# Parents feeding chicks



## sbarnett (Nov 12, 2012)

Do you give your cockatiel parents anything out of the ordinary when they are feeding their chicks? I have noticed my lovebirds like the smaller seed/millet when they feed the babies. I can assume its because its easier to digest for the babies.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Pellets...I give mine pellets and seeds. The pellets are considered soft food because they become mushy in the crop and are much easier for babies to digest.


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## sbarnett (Nov 12, 2012)

I'll have to try that when my cockatiels have babies. They won't touch the pellets neither will my lovebirds.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The time to teach your birds to eat soft foods is BEFORE they have babies. It takes time for them to accept a new food, and they won't automatically become interested in new food just because they have eggs in the nest. 

From http://www.littlefeatheredbuddies.com/info/nutrition-tieldiet.html :



> Breeding birds need more of everything - more calories, more protein, more fat. The hen in particular needs plenty of calcium as well as the vitamin D that's essential for calcium absorption (see the Lighting and Vitamin D article for more information). They will also need access to high-nutrition soft foods when the babies hatch, because soft foods are easier for the babies to digest than dry seed. It can be time-consuming to teach an adult bird to eat new foods (see the Diet Conversions article), so the parents should be taught to eat soft foods before they even start breeding.
> 
> Pellets are an excellent baby food; the parents will eat the dry pellets and drink water to soften them up. Other good baby foods include homemade sprouts (not the store-bought kind, since they can have issues with mold and bacteria); organic multi-grain bread; small amounts of cooked egg; and other high-nutrition cooked foods. Any rice or flour in the cooked foods should be whole grain, not refined/white. It is essential to provide the parents with nutrient-dense foods to prevent malnutrition in the babies. Babies who are raised on an inadequate diet are likely to have weak, malformed feet and other lifelong health issues.
> 
> ...


There are tips for teaching birds to eat new foods at http://www.littlefeatheredbuddies.com/info/nutrition-conversion.html


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## sbarnett (Nov 12, 2012)

True, but like I said before I'm new at this and am still learning what to do/not to do. The breeder I got them from didn't feed pellets which is probably why they won't touch them. None of my cockatiels have had babies yet so there is still time.


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