Breeding Cockatiels
Part 2
By Eleanor McCaffrey
Copyright Notice: No portion of this text or photos
may be, copied, printed or reproduced without
permission from site owner.
One
of the main causes of neonate mortality is poor hygiene on the part of the
breeder. The nestbox needs to be cleaned since it will become very dirty once the
babies are born. This should be done daily to prevent bacteria from growing.
A good time to do this is when both parents come out
in the morning to eat. You can prevent them from re-entering the nestbox
by sliding a piece of cardboard through the cage bars and blocking off the
entrance. Put the babies in a small, bowl that has been
lined with white paper towels or a clean terry face cloth. Place the bowl on top of a heating pad set on low that has been covered with a folded terry cloth towel. Work quickly
so the babies do not get chilled or overheated. Remove the soiled nesting material and scrape
the sides of the nestbox. Replace the contents with clean nesting material
then put the babies back inside. Remove the cardboard so the parents can
re-enter the nestbox. Always be careful not to startle or frighten
the parents. If they panic, they may trample on the babies, injuring or killing
them.
Sometime the parents will push an egg or baby to the side of the nestbox and won't take care of it. The eggs
may be defective or the babies may be weak and have some problems. The last
chick to hatch can sometimes get less food than the other babies, becoming weak.
According to what I have read and have been told by
other breeders, the parents seem to instinctively know something is wrong with an egg or
baby, thus rejecting it. If this happens to a baby, make a brooder for the baby and start handfeeding it. If
it responds to your feeding, try putting it back inside of the nestbox in
a few days. In
many cases the parents will resume feeding the baby once it's a little stronger. In some cases the
baby's jaw is literally locked shut. This is caused by a condition called
Bordatella, which makes it impossible for the baby to open its mouth to eat.
Babies like this need to be taken to an avian vet or they will starve to death.
Cockatiels
breeding their first clutch may abandon their eggs or their babies. It seems that
they just don't know how to take care of them. Sometimes it takes a few clutches
before they learn what to do. Abandoned eggs get chilled and the embryos will
die if they are not put inside of an incubator. Abandoned babies will not be fed
and need to be put inside of a brooder and handfed. You can also place the
abandoned eggs or abandoned chicks with another pair of birds that have been successful
at breeding. Surrogate parents
can take care of them. Not all birds are good parents, just like all humans are
not good parents. Parents can start pecking at
babies or plucking their feathers at any age. Some of them are really abusing the chicks
and others are just being over zealous cleaning them. If your chicks are being
injured or plucked by one of the parents, remove the offending parent. You
may have to give supplemental feedings if the babies are not growing and the
remaining parent needs help. If both parents are causing the problem you will
have to remove the chicks and start handfeeding the babies yourself.
If you plan on handfeeding the babies, remove them
from the parents and place them inside of a brooder at 2-3 weeks of age. Purchase a
quality, baby bird formula
at a pet shop and follow the directions on the package. Use boiled or
bottled water for mixing the formula and avoid using tap water. If a baby is
thin or eating reluctantly, you can use 1/2 apple
juice and 1/2 water when mixing the formula. The consistency
of formula should be like watery pea soup or a thin gravy. Thicker formula can cause the crop to
empty too slowly. The temperature of formula should be between 104-106 degrees Fahrenheit and should be tested with a good
digital cooking/candy thermometer to prevent crop burn.
Breeders have told me that temperatures lower than 104 cause food to travel
down the crop too slowly, causing sour crop and
other digestive problems. Higher temperatures will cause crop burn. Some breeders add a
few drops of apple cider vinegar
OR a few drops of papaya extract (available at health food stores)
OR half baby food applesauce to half already mixed
formula to the morning feedings. This helps the crop to drain.
The crop must empty completely once a day, between the midnight
and morning feedings. If the crop is emptying very slowly, give the chick 100% baby food applesauce, warmed to
104-106 degrees, at the next feeding. If the crop empties, give the chick half baby food applesauce and half formula for the next feeding
If this doesn't help, please take the baby to an avian vet.
Cleanliness and hygiene are very important when handling chicks and feeding
them. Always wash your hands
with an anti-bacterial soap and hot water and use a hand sanitizer as well,
before you feed or handle the babies. Do NOT Aim The Syringe At The Back Of The Baby's Throat. If food goes down the windpipe the baby will choke.
Food travels down the right side of the baby's neck. It is very important to place the syringe
or eyedropper on the
Left side of the beak and point it towards the Right side of his neck. When the
baby is facing you as in this photo, his Left side will be on your Right side.
Do not use the same eyedropper or syringe for each baby. Each baby should have
their own to prevent the spread of bacteria or illness from one baby to the
next. NEVER SAVE
unused formula or store it in the refrigerator. Make a fresh, new batch for every feeding of the day.
