# Baby weights



## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

Do these sound ok?
Baby 1 - 4 days old 7 grams
Baby 2 - 4 days old 11 grams
Baby 3 - 2 days old 6 grams
Baby 4 - 1 day old 5 grams
Last egg should pip today 4 grams

Babies 1-3 are up a gram from yesterday and baby 4 had its first weight check today. No one had empty crops but some were fuller than others. So far Ellie is doing good taking care of the babies on her own. Her 4 day old baby weighs like as much as her baby I pulled at 9 days and the 2 day old is the size of her 7 day old from her last clutch. I think she is getting the hang of it!


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

If she is still feeding them good when I have to leave I may just leave her home with them and have my friend stop by to check on them once a day. It will really only be 4 days that I am gone, leave the 26th and get home late on the 31st.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

That's great! And I agree, if she's handling them just fine when you have to leave, have your friend check on them twice a day to make sure they're doing fine (have her weigh them so you're sure they're gaining) and leave them there. That way you don't scare her off the nest and she continues to care for them.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

I'm not sure she can check them twice a day. She lives about 30 minutes away but my 11 yr old is very mature and very intune with animals and I can have him peek in on them and make sure they are okay and see if Lynn can come 1x a day.

Ellie is in hardcore mom mode right now. I stopped limiting her seed, it's just stressing her out because she doesn't want all the other things and she is giving the babies fluids this time. They all look good. I have the egg in the brooder at 98 degrees. I didn't get to put it back in before she got in the nest and I had been holding it because she spends so much time off the nest eating that I was getting worried about it. It got pushed off to the side and wasn't even near the chicks. 
It wasn't moving but once I warmed it up it started kicking. I think it will pip within the next 12 hours. I hope it's healthy. 🙂


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

They're supposed to cool down. It's part of the hatching process. Letting the egg cool gets the chick moving.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

I know. 🙂 I took it out every couple hours and let it cool. It is by far the noisiest chick out of both clutches. I'm excited to see what it is like once it is out! It's been back in the nest since about 6.30ish when I got Ellie to come out for breakfast. 

I'm going to start weighing mornings as it's the most convenient for me so I weighed them all this morning and they are all the same weight except the big one. It is 13 grams. It is amazing to see how quickly they change and develop when they aren't stunted. It's head and beak are already changing shape. 

This has been good for the trust between Ellie and I as well as she sees that I am tending to her needs for endless food and she trust me and doesn't bat an eye when I take the nest. She also has stepped up a couple times the past few days without much trouble. It's been nice. 

Bowie is banished to the master bedroom and we are keeping a utility fan on in the hall and he is not happy about it but Ellie has been doing so good, I don't even want her hearing Bowie.

I wish I wasn't leaving but company my mom works for is paying for the cruise and I am already listed as her guest so I have to go. 
I should be excited as I've never been on one but I don't want to miss so many days of the babies!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Ask for picture updates while you're gone!! This way you don't miss much. That's what I do when I'm out of town lol.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

Still no progress with this egg 😕


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

I still see some slight viens so I will check to see if it has moved at all once they are gone. Poor little one.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

I am getting antsy about this last egg. I want to say it's been about 20 hours with close to no progress. It pipped to the right of the crack in 2 spots and nothing else. I think it may be stuck to the membrane where the crack was. All of this clutch besides the one without eyes hatched easily and all at 18 days.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

And it's only 4 grams which is small


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Remember every bird (like every baby) is going to be different. Not every one will hatch out at 6 or 7g. But it does sound like it's stuck where the crack is and may need help out of the egg. Not gonna lie, every patched egg I've seen has needed help hatching. The patch just kind of messes them up or the crack dries out the membrane.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

I hatched it out at 1.30 am. It wasn't patched but had been cracked for a few days and it sounded so desperate. It was very very stuck to the membrane and even though the yolk was totally absorbed that little umbilical part was stuck so I had my husband tie it off with thread and I held out pressure on it for about 15 minutes until it fully closed up. It's tiny but it's still alive and she is feeding all of them. I will post a pic of the baby from last night and post a pic of their weights. I didn't weigh them until evening and the big one has a FULL crop but I doubt I will ever catch that fatty empty. All had food in the crops, even the baby. But check out these weight gains!!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

They are getting big!!


