# help



## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

My cockatiels had babies,which are now about 6 weeks old. The parents have recently been breeding all the time again & we got back today to find an egg on the bottom,what do I do? They already have 3 6 week old babies & I'm worried. The babies have fledged the nest so I took the box out yesterday & the older 2 are starting to eat for theirselves but all three still get fed by their parents. What do I do?


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

It's normal for parent birds to try for a second clutch when the first clutch are almost weaned. If you don't want the babies i would leave the nest box out, and if the mum lays more eggs on the cage floor (in the absence of a box) just shake them really well and leave them in there until she's bored. Shaking the eggs addles them and stops anything ever developing.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

What Bea said.


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## amber26 (Oct 29, 2007)

This is natural dad would take over feeding her if you do not want her to raise another clutch you can buy dummy eggs which you replace with the real eggs she would know no difference its natural but if you decide to let have another clutch let her.
Dad will take of care of the chicks she has already got make sure she has got plenty of calicum its really up to you what you decide


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## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

Hi guys thanx for the really helpful comments. Well how could I not want more babies,these three are gorgeous but I was just worried the parents wouldn't cope. Now as you have said about the dad takes over with the babies they already have I noticed he has being doing it anyway so it was me that didn't realise. As long as they can cope I will put their box back in later & look forward to more babies & try & think where I'm going to put them all lol. Thanx guys again


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Goodluck and make sure they get lots of vitamins and calcium from their food. Having all those cute babies takes a toll on their overall health. Try and post pics if you-would love to see them.


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## amber26 (Oct 29, 2007)

They are sweet ain't they hope you have more babies soon i will say though after her third clutch let her rest by removing the nest box


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Having one clutch is alot on parents, esspecially the mom. I don't think even healthy hen should be allowed more then two clutches.


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## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

So do you think I should allow her to have this clutch & then take the box out? What do you use for nesting,last time I got some advice from a pet store who gave me a bag of woodshavings & peat. The peat is very hard to find,any ideas? I posted a couple of pics by the way,just ignore my ugly mug lol. Thanx


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

I agree with Aly I wouldn't allow her to have more then two, back to back is hard enough on them but to have three in a row 

As far as nesting material I would be careful using woodshavings, pine or cedar chips/shavings should be avoided all together, alot of people just use paper towel as nesting material.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

She really won't need nesting material- I would also say avoid the wood shavings-the dust is not good for them and the babies's respiratory system. IF and ONLY if you think she's strong enough and healthy then you can allow her to have this second clutch.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

Nesting material is pretty important actually, it helps prevent splay legs in the chicks. I use the wood shavings you buy from the pet shop to put in rodent cages with my budgies, the same would be just as good with tiels. 

I also agree that two clutches should be the maximum, it's good to let the parents have a very long rest after that to recover. It's hard work for birds to raise a clutch of demanding little chicks!  I would also have a second cage ready to remove the chicks to as soon as they can eat on their own. The mum will likely start picking on them in an effort to keep them away from her new eggs.


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## amber26 (Oct 29, 2007)

you do need something in the nest box you should really be careful wood shavings has mum and dad sometimes feed the chicks them.
There's a think in england called easi-bed which is made for horses but a lot bird breeders keep them it basically thin pieces of wood but soft wood and parents birds can not feed the chicks them


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## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

me again. so if i used paper towels do i put it in whole or in shreds or what? my hen is healthy & hasn't shown any bad feeling towards the chicks regarding the egg, i think it helps as they got a massive cage. she's not layed any more so far. in all honesty i didn't expect her to be laying again so soon. how do i prevent her having any more after this clutch? i know you are supposed to up their dark time but they are at it when we turn the lights out.


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## amber26 (Oct 29, 2007)

All you can do is replace the eggs with dummy eggs she will sit on them for 21 days odd then relise they will not lay but if they want to breed believe m
e they will keep trying my kakariki's did something similar to me last year she had her first clutch then 5 months later she had another i took the nest box off and she layed in the quail house she raised another clutch in there this year she didnt get the chance because the quails are tame enough now not to want there house


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

nikki182 said:


> me again. so if i used paper towels do i put it in whole or in shreds or what? my hen is healthy & hasn't shown any bad feeling towards the chicks regarding the egg, i think it helps as they got a massive cage. she's not layed any more so far. in all honesty i didn't expect her to be laying again so soon. how do i prevent her having any more after this clutch? i know you are supposed to up their dark time but they are at it when we turn the lights out.


I would line the box with a few layers of shredded paper towel it will give the babies a firm grip on the floor, keep in mind some birds will throw the paper towel out, shavings are still widely used but I have also heard that the babies can swallow some of it and it can cause problems but I have no real experience with that, I have also heard you can use a washable disposable rubber mat to minimize slippage I think I would stick with the papertowels and see how they do with that but I am sure you will find many different opinions on this


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

If you go down the wood shavings route, remember shavings and not dust. It seems a lot of people get confused with the two and dust can be inhaled and swallowed by the chicks, shavings can't.


