# artifcial incubation



## dragon123 (May 1, 2009)

hi just some more advice ready for next time my birds lay i wanted to try a diffrent thing so i cud have a close eye on the eggs and not disirb my birds when i want to candle them wot it is my male and female dont wet there breast fethers when sitting and there isnt a lot of humidity cos there in my room so cud i incubate the eggs in my incubater for say 17 days and give them fake ones when they get to day 17 i cud swap the eggs back and give them there real ones back 
tony


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

It might be better to run a humidifier or hang up a wet towel. The natural humidity in the air might also be enough.

Apparently the humidity in the nestbox can be different than that in the rest of the room anyway. My tiels don't wet their breast feathers either. I'm in southern Arizona where the natural humidity is close to nonexistent (10-15% as a general rule), and I don't do anything to add moisture to the air. The chicks hatch just fine anyway, and they do it pretty fast.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I mist around the cage and the outside of the box if the humidity in the room drops below 50%.


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## dragon123 (May 1, 2009)

ah rite ok where do i hang a damp towel in the bird cage or out side i fort humidyfires took mouisture out of the air 
tony




sweetrsue said:


> I mist around the cage and the outside of the box if the humidity in the room drops below 50%.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

You could drape it right over the top of the nest box. I also had a tablecloth to kind of keep the seed scattering down and I would moisten that too. Unless your birds are totally clueless they will do a better job than an incubator. Just so many variables. It's hard to get it stabilized. Temp, Humidity and airflow as well. Then there's turning the eggs. 3 times a day 'till they get within 3 days of hatching. But how do we ever really know. Hatch estimates run from 18 to 21 days. They seem to know tho. You're better off without it. If you have an incubator and they don't hatch you blame yourself.


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## dragon123 (May 1, 2009)

yer i have an incubater but i cant use it for cockatiel eggs yet as its full of reptile eggs at the moment how long does it take for them to breeding agien now they give up on 4 eggs today so will they start all over agien any day now ive took there box away for a week or so tho ill have to do a few of the tips from u guys and let the mam and dad do it 
tony




sweetrsue said:


> You could drape it right over the top of the nest box. I also had a tablecloth to kind of keep the seed scattering down and I would moisten that too. Unless your birds are totally clueless they will do a better job than an incubator. Just so many variables. It's hard to get it stabilized. Temp, Humidity and airflow as well. Then there's turning the eggs. 3 times a day 'till they get within 3 days of hatching. But how do we ever really know. Hatch estimates run from 18 to 21 days. They seem to know tho. You're better off without it. If you have an incubator and they don't hatch you blame yourself.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Tiels will naturally go to nest again right away. In the wild, if conditions are still favorable they will go for a second clutch. But they shouldn't be allowed to nest again 'till next year. Two clutches per year is all they should lay even if one of the clutches doesn't hatch. If I were you I would wait to see if they are breeding be fore I hung the box up again. In fact I wait 7 to 10 days after they start breeding before I even hang the box. I never just hand a box and hope they will breed. You're much more likely to get clear eggs that way.


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## dragon123 (May 1, 2009)

im not putting the box in strait away well i havent got one as i used a card board box last time and i chucked it out im looking for a proper nest box with a inspetcion door but havent come across one yet where i live so gunna have order off line so wont have one for another week or 2 any way and thak you for that tip of letting them breed for 7 to 10 days before giving them a nest ill try that 
tony




sweetrsue said:


> Tiels will naturally go to nest again right away. In the wild, if conditions are still favorable they will go for a second clutch. But they shouldn't be allowed to nest again 'till next year. Two clutches per year is all they should lay even if one of the clutches doesn't hatch. If I were you I would wait to see if they are breeding be fore I hung the box up again. In fact I wait 7 to 10 days after they start breeding before I even hang the box. I never just hand a box and hope they will breed. You're much more likely to get clear eggs that way.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> i fort humidyfires took mouisture out of the air


A humidifier puts moisture in the air. A dehumidifier takes it out.


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## dragon123 (May 1, 2009)

ill test the humidity tommrow ive got a thing to test the humidity in my incubater i relised wot there are now i looked them up lol dont take mutch to confuse me at this time of morning 3.30am
tony




tielfan said:


> A humidifier puts moisture in the air. A dehumidifier takes it out.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Hmmmm...what size water dish do you have in the cage? If it is too small the birds are not going to get in it. You might want to place a bigger shallow bowl in their cage to encourage them to wet down. ***ALSO...a water bowl should always be available 'after' the chicks hatch. The reason is that the parents will still wet their feathers to wet the down and later the pin feathers of the chick for proper feather growth.


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## dragon123 (May 1, 2009)

i do have quite a big one in they drink out of it but not bath the funny thing is yestaday when they got bored of the eggs i took the nest out cleaned every thing and they both had a bath in the dish i tryed spraying them and they didnt like it but yestaday they were letting me putting there wings out and every thing they started breeding today also hope i get fertile eggs this time
tony



srtiels said:


> Hmmmm...what size water dish do you have in the cage? If it is too small the birds are not going to get in it. You might want to place a bigger shallow bowl in their cage to encourage them to wet down. ***ALSO...a water bowl should always be available 'after' the chicks hatch. The reason is that the parents will still wet their feathers to wet the down and later the pin feathers of the chick for proper feather growth.


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