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

I know, I'm so proud of Ellie and so sad I'm leaving! 😞


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

O but imagine the big babies you'll get to come home to!!


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

All babies are still doing well. The biggest is 25 grams and getting the first hints of those pin and crest feathers, the oldest 2 are 8 days old today. Youngest is 2 days old and still 4 grams. It is being fed though and looks ok. I haven't taken the bigger ones out but I am going to for the next 3 days so the others get more food and gain some weight before I leave.

I'm going to come home for sure to some babies with pokey little crests and eyes wide open! And hopefully all 5 still doing good. 🙂


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

It's OK to supplement feed the youngest to give them an extra boost. The youngest hatchlings are always at a disadvantage because by the time they hatch, the parents have typically moved on to a firmer consistency of food to feed the older babies.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

I'm too afraid. It's so tiny. Here is a picture. It's kinda hard to tell a couple of them a part. You can see they are pretty well fed. 3 of them are in the brooder. Even the 1 I left in the nest is full but I left it in there to keep the little one warm.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

I had to feed it. It was only 3 grams today. It took the feed well. The other 4 make daily gains. The biggest one gains the most daily and is huge at 36 grams today (25 yesterday), double the weight of the chick that hatched the same day.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I would maybe see if your friend can hand feed the youngest while you're gone? Right now the food is at a thicker consistency than what that baby needs.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

Yes the food was too thick for it. It started straining to pass droppings, I fed it till I left and then gave it to my friend but it didn't survive or even pass any droppings while she had it.

I thought I would share an update of the 4 babies Ellie has been raising though.
Today the oldest 2 chicks are 15 days and 39 and 61 grams. That big one is going to be a BIG bird. It's feet and ankles are already bigger than it's parents feet. Baby 3 is 13 days old and 37 grams and baby 4 is 12 days old and 29 grams. So they seem to be doing pretty well! Baby 3s head is not quite the shape I'd like to see it at this point but it doesn't seem to be too far behind. Everyone's eyes are open and they are all feathering. Baby 4 just has little tiny crest and the start of pins but baby 2 (the big one) has feathered quite a bit and looks to be pearled. The 3 oldest are split to pied, I can tell by their splotchy feet, I am not sure yet ifl baby 4 will be pied. It still has pink feet and clear nails but that could change! 
Here are some photos. I'm so proud of Ellie and don't know how she is doing it. All she does is eat, feed a baby, eat, feed a baby, etc. And all they so is poop! Holy smokes the nest was gross this morning after not being cleaned since Thursday night. She won't sleep in the nest anymore though. After she feeds them dinner she will stay in the nest a bit but then she gets out and roosts in the top of the cage.

Bowie is loud as usual but worse because he's not the center of everyone's world at the moment.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

They are looking great!!!

Haha yea that's her life right now. I bet she can't wait to finish lol. I'm not sure what you mean by #3's head, it looks normal for a baby tiel. They're funny looking at that stage, very awkward!!


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

The older 2 babies heads are flattening out and his still looks like bald vulture from the jungle book haha! All the babies gained about 20 grams in 6 days. They usually look full to me when I see them but I am a bit concerned that they should be weighing more. Besides the big one. I think the smallest ones crop empties a bit slower because she really hasn't spent much time in the nest since it was about 6 days old. I think it chills a bit. But I do think that they should all be ok. I let Bowie in for the first time in like a week. He's been in the livingroom but different cage. 
He got in the nest but he's really unconcerned about the chicks and more concerned about courting Ellie (who couldn't care less at this point lol)
I swear if Bowie is egg obsessed. Anyways, he only gets supervised visits. No more babies.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

I can't handle the cuteness. They are sitting up against a microwaved sock full of rice under a pillow case. It's got them so relaxed and drowsy. 🙂 it is so stinking cute. If my friend Lynn doesn't want 1 I am probably going to keep them all lol


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

Whoops, here is the pics..obviously chunky monkey doesn't need the extra heat! Lol that one seems fine with room temp, which is upper 70s at the moment.