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## Sophia (Aug 11, 2007)

I would stick with the paper towel or the shavings. Keep us updated


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## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

Hi guys just thought I would stop by & give a quick update  She has now laid 5 eggs & they are due to hatch from Christmas day onwards,couldn't ask for a better present  Ok guys how do I go about giving my birdies a good rest? I don't want to seperate them so come on guys help me out plz? Hope all have a great Christmas


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

After this clutch I would take the nest box out. Here is an article that might help http://www.cockatiel.org/articles/incessant_egglaying.html


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

nikki182 said:


> Hi guys just thought I would stop by & give a quick update  She has now laid 5 eggs & they are due to hatch from Christmas day onwards,couldn't ask for a better present  Ok guys how do I go about giving my birdies a good rest? I don't want to seperate them so come on guys help me out plz? Hope all have a great Christmas


Good to hear. That is an excellent Christmas blessing. To discourage any further breeding you can do several things. 
Remove the nest box
Increase dark to 12+ hours 
Remove any nesting material
Decrease the amount of soft high fat/protein foods

IF she does lay more, make sure you are giving her plenty of calcium and veggies to make up for all that work and replace the eggs with fakes. I have heard that works but me personally I don't think Baby would fall for that. I wouldn't want to take the risk of her fiquring out those aren't hers and her trying to replace them. You can take her eggs and shake or boil and put them back. Don't let her see you replace-they're not stupid at all. Also, don't take away her eggs without replacing them. She'll try and sit on them and then realize they're duds and give up. At that time, take away one egg at a time (only after she had no more intrest). Goodluck and Merry Christmas to you too.


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

How exciting that the first is due to hatch on christmas day!  Have you got a good christmassy name picked out?


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## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

Hi again guys hope you all had a great xmas & a super new year! Well no signs of my babies yet. They were due to hatch 25,27,30 Dec & the 4,6 of Jan so its not looking great but I'm still hoping. The parents Mandi & Henry are taking it in turns sitting on them & they are both stocking up on baby food & their normal food like last time so I'm still hopeful.  Is it normal for the babies to still be fed by their parents, they are about 10 weeks old now & feed from the bowls but the youngest still squaks to be fed? I think she might just be lazy & difficult.  Thanx for all the great advice


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

Hi nikki there is still time so hopefully some of the little eggies will hatch  It sounds perfectly normal I think if the parents are still willing to feed them the babies will take it babies will squak well after they are weaned I got Hollie when she was about 10 wks old fully weaned but she still did it for weeks afterwards,


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## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

Hi guys well its not looking good I'm afraid  the last egg goingby the 21 days should have hatched yesterday. They are still taking it in turns sitting on them so what do I? I've read about candling the eggs but worried about disturbing them, any ideas  How long should I leave it before letting them mate again? Thanks guys.


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## Sophia (Aug 11, 2007)

Don't give up hope! They could still hatch  Candling is a very well known technique, and is used by many breeders, if you don't feel confident about doing it, then don't because you will just worry more.

GOOD LUCK


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## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

Thanks. It just doesn't feel right this time,if that makes any sense? I think I will leave them they know whats happening alot better than I do. I'm just a bit impatient .Its really cute because the baby,Beautiful, goes in the box when the moms nesting on the eggs & snuggles upto her.


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## Sophia (Aug 11, 2007)

nikki182 said:


> Its really cute because the baby,Beautiful, goes in the box when the moms nesting on the eggs & snuggles upto her.


That is really cute!  I would be impatient, if there was some eggs. I hope everything goes ok. Keep us updated! :lovebirds:


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

You wouldn't be able to see much if you candled the eggs this late anyway. The best time to candle eggs is around the 5th day after they're laid.  I would take the nest out once the eggs are abandoned and give them some rest.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Sorry about them..but congrats on the little one. He sounds adorable!


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## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

Hi guys good news one of the eggs has hatched . We got back today & my hubby thought he heard cheaping , he had a look inside & could still hear it but could'nt see anything so I decided to take a peek & although I couldn't see any babies as mom was sitting on them there is an empty half shell discarded in the corner . I will keep you posted but its so hard to have a look as there's always mom or dad sitting on them lol! I'm just so relieved to have some good news,everyone keep your fingers crossed. Thanks for all the kind words & support


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Oh good! I'm glad to hear that. I hope he does well. make sure mom starts feeding in the next 5-6 hours! It's good that he's peeping-he'll get her attention.


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## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

Bad news guys. Mom & dad came out of the box so I went to take a peek. There was a chick but it was dead. I don't know what happened but it didn't look right. It was the chick out of the smallest egg & it doesn't look like its been fed. It was right in the middle of the eggs too.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

I'm sorry...I've read that it helps sometimes place a larger plastic egg in the clutch so she doesn't sit so tightly and squeeze the youngest. How long ago was it that he hatched..and remained unfed?


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## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

Well we got back about 7pm & we heard the cheaping & I checked at about 12 & found the dead baby so I'm not sure. It hadn't hatched before we went out because I like to keep an eye on them. I thought that might have been a good sign


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I'm sorry you lost the little baby.


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## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

I'd lost hope until my hubby ran out to the car to tell me about the cheaping & I was so excited but now the hopes gone again  But thanks for thekind words


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

I am so sorry about the baby


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## xxxSpikexxx (Jul 30, 2007)

Poor baby  I hope the other will do ok.


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## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

Well the last egg was due to hatch on the 9th,that was the small one which hatched but the baby died  How long should I leave the eggs & box before removing? The parents aren't really sitting on the eggs any more,they pop in & out but don't stay inside . My birdies are going to enjoy a nice rest for a while & hopefully later there will be some more beautiful babies. How long a rest would you guys recommend? I'm hoping to get a bit more involved next time as first time round I didn't want to do anything wrong but I wondered how old babies should be before its safe to handle them? Thanks for all the kind words guys


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## Bea (Jul 26, 2007)

I would take the box out now, and give them a long break, maybe breed them towards the end of summer/start of autumn (it is winter there right ). For future reference, i think 2 weeks is the usual age people start handling chicks.


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## Aly (Jul 30, 2007)

Sorry it didn't work out.


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## nikki182 (Dec 7, 2007)

Well I took the box out today & there were 4 eggs left but one was rather cracked. I checked the other 3 & 1 was infertile but the other two had little dead babies inside  Its such ashame.


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## Laura (Jul 30, 2007)

sorry to hear that nikki  maybe after a break they will have better luck.


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