# Please HELP!! Nervous owner with breeding cockatiels



## cockatielgurl (Dec 14, 2011)

Hi, 
18 months ago my tame cockatiel pair laid 6 eggs, they all hatched but they died as the parents neglected them. Very sad. Thought that maybe i was too "involved" in the breeding process (disturbed the nest too much with over-concern) which caused the tiels to abandon their babies or maybe they were just bad parents??

Second time round, i have set up a nesting box i bought from the pet shop in a corner cage in a quiet room, minimal disturbances by me. Hoping and praying...

Three eggs later....I can now hear little chirping sounds from the box but too scared to disturb. How much intervention is recommended as i don't want the same to happen as last time...or is there something else i should be doing? Am willing to hand raise them from newborn although i know it is very time consuming but would rather parents take over.
Please help!


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## Davo (Dec 9, 2011)

they might have neglected them because it was their 1st clutch and they didnt know how to raise and care for the chicks? and i suggest you hand raise the babies as they are much easier to sell as handraised pets. and the chirping sounds is a good sign that their still alive  best of luck with your new babies


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## Fortunate (Oct 31, 2011)

Hand raising is alot of work - trust me! lol.
Its rough going - esspesially for a 1st time breeder - but i wouldnt go back for anything in the world, its very rewarding! 

1st clutches are usually abandoned apparently - i would check in every few days to make sure everyone is healthy and roughly the same size. Dont pull the chicks untill they are 3 weeks (i think thats the recommended age - i stand to be corrected)

If i had the choice i would have let the parent tiels care for my babies, but its your choice.
Best of luck!!


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## cockatielgurl (Dec 14, 2011)

*thx!*

Thanks Davo and Fortunate. I am hoping that they don't repeat their performance with the first clutch.
Do you think it is OK to disturb them a bit to see if they are sitting on the chicks and the chicks aren't being abandoned and pushed to the other side of the nesting box? Last time, they would take off like a rocket whenever i got too close and i was always afraid they would hurt the babies....


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## DyArianna (Aug 7, 2011)

You need to check to see if a baby has hatched. It is possible you hear chirping and an egg hasn't hatched yet. This is normal. It just means you'll have a chick soon! If your birds are not used to you looking in the nest box, you will just need to be very gentle and careful. Talk gently to them as you approach the nest box and talk for a few minutes before you do anything. Then tap gently on the outside of the nest box a few times before you even try to open it. This will alert them that you are there so you don't startle them even more. Have a flashlight ready as it might be hard to see inside and you might only get away with opening the top a bit at first. Open it very slowly and see if you can see anything inside. If they refuse to move off the eggs, don't push it as they could trample the eggs/babies. Close the box and give it a little bit and try again. 

If there is someone close to you that is a breeder, contact them and ask them if they can show you how to hand feed. You may not need to as it is best for the parents to feed them if at all possible. If no breeder, sometimes a pet store, your local avian vet or someone else who knows how to do it will teach you how. If all else fails.. there are videos on YouTube. You need to get this under wraps right away. As well as having everything on hand needed for hand feeding... syringes, formula, etc. Just in case. 

If the parents feed the babies, you can still have wonderful hand raised babies by taking them out and spending time with them each and every day. But I wouldn't bother them much for the first week or so as other eggs will be hatching. DO NOT remove the chicks right away UNLESS there are problems! If you get some experience at hand feeding and you still want to do this later.. it is better to pull them around 3 weeks of age to do so. They are easier to feed and this gives them more time with the parents. 

Congratulations to you! You have a very eggciting road ahead.. but please ask any questions that you may have! Raising your first clutch can be very stressful. You need to make sure mom and dad have PLENTY of good food (seed, millet, veggies, soft foods, pellets and water). They go through LOTS of food and water when they are feediing. 

Try checking the nest box and let us know what you find. And remember check around on the hand feeding. Again, this needs to be done now so you have an option ready if you need it.


