without her nest but with the egg in her body?


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## xxxemmzxxx (Jul 27, 2012)

Normally if my girlie is acting like she's going to lay a third clutch I'll remove the nest box and she'll lay one or two eggs either in the food bowl or the ground and ignore them and stop laying. Having the nest box encourages her to keep laying and produce more eggs, increasing the chance of becoming egg bound.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Thank you. I removed nestbox on Monday after I discovered the new egg. Today is Wednesday and she hasn't laid an egg yet but she is having some out of cage time and she is checking into possible locations for the nest, I guess, so I locked her back in. Now waiting for the second egg. 

Is there any way to say by her appearance if she has an egg or not?


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## RainbowMagic (Dec 9, 2014)

How's it going now?


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

Thanks for asking.
Because she kept laying eggs in random locations, I gave up (it was a lot of trouble to be guessing if she is laying an egg somewhere or maybe egg bound) and gave her nestbox back with all the eggs she laid. At first, her and her mate hid all the eggs under the shavings (probably thinking they could dissapear), plus she kept laying eggs in the nestbox. After a few days, I dug out the rest of the eggs. There is 8 eggs total right now (I hope she is done) and they incubating them. I candled the eggs, and many of them seemed to be fertile. 
The older chicks are doing really well - all weaned by now and having fun in the house. I really don't know how I can rehome them - I love them more with each day.


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## Chipper&Trillie (Sep 1, 2013)

We have new babies: one hatched yesterday and another one today. 
I have a question. Their mom went to the box pretty early, even before 6pm (normally around 8pm). That means the last time she ate was before 6pm, and I can't say how much earlier as I wasn't home). Both parents were sitting in the box when I came home at 6 and then the cock came out alone after 8pm. She stayed in the box til the bedtime (9pm) - and after I turned the light off of course. The cock is spending night in another cage with older chicks. I don't know why she didn't go out to eat in the evening. I am not suspecting anybody ill. 
Would she alone be able to feed two tiny babies thru the whole night if she ate last time so long ago? She has food in the cage (basics like pellets), but usually she comes to eat to the kitchen where I have all the soft food prepared for them. 
Should I house both parents in the breeding cage overnight? They are free to fly during the day and normally they take turns staying with the newborn chicks but at night it was just her.


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