Never feed the babies when the crop is completely, almost completely, or
25% full. This will overstretch their
crop causing digestive problems. If the crop isn't draining at all and you do not know
how to massage the crop to break up food or if this isn't working, take the baby to an
avian vet immediately before sour crop or slow gut sets in. The crop may
need to be flushed and emptied manually or washed out with a tube by your avian vet. Do NOT try
doing this if you are a new, inexperienced breeder or if you have not been taught how to do this by your avian vet or
an experienced breeder.
Babies can also be fed with a spoon. Disposable plastic spoons can be dipped
into boiling water so you can bend the tips, making a little V shaped funnel for easier feedings.
Do NOT use the same feeding instrument for each baby.
Each baby should have their own to prevent the spread of bacteria or illness
from one bird to another. Never double dip into the formula. After feeding the
babies, wipe all of the excess formula off of their beaks, skin and feathers
with warm water and a clean wash cloth. Also take a Q-Tip with warm water and
wipe out the inside of their mouths or give the babies a few drops of warm water
inside of their mouths. This will clean out excess formula and help prevent
bacteria from forming. Disinfect all syringes, spoons and formula dishes after
each feeding. Ask your avian vet to recommend a safe and effective disinfectant.
If you do not plan on handfeeding, you can still socialize
the babies by gently handling them at least 4 days a week, 15 minutes per
session, starting at the age of 12 days old. According to research by the
University of California, babies handled like this will be just as tame and sociable
as handfed babies. Wash
and warm your hands in hot soapy water then use a hand sanitizer so you do not spread bacteria to the babies.
Cuddle the baby under you chin and close you your neck for warmth. Cradle it in
the palm of your hand, gently stroking the head and wings while talking softly. Don't keep the babies out too long or they will get cold and over tired.
The first baby on the left is 18 days old, almost 3 weeks old. At 4 weeks of age, babies
that are being handfed will start foraging on the floor of the
brooder. You can begin introducing them to millet seeds at this time. Babies
fledge, ( are ready to take their first flight) at 4-5 weeks of age.
Parent fed babies will come out of the nestbox at this age as well. Babies
that are 4-5 weeks old and parent fed are still
dependant on their parents for food. They stay with the parents until the
parents teach them how to eat weaning foods and they discontinue feeding the
babies. Handfed babies can be taken out of the brooder and put in a small cage, at 5-6
weeks of age. The cage should not have a floor grate and the bottom should be covered
with white paper towels. Perches should
be placed close to floor. Food and water dishes should also be put near the cage floor. Handfeeding
should continue according to the schedule below. Weaning
foods can be introduced to both parent fed and handfed babies at 5 weeks of age.
The babies in this photo are 4- 5 weeks of age. At this age they are fully
feathered with short tail feathers. You can start providing the babies with moistened
pellets at this age, preferably weaning pellets
which are made just for babies. Other foods to offer include fresh, dark green,
leafy vegetables: kale, romaine lettuce, spinach, parsley, freshly grown sprouts,
corn, peas, carrots, broccoli, green or red peppers, cooked sweet potatoes,
cooked rice, cooked pasta and cooked beans, fresh fruits such as
apples, oranges, bananas, pears, and cantaloupe, whole wheat toast, bird bread, hardboiled eggs and
other nutritious foods as well as a small amount of
moistened seeds in food dishes on the floor. If your babies are reluctant to eat
fresh vegetables, try serving them lightly steamed so they are a little softer. Other healthy foods can be found on this page.
CLICK HERE
Carefully prepare all weaning foods by rinsing and peeling. Soak all fresh produce in a bowl of
water that contains some apple cider vinegar, (2 tablespoons for a soup bowl
full of water) for a few minutes. Some breeders use Grapefruit Seed Extract
in the water instead, (Citricidal, following directions on package and available at health food stores).
Either product will wash off any traces of pesticides. Then rinse the
veggies and fruit with clean, cold water. Cut the pieces of fresh foods tiny so the babies don't choke
or cut into large pieces so babies can nibble little pieces off by themselves.
Do not leave fresh food inside of the cage for more than an hour.
If babies are reluctant to eat the weaning foods, you can add a small amount of
warm, handfeeding formula on top of them. Weaning babies
still need supplemental handfeedings or parent feedings. If a baby is crying and begging for
food, handfeed it. A crying baby is a hungry baby. Babies will start rejecting
the formula on their own when they are ready to be weaned. This is called abundance weaning.
Weigh the babies daily to make sure they are getting enough nutrition and are not losing weight.
Cockatiels are usually fully weaned by 10 weeks of age. Some babies can take up to 12
weeks. To be fully weaned, a baby must be eating entirely on its own for 2 weeks.
Do not rush weaning and starve the babies.