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## angiessa (Apr 16, 2018)

Too cute!!


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

I noticed baby 1 and 3 aren't fully empty by morning the past 2 days which is a bit concerning to me. I'm going to go get papaya and organic multigrain baby cereal and give them some. Also baby 3 has red nares, it may just be dehydrated this morning but I unintentionally switched from aspen to pine and wonder if it is bothering it. Yesterday I noticed that the last time I let Bowie in before I left, when he was mean preening the chicks, it looks like he pinched down on the tip on baby 3s upper beak. I will post a zoomed in pic and you can see the little dent, it's low enough that it should grow out without issue but it sure made me mad. 
He looks at the babies with slanted eyes....if looks could kill. He will never be a good breeder. He's too self centered.

Anyways I'm going to pull baby 3 and see if a little fluid will help. It only gained 2 grams. Baby 4 actually was in a tie with baby 2 for 6 grams today! Baby 2 is 67 grams this morning and so alert. I'm pretty sure it is a boy and i have to say im pretty smitten. He is going to be heavily pearled. It was nibbling all over my hand and is already pecking around in the nest at things at 16 days old. It's really reaching a fun age. Here is the pic of baby 3s beak.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

I wouldn't let Bowie back in with the chicks. Some birds are baby killers and you don't want to have to deal with that. 

I would pull the two that weren't emptying and let their crops fully empty before trying to feed them. I really don't recommend baby cereal, it's got too much iron in it for tiels. It really needs to be tiel baby food.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

I ended up not doing anything. After she fed them breakfast it's coloring was normal and I think the nares may have been red from one of the other babies grabbing it's face and trying to get a feed. 
That's a good idea though. I will pull them. And don't worry. Bowie isn't allowed any where near the chicks. He is living in a separate cage next to the big cage. He gets to visit with Ellie on the floor and he tries his best to woo her but she pretty much ignores him and looks for fallen seeds.
I honestly can't believe the amount of seed she is going through to feed these babies! They eat a ton!


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

Here you see baby 2 using babies 3 and 4 as pillows haha but they don't mind because he is so big he keeps them warm. He lays all over the other chicks the same way Ellie did when they were little. She hardly spends much time in there. She just makes sure everyone is full.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

That's funny!! And that's normal, once the babies start getting feathers the parents spend less and less time in the box. Usually, Dad will take over the majority of the feeds once they fledge but since Bowie is such a poopyhead (lol) Ellie will have to do that too.


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## DivaMamaBird (Mar 2, 2018)

All of your babies looks so adorable and very healthy and lively looking. That is great news they are all doing so well. Truly a bunch of cuteness.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

Thank you guys! I love them all and after losing the whole first clutch I am just so happy and so pleased with Ellie being able to keep up with all 4. She's a good mom, Bowie is just such a terrible dad! Lol it's really too bad as he is a really good looking bird. 
So far the biggest chick from this clutch and the one who feathered from the last before dying were both pearled so if the rest of these 3 pearl out I think it is safe to say Bowie is Wf cinnamon pearl pied and not split to pearl. 
Right now I am fairly sure 1 and 2 are boys are 3 is a girl. The crest definitely looks lighter than the other two. 
The baby is too small to tell yet. 

I do have a question, well 2 actually, baby 3 has food stuck good in one nare, the other doesn't look as bad, just a bit red, I think it had food stuck in both at some point. How would you go about getting that unstuck? Just a damp q tip and a few rubs several times a day until it comes out? 