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## Davo (Dec 9, 2011)

yes i agree you need to check the babies but do it carefully and dont make the pair feel threatened. Talk calmly and show the pair your only there to check up and that your not going to harm their babies.


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## cockatielgurl (Dec 14, 2011)

*phew!*

Oh thanks so much DyArianna. you have given me some peace of mind now. You are so right about the "cheeping" coming from the nest box. Yesterday i heard it and the cock was on the eggs at the time and moved off them for a minute for me to see that there were 3 eggs in tact...I thought to myself, man, am i hearing things? then i got scared thinking that there was a chick that had hatched that i didnt know about it and it was stranded and hidden somewhere in the nest box! This time around, the parents seem more attentive, so fingers crossed. 
I have another hen who is in a separate cage who is bonded to me. I thought that maybe if the other two don't fulfill their parental duties, i could put the eggs or hatchlings in her cage... She isn't broody like she was the last time the other female laid (she also laid about 5 unfertilized eggs...- i don't have the technology to fertilize eggs yet myself, but working on it! ;-) )
Last time, I desperately tried to save the final egg from the parents that had been abandoned and popped it in among the single hen's unfertilized eggs but, nope, she knew it wasn't hers and rejected it. It was heartbreaking to see the baby had attempted to break out of its egg partially but then died in the attempt(sob sob).
Oh well, fingers crossed and will let you know if anything happens or if i have any questions. thanks a billion for your help. It is helping me sleep better at night!


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## DyArianna (Aug 7, 2011)

Good luck to you! Keep us updated! If you are hearing chirping that means a baby has broken through into the air sac inside of the egg. It shouldn't be long now..


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

It sounds like you have a baby hatching. The next time you let them have a clutch, mark the eggs so you know what order they'll hatch in. To keep them from shooting off like a rocket as you say you have to get them used to you being around, near, and in the box. Tapping on the box and talking to them before you open it is your best bet. You should do this while they're sitting on eggs so it conditions them to accept it. The only way you could foster any eggs to your single hen is if she is currently on eggs as well. Otherwise it won't do you any good. My guess is the last time, she has already given up on her own eggs being fertile and so didn't realize that you had placed a good one with her others. Tiels don't usually reject fostered eggs (I know, I've fostered babies and eggs to different pairs before with no issue.) So it would be good to keep an eye on the eggs, to make sure this one hatches. If it gets to be 48hrs with no hatch you'll have to assist hatch but I pray you don't have to do that. Good luck!


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## morla (Aug 15, 2011)

Good luck with your breeding!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Tame birds won't be scared away from their babies by human intervention even though they will hiss and get angry when you look in the nest. So it was probably inexperience that caused them to abandon their first clutch. Some birds instinctively know what to do the very first time and with others it takes several clutches for them to figure out what to do.


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## cockatielgurl (Dec 14, 2011)

*Not cheep!!*

Thanks everyone for your help. 
Day 2- I went into to cockatiel room and went up the cage while talking softly.the hen is on the eggs, I see half an egg shell in there but the chirping has stopped. The hen won't budge off her eggs even though I tried to coax her with millet spray and even a three course meal at the local Sizzler ;-) I will try again later. I am assuming she is sitting on her chick and is just playing her maternal role well ( for once) ? Is it normal not to hear the hatchling cheep all the time??


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Yes, very normal. The babies only cheep at feeding time. Just like human babies, they spend most of their time sleeping.


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## cockatielgurl (Dec 14, 2011)

*Update*

Hen got off eggs. She seems to preen herself and eat like crazy so I make sure she gets lots of nutritious food. 
Got a glimpse of gorgeous hatchling. Hoping they start feeding it when it's time!


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## meaggiedear (Nov 20, 2011)

How exciting! Keep us updated!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

For the first few days the baby's crop will have just a tiny little bump of food in it, so you'll have to look closely to see it. But then the parents go into overstuff mode, and the baby's crop will be bigger than its head.