Photos courtesy of Cheryl, Ellen, Georgia, Gretchen, NaDeana,
Lori, Josee', Kat, Sophia, Lee, Tracey, Carol, Jim and Lorraine.
Thank you so much for sharing your babies with me and for teaching me how to breed cockatiels.
Page Contents, Layout and Design Copyright Cockatiel Cottage,
All Graphics and Photos Copyrighted by Credited Artists and Bird Owners are Not Public Domain
One
of the main causes of neonate mortality is poor hygiene on the part of the
breeder. The nestbox needs to be cleaned since it will become very dirty once the
babies are born. This should be done daily to prevent bacteria from growing.
A good time to do this is when both parents come out
in the morning to eat. You can prevent them from re-entering the nestbox
by sliding a piece of cardboard through the cage bars and blocking off the
entrance. Put the babies in a small, bowl that has been
lined with white paper towels or a clean terry face cloth. Place the bowl on top of a heating pad set on low that has been covered with a folded terry cloth towel. Work quickly
so the babies do not get chilled or overheated. Remove the soiled nesting material and scrape
the sides of the nestbox. Replace the contents with clean nesting material
then put the babies back inside. Remove the cardboard so the parents can
re-enter the nestbox. Always be careful not to startle or frighten
the parents. If they panic, they may trample on the babies, injuring or killing
them.
Sometime the parents will push an egg or baby to the side of the nestbox and won't take care of it. The eggs
may be defective or the babies may be weak and have some problems. The last
chick to hatch can sometimes get less food than the other babies, becoming weak.
According to what I have read and have been told by
other breeders, the parents seem to instinctively know something is wrong with an egg or
baby, thus rejecting it. If this happens to a baby, make a brooder for the baby and start handfeeding it. If
it responds to your feeding, try putting it back inside of the nestbox in
a few days. In
many cases the parents will resume feeding the baby once it's a little stronger. In some cases the
baby's jaw is literally locked shut. This is caused by a condition called
Bordatella, which makes it impossible for the baby to open its mouth to eat.
Babies like this need to be taken to an avian vet or they will starve to death.
Cockatiels
breeding their first clutch may abandon their eggs or their babies. It seems that
they just don't know how to take care of them. Sometimes it takes a few clutches
before they learn what to do. Abandoned eggs get chilled and the embryos will
die if they are not put inside of an incubator. Abandoned babies will not be fed
and need to be put inside of a brooder and handfed. You can also place the
abandoned eggs or abandoned chicks with another pair of birds that have been successful
at breeding. Surrogate parents
can take care of them. Not all birds are good parents, just like all humans are
not good parents. Parents can start pecking at
babies or plucking their feathers at any age. Some of them are really abusing the chicks
and others are just being over zealous cleaning them. If your chicks are being
injured or plucked by one of the parents, remove the offending parent. You
may have to give supplemental feedings if the babies are not growing and the
remaining parent needs help. If both parents are causing the problem you will
have to remove the chicks and start handfeeding the babies yourself.
If you plan on handfeeding the babies, remove them
from the parents and place them inside of a brooder at 2-3 weeks of age. Purchase a
quality, baby bird formula
at a pet shop and follow the directions on the package. Use boiled or
bottled water for mixing the formula and avoid using tap water. If a baby is
thin or eating reluctantly, you can use 1/2 apple
juice and 1/2 water when mixing the formula. The consistency
of formula should be like watery pea soup or a thin gravy. Thicker formula can cause the crop to
empty too slowly. The temperature of formula should be between 104-106 degrees Fahrenheit and should be tested with a good
digital cooking/candy thermometer to prevent crop burn.
Breeders have told me that temperatures lower than 104 cause food to travel
down the crop too slowly, causing sour crop and
other digestive problems. Higher temperatures will cause crop burn. Some breeders add a
few drops of apple cider vinegar
OR a few drops of papaya extract (available at health food stores)
OR half baby food applesauce to half already mixed
formula to the morning feedings. This helps the crop to drain.
The crop must empty completely once a day, between the midnight
and morning feedings. If the crop is emptying very slowly, give the chick 100% baby food applesauce, warmed to
104-106 degrees, at the next feeding. If the crop empties, give the chick half baby food applesauce and half formula for the next feeding
If this doesn't help, please take the baby to an avian vet.
Do NOT Aim The Syringe At The Back Of The Baby's Throat. If food goes down the windpipe the baby will choke.
Food travels down the right side of the baby's neck. It is very important to place the syringe
or eyedropper on the
Left side of the beak and point it towards the Right side of his neck. When the
baby is facing you as in this photo, his Left side will be on your Right side.
Do not use the same eyedropper or syringe for each baby. Each baby should have
their own to prevent the spread of bacteria or illness from one baby to the
next. NEVER SAVE
unused formula or store it in the refrigerator. Make a fresh, new batch for every feeding of the day.
