# 3 week old babies dont have many feathers



## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

After losing two babies and getting back on track (so I thought) with the remaining two, I have compared their growth on growth charts to find they dont have as many feathers as they should. Only the wings and a bit on their tails. Im concerned its because of poor nutrition as the parents will only eat bread... I have tried offering them all the healthy stuff, and even tried making birdie bread full of veges and cinamon etc but they didnt want it. Should I pull the babies and hand feed them? 

Attached is a photo from when they are between 16-18 days old


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

They look red, which is a sign of dehydration. You don't have to pull them full time for handfeeding, but you could assist feed to help them get the nutrients they need. 

Also, I think before these parents breed again, they need to be on a better diet.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

I agree, either assist feed or pull them for handfeeding since the parents aren't giving them a balanced diet. What are their weights like? You won't get an "empty" weight with parent-fed babies, but even a "full" weight will give you some idea of whether they're on track for their age.

I think the parents might be plucking the babies. They should have some pinfeathers on the body to go with the ones on the wings. Although they still have their crest pins, and that's usually the first thing a plucking parent takes.


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

i just tried hand feeding them their first morning feed but they weren't interested. I am trying to sprout some seed for the parents and giving them more fresh food and less bread and hoping they will eat that instead. My birds have always been fussy eaters but are more so now!

I will try hand feed again this afternoon and give them some water.


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

and there has been a little blood on them in spots which i thought may be the pin feathers breaking the skin, but do you think the parents could be plucking them? The dad has always been a biter but he isn't as bad (with Lulu) now that they are feeding. He was quite aggressive with mama Lulu for a while there, pulling her feathers out on her head...


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The blood spots are a sign of plucking. Pin feathers don't cause bleeding when they emerge.

The two primary causes of plucking are (1) sodium deficiency in the parents and (2) the parents are trying to make the babies fledge so they can start a new clutch. #1 is easy to fix; there's not much you can do about #2.


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

yeah i have noticed one of them has less tail feathers now. i feel i should pull them and hand feed them, and remove the nest from the parents. 
if i was to do this, what would i keep the babies in to keep them warm? and where would i keep them?


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## WestCoast (Jan 25, 2013)

My four babies took a day or so to adapt to handfeeding, I ended up feeding them all together which prompted a better response since it was similar to the experience they would have with the parents feeding them and competing with their siblings. Do it until they have the syringe figured out and then feed them separately, it keeps them a lot cleaner when they are fed individually  I agree that the parents are also plucking them.


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

I have set up a brooder and hand feeding them when they cry. Good to know your birds took time to adapt to the syringe cos these guys are a bit confused by it. They aren't making the usual baby tic tic sounds when feeding but have their heads up and allowing me to get some into them, and swallowing it. From what I have read they need to be fed 10% of their body weight 4 times a day... or for these guys probably spread out over a few more feedings until they get the hang of it. Can anyone tell me how long I can leave them unsupervised? As I will have to be away from them for up to 4-5 hrs on some days for work and uni


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Just a few comments and links...

It looks like the parents are plucking the babies. Here is an article with some info on plucking: http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/help-my-parents-are-plucking-the-babies.html

At their age I would suggest feeding 3 times a day.

Here is an article on Handfeeding Utensils. It does not cover Handfeeding but may have some helpful info: http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/hand-feeding-utensils.html

Here is a mini album with some things I have used for containing/brooders for babies: http://tinypic.com/a/2rxc1/3

Here is an article on sprouting: http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/sprouting-for-birds.html


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

Thank you, they are slowly coming around to feeding and I'm feeling more confident in the process. I just hope they get their feathers back!


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## Love my bubs (Aug 26, 2012)

tielfan said:


> What are their weights like?


They were about 75-80 grams before their first feed this morning...


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