# breeding question



## tfrudakis (Feb 18, 2013)

My female cinnamon is sitting on eggs after having mated several times with our new male. I feel it likely she is dealing with fertilized eggs and am preparing for new chicks. I have read about best practices (http://www.cockatielcottage.net/breeding2.html) but cannot seem to find the answer to a relatively simple question - can anyone help? The question is: can the mother feed the chicks to weaning on her own like birds in the wild or is it imperative to hand feed after the first 2 weeks (e.g. are house birds incapable of carrying out the process through to the end)? I am not so much concerned about habituation with humans (which can be addressed later) -just about the survival of the chicks.

Thanks in advance.


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## xoxsarahxox (Dec 13, 2010)

Cockatiel parents are perfectly capable of feeding and raising babies until weaned


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

Yes they do feed the babies until their weened
But some birds got pulled out to get handfed at 2 weeks will most likely be thinking that their chick will be pulled out as well

No one can really know until the day comes but most likely she will continue 
But make sure that you have handfeeding formula just in case
And good luck with you future chicks


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

First-time parents don't always know what to do so you'll need to check in the beginning to make sure the parents are feeding the babies (both of them should do it, not just the hen). But once they start feeding the babies they should keep doing it until the chicks are weaned, unless you interrupt them by taking the babies away.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Also, cockatiel cottage is outdated on their information. This is the most importance difference that you must pay attention to: nestbox bedding.


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## tfrudakis (Feb 18, 2013)

tielfan said:


> First-time parents don't always know what to do so you'll need to check in the beginning to make sure the parents are feeding the babies (both of them should do it, not just the hen). But once they start feeding the babies they should keep doing it until the chicks are weaned, unless you interrupt them by taking the babies away.


Interestingly, she wont let the male anywhere near the nest box. He wants to go, and I have tried to get her used to him in the area, but the attacks were so vicious I was slightly scared he would be marred/disfigured and stopped trying to force it. I think she wants to do it all. It sounds like I will need to check on them frequently to be sure they are being fed. The crying for food should not be incessant - that would be the first hint that she is not able or willing to do the job on her own - and at that point I think I will take her to our breeder (from whom we bought the hen).


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

it sounds like you might have a bondage pair, not a bonded pair, which would explain the aggression.


http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?p=340169#post340169


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

You can let the adults "take turns" being in the breeding cage; when one comes out of the nest to eat, you can remove that bird from the cage and put the other adult in. Let the hen be the adult on duty at night, since it's the female's natural role to sleep in the nest with the babies until the oldest one is about a week old. At that point both adults start spending most of their time out of the nest, and the female sleeps near the nest but not in it.

The wording of your first post makes it sound like this pair hasn't been together long enough to form a good pair bond. It's possible that they'll have a better bond after they've gotten to know each other better.


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## tfrudakis (Feb 18, 2013)

tielfan said:


> You can let the adults "take turns" being in the breeding cage; when one comes out of the nest to eat, you can remove that bird from the cage and put the other adult in. Let the hen be the adult on duty at night, since it's the female's natural role to sleep in the nest with the babies until the oldest one is about a week old. At that point both adults start spending most of their time out of the nest, and the female sleeps near the nest but not in it.
> 
> The wording of your first post makes it sound like this pair hasn't been together long enough to form a good pair bond. It's possible that they'll have a better bond after they've gotten to know each other better.


Since they are not bonded, do you think there may be a risk of the male hurting the chicks?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

No I don't think there would be a risk of male hurting them, the female may trample them trying to keep the male out of "her" nest. She doesn't see him as a partner so she's not letting him participate. Males are more maternal in the cockatiel world so he's going to take it pretty hard that he can't get to his chicks. I would do as tielfan suggested and let them take turns.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If the male has normally developed breeding instincts, he'll take care of the babies with great tenderness and devotion. The risk of violence is between the adult birds. You definitely don't want to have both of them in the nest at the same time because they could trample the babies while they're fighting with each other.


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## tfrudakis (Feb 18, 2013)

tielfan said:


> If the male has normally developed breeding instincts, he'll take care of the babies with great tenderness and devotion. The risk of violence is between the adult birds. You definitely don't want to have both of them in the nest at the same time because they could trample the babies while they're fighting with each other.


Great - thanks guys. I will do as you suggest and give the male some time each day. I do feel sorry for him as he tries to walk over to the cage with the nest (3 rooms away), only to get battered by the female. After this clutch, no more nest boxes until they start getting along (if they start).


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