Also I noticed that the babies seem like they can intentionally fill their crop with air to look "scary" but baby 3 sorta seems like it just keeps filling, it can clear it but I think because the nares are irritated and clogged it is mouth breathing and getting air in there. Is this something I should worry about? I'd like to be proactive if this is something that can turn into a problem. 

Thanks again everyone! For the advice and the camaraderie! I wouldn't have made it through these past couple months without this page. 🙂


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Yes, I would use a wet q-tip a couple times a day to get the food out. That's about the only way to be able to do that. And the irritation from that could explain why it's nares are red.

So crest brightness has nothing to do with gender. Like, at all. If they all are pearls and both parents are pearls, you really won't be able to tell until after their first molt. I did read about a way to tell gender in pearl babies by looking at the tail but it was so long ago I don't remember exactly how it was done. It's probably on the forum somewhere lol.

As for the air, as long as it can empty the air out, it should be fine. I don't think it's a problem but again I'm not a vet so I'm not sure.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

Oh no I didn't mean brightness. I meant that it looks lighter, like cinnamon coloring in comparison to how dark the other two look and if it is cinnamon it has to be a girl. Also Bowie must be split because baby 1 looks like it's feathering out to be a normal grey, we will have to wait a few more days to see. 🙂

I ended up using a wet q-tip and the back end of a needle to clear out the poor things nares, looking closer I could see both sides were clogged but one side had kinda dropped down, like when you grab a lid one size down from the Tupperware container you have. Poor little thing, I cleared both sides and it looks better today and has a nice full crop of food and normal color nares.

I didn't get a chance to weigh them before breakfast today so a bit of the weight for today's weigh in was food but baby 1 is 55, baby 2 is 81, 3 is 60 and 4 is 55.
I can't get over baby 2 haha he's only like 11-12 grams less than dad now! 

Here are some pictures from today.
The first photo is baby 2 and baby 1 who hatched the same day.
2nd pic is baby 3 who I think might be a girl. Fingers crossed. I'm hoping for at least 1 girl.
Baby 2 had so much yellowing, I'm excited to see what he looks like or if he keeps any pearling after he molts.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

Actually that second pic is baby 4! I think that one might be a girl as well but I can't say for sure yet.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

In the pic where you see all the babies going from top to bottom is 2, 3, 4 and then baby one on the bottom.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

In the pictures the grey all looks pretty consistent but they could be different shades in person!! That one is definitely a pearl, the others don't seem to have the amount of yellow that the one does. Looking more and more like birds every day.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

Baby 4 is pearling out. It looks more white than yellow, you can see it on the shoulders and face. Couple more days will tell.
My guesses are 1 normal grey male with split to pied markers (like his feet) 2 obviously grey pearl male lol, 3 cinnamon female and 4 cinnamon pearl female. At least those are my guesses on the younger 2 for now. Hehe


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

I love how they look different every day. I'm pulling them shortly to try and get the crops emptying normally. I'm going to try apple sauce first and see if it helps. I think she just feeds them too often and too much. Lol


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Are they having problems with crops? When the parents are feeding them you don't let the crops empty. They're supposed to be always full, that's totally normal.


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

The youngest one just gets a huge crop. I don't feel like the other 3 ever got this big. It may not be an issue. Maybe it just has a big crop, it looks like it was over stretched but if you rub it, it still contracts and even left alone it will empty just slower than I think it should. I think just a little apple sauce a couple times a day and things should be fine.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Apple sauce isn't going to make it move faster. Maybe apple cider vinegar?


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

The apple sauce actually works really well. I can't remember where I read it but it works great. 🙂


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Hmm that's interesting. Maybe it's because of the cinnamon in it?


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## DivaMamaBird (Mar 2, 2018)

Glad they are doing so well Jenn 1469, they look beautiful. Great job!


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