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## cockatielgurl (Dec 14, 2011)

*Question about feeding....*

Just a question about night time feeding....
The first hatchling was born early this morning....During the day time when it was feeding time, both the hen and cock sat in the nesting box with the hen sitting on the unhatched eggs and the cock feeding the hatchling.
Tonight, the hen is the only one in the nesting box sitting on the chick and the two eggs...
I am afraid that the hen isn't feeding the baby during the night as she doesn't seem to do it during the day. Is this a possibility!?


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Hens stay with them during the night and they come out in morning and then the male takes over


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## cockatielgurl (Dec 14, 2011)

Yes, but does the hen feed them throughout the night? iS that what should happen?


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Yes she should feed them during the night

Their crop might of went down time you had checked on them


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## cockatielgurl (Dec 14, 2011)

It is hard to check as the hen doesn't like to move off the eggs at all once she is on there


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Every time when i opened the box i had to put my hand at the back so they would move to check on them, you can move her with a kitchen spatula to quickly check


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## cockatielgurl (Dec 14, 2011)

Thanks for your advice on moving the hen

UPDATE: I tried to get the hen off the eggs and she moved (like a rocket), but i only saw the two eggs. I couldn't see the baby. 
Then i waited a while and heard the baby cheeping a little, so it is still alive, but still didnt get to see its crop. I don't want to disturb her again in case she becomes violent again and maybe damages the eggs and baby..will hold out til morning and hope that the baby is alive still!


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

your welcome 

keep us posted


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Yea we used a kitchen spoon for one of our males because he's hand tame and jumps at us to bite. Once you get them out of the box you can block the hole so they can't get back in and you can check on the eggs and the baby. This also helps so you can remove any egg shells still there as if you don't an unhatched egg may roll into the shell and the baby could get stuck.


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## cockatielgurl (Dec 14, 2011)

Thanks for your help...here is an update and would appreciate any feedback/advice

My main concern is if the hen is feeding the baby during the night as during the day I only see the male feeding the baby and while the hen watches on...

It's been about 24 hours since baby was born. Managed to get both birds into another cage this morn (I needed to spring clean the nesting box anyway due to poop being in area) and there was the gorgeous little baby, but in the corner of the nestbox away from the cock who was sitting on the 2 unhatched eggs. If i recall, that is what happened last time when they laid...the babies ended up not staying under the parents. is this ok? Good news was that its crop was full. yay! Do you think that either
a) the hen had been doing her feeding duty during the night otherwise the chick wouldnt be alive?
b) the chick lasted the night without feeding from the hen but the cock did the first early morning feeding? Hard to tell...

I am just a bit concerned about the chick being on its own too long in the nest while the cock sits there on the other two eggs. Perhaps the cock came into the box for the early morning feed while the hen sat on the eggs and then when that was done, the hen got out of the box and the cock got back on the eggs but left the poor baby out? 

Just checked again...i put the male back into the nesting area and he is now sitting on the eggs and chick. I pushed the chick back to the eggs when i cleaned the box. Hen is still out of the nesting cage in a cage nearby (she can see the nesting box) but she doesn't seem to be phased and frantic about going "home".

One final question, if I have doubts about the ability of the hen, should I give the cock full parental responsibility and take the hen out of the cage altogether even if it means only for the next few days while the chick is vulnerable? At least I know the cock is feeding, i have seen him do it during the daytime.
Oh, the birds will be on their own for the next 48 hours as I am away out of town. Any suggestions to assure I have live babies when i get back?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Dad can handle full baby duty but if baby had a full crop and is still alive don't doubt in Mom's abilities just yet. Obviously someone is doing something right if the baby lasted the first 24 hours. As to being gone for the next 48 hours, you're going to have to make sure whoever is taking care of them is giving them enough food that they need. This includes seeds and the soft foods they require.


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