Never feed the babies when the crop is completely, almost completely, or
25% full. This will overstretch their
crop causing digestive problems. If the crop isn't draining at all and you do not know
how to massage the crop to break up food or if this isn't working, take the baby to an
avian vet immediately before sour crop or slow gut sets in. The crop may
need to be flushed and emptied manually or washed out with a tube by your avian vet. Do NOT try
doing this if you are a new, inexperienced breeder or if you have not been taught how to do this by your avian vet or
an experienced breeder.
Babies can also be fed with a spoon. Disposable plastic spoons can be dipped
into boiling water so you can bend the tips, making a little V shaped funnel for easier feedings.
Do NOT use the same feeding instrument for each baby.
Each baby should have their own to prevent the spread of bacteria or illness
from one bird to another. Never double dip into the formula. After feeding the
babies, wipe all of the excess formula off of their beaks, skin and feathers
with warm water and a clean wash cloth. Also take a Q-Tip with warm water and
wipe out the inside of their mouths or give the babies a few drops of warm water
inside of their mouths. This will clean out excess formula and help prevent
bacteria from forming. Disinfect all syringes, spoons and formula dishes after
each feeding. Ask your avian vet to recommend a safe and effective disinfectant.
If you do not plan on handfeeding, you can still socialize
the babies by gently handling them at least 4 days a week, 15 minutes per
session, starting at the age of 12 days old. According to research by the
University of California, babies handled like this will be just as tame and sociable
as handfed babies. Wash
and warm your hands in hot soapy water then use a hand sanitizer so you do not spread bacteria to the babies.
Cuddle the baby under you chin and close you your neck for warmth. Cradle it in
the palm of your hand, gently stroking the head and wings while talking softly. Don't keep the babies out too long or they will get cold and over tired.
The first baby on the left is 18 days old, almost 3 weeks old. At 4 weeks of age, babies
that are being handfed will start foraging on the floor of the
brooder. You can begin introducing them to millet seeds at this time. Babies
fledge, ( are ready to take their first flight) at 4-5 weeks of age.
Parent fed babies will come out of the nestbox at this age as well. Babies
that are 4-5 weeks old and parent fed are still
dependant on their parents for food. They stay with the parents until the
parents teach them how to eat weaning foods and they discontinue feeding the
babies. Handfed babies can be taken out of the brooder and put in a small cage, at 5-6
weeks of age. The cage should not have a floor grate and the bottom should be covered
with white paper towels. Perches should
be placed close to floor. Food and water dishes should also be put near the cage floor. Handfeeding
should continue according to the schedule below. Weaning
foods can be introduced to both parent fed and handfed babies at 5 weeks of age.
The babies in this photo are 4- 5 weeks of age. At this age they are fully
feathered with short tail feathers. You can start providing the babies with moistened
pellets at this age, preferably weaning pellets
which are made just for babies. Other foods to offer include fresh, dark green,
leafy vegetables: kale, romaine lettuce, spinach, parsley, freshly grown sprouts,
corn, peas, carrots, broccoli, green or red peppers, cooked sweet potatoes,
cooked rice, cooked pasta and cooked beans, fresh fruits such as
apples, oranges, bananas, pears, and cantaloupe, whole wheat toast, bird bread, hardboiled eggs and
other nutritious foods as well as a small amount of
moistened seeds in food dishes on the floor. If your babies are reluctant to eat
fresh vegetables, try serving them lightly steamed so they are a little softer. Other healthy foods can be found on this page.
Carefully prepare all weaning foods by rinsing and peeling. Soak all fresh produce in a bowl of
water that contains some apple cider vinegar, (2 tablespoons for a soup bowl
full of water) for a few minutes. Some breeders use Grapefruit Seed Extract
in the water instead, (Citricidal, following directions on package and available at health food stores).
Either product will wash off any traces of pesticides. Then rinse the
veggies and fruit with clean, cold water. Cut the pieces of fresh foods tiny so the babies don't choke
or cut into large pieces so babies can nibble little pieces off by themselves.
Do not leave fresh food inside of the cage for more than an hour.
If babies are reluctant to eat the weaning foods, you can add a small amount of
warm, handfeeding formula on top of them. Weaning babies
still need supplemental handfeedings or parent feedings. If a baby is crying and begging for
food, handfeed it. A crying baby is a hungry baby. Babies will start rejecting
the formula on their own when they are ready to be weaned. This is called abundance weaning.
Weigh the babies daily to make sure they are getting enough nutrition and are not losing weight.
Cockatiels are usually fully weaned by 10 weeks of age. Some babies can take up to 12
weeks. To be fully weaned, a baby must be eating entirely on its own for 2 weeks.
Do not rush weaning and starve the babies.
CLICK HERE for Breeding 3
