Hi! New breeder here... with a problem :-(

[Marina Engan]

My beautiful adults. Cariño and Carmencita are the parents of my recent litter.

 

[iamwhoiam]

The babies are very cute. The little one looks well fed.
You have a very nice looking flock.

 

[Marina Engan]

Thank you! I really love my flock... but I have to admit that my little Anastacia has become quite a favorite. I can't add this video here, but if you'd like to see her as a thief .... here she is: Marina Engan - Anastacia stjäl maten från lilla Victoria.... | Facebook

 

[Just-passn-thru]

Anastacia 2 months and Victoria 8 days old. Both are albinos and Anastacia is the most cosy cockatiel I have ever met

View attachment 243830

Welcome to the forum, Oh my gosh what a difference in the two baby's. I'm sure your knowledge in raising cockatiels, would be very helpful to others here needing help in the future.

 

[Marina Engan]

Thank you Suzanne!
I will always be ready to help if I can. My babies are doing well thanks to my new friends here. Nothing makes me happier than healthy, happy babies.
I find it hard to believe that Anastacia was just as tiny two months ago... Time passes so quickly.
Your birds are real beauties! I used to have two Goffins many years ago and my dream is to get a Moluck...
Happy hugs to Bentley & Isabelle

 

[Marina Engan]

Coffee cups hold heat better. Glad it worked out.

Welcome to AA!

Hi again!
I just had to show you what a friend made for me many years ago. He is a welder and this piece is just beautiful.
Thought of you and your Macaws when I saw it today

 

[Just-passn-thru]

Thank you Suzanne!
I will always be ready to help if I can. My babies are doing well thanks to my new friends here. Nothing makes me happier than healthy, happy babies.
I find it hard to believe that Anastacia was just as tiny two months ago... Time passes so quickly.
Your birds are real beauties! I used to have two Goffins many years ago and my dream is to get a Moluck...
Happy hugs to Bentley & Isabelle

Thanks, looking forward to sharing many adventures togeather about our bird's.

 

[Marina Engan]

Thanks, looking forward to sharing many adventures togeather about our bird's.

Me too, me too :-D
And every day is an adventure living with a bird-family :-D

 

[Marina Engan]

New toy in progress with a lot of (NO) help from Anastacia

 

[Marina Engan]

New toy in progress with a lot of (NO) help from Anastacia
View attachment 243869

Finished! And approved by Anastacia :-D

 

[Marina Engan]

Good morning everybody! (it's morning in Gran Canaria)
Yesterday I tried to let the parents have the babies, but it was like both were trying to keep the other from entering the nest. I let them have the babies for a couple of hours but I took them out to feed them when I realized that they weren't fed at all. I discovered a small bleeding wound on Athalias (nr2) crop so I decided to have "sole custody" for a while longer.
I hope the parents will accept them because they have one thing that I can't give my babies: immune system.
Does anybody have any experience of letting other birds adopt? Is it necessary that the new hen has babies or will an experienced mother feed anyway?
I really want whats best for my little ones.

:coolparrot:

 

[Marina Engan]

My solutions to keep the formula and the babies warm

Empty toilet rolls, foil and tape... And I have a "heater" for the formula that I don't need to change every meal



An electrical blanket, a good sized, ventilated box... and my babies gets the perfect temperature



:coolparrot:

 

[Marina Engan]

I just have to tell you
My babies are doing great! They are eating well, growing and seems really happy. And I am over the moon!!

 

[Marina Engan]

This was how my girls stomaches looked like a week ago...



And a photo of Victoria last week




This is my girls today

 

[Cockatielmamaw]

When I raised my female, sweetie, from three days out of the egg, I would keep a coffee cup with warm water in it and place a small plastic container with the food in it. I would stir with my syringe before loading it each time. This ensures warm feed each time.

 

[Monica]

Make sure you make a fresh batch of food at each feeding!!!!


What are the parents diets???? It's normal for the parents to feed the chicks whole seeds.

 

[Marina Engan]

When I raised my female, sweetie, from three days out of the egg, I would keep a coffee cup with warm water in it and place a small plastic container with the food in it. I would stir with my syringe before loading it each time. This ensures warm feed each time.

Thank you!
I have actually bought a silicone container that I fill with warm water and put the syringes in. It keeps the food at a perfect temperature. And now that they are a little older, they eat more rapidly so the food doesn't get cold while I am feeding.
I am so grateful for all the help I have gotten here... what a fantastic group of people you all are!

Make sure you make a fresh batch of food at each feeding!!!!


What are the parents diets???? It's normal for the parents to feed the chicks whole seeds.

I always use freshly made formula and clean syringes. Every chick has its own syringe and I give them new syringes once a week.

The parents are fed with seed-mix, pellets and a lot of fruits and vegetables. 
The diet for my adults, youngsters and chicks are what I have been recommended by the vet and the breeders/sellers of my adults.
For some un-known reason the chicks bellies and crops were totally blocked by hard, whole grains.
After 5-6 days I tried to let the parents feed them, but it didn't work out so I am hand feeding the chicks 100%. The funny thing is that the parents likes to visit the babies, but only to sit on the edge of the box and watch their offspring. I haven't had this kind of problems before. The previous clutch I support fed from the age of 3 weeks and I had to pull them at the age of 5 weeks because the parents plucked the feathers of the chicks.

If you have some good ideas(witch I am sure you have about the diet for parents with chicks, especially newly hatched) I would appreciate it. I recognize that this is an important issue for you:-D :handup:

Thank you!

 

[Monica]

You've got a great system going!

I don't breed, for multiple reasons. If I were to breed, cockatiels would not be one of those species. (I suspect bird keeping in Spain is drastically different than here in the USA?) With the exception of Casey, my entire flock consists of second hand, plus, rehomes. Most of the birds I've taken in have been unwanted birds, one was close to death (starvation because they "simply forgot" to feed her... aka the pet they found outside ended up not being the pet they expected her to be). Some of the birds I've taken in I've found new homes for, others I've kept for several years until failing health, potentially related to age, has taken them from me. Charlie and Jayde came from foster homes, Jayde actually from a member here. Sylphie from a local bird rescue.


I have been speaking a little with a local breeder and she introduced me to her flock. She handraises all of her birds and the first foods that she introduces to her chicks are sprouted seeds and vegetables. No dry seeds or pellets! They get that once they are older! I wonder if it might help switching the parents to a similar diet while they are breeding and raising chicks?


Some parents are just bad parents though and may over-feed, under-feed or even mutilate the chicks. Sometimes, it can help to put them next to an experienced couple during the breeding season. If that doesn't work, it might be a good idea to discourage the pair from raising chicks again unless you are willing to hand raise all future clutches.



I have heard of some adult birds that their parental instincts are so strong that they'll help to feed any hungry chicks, even if they themselves do not have a nest, nor a mate. This is typically seen in female birds, but males will do it, too! Other pairs wont accept offspring from other birds *unless* they have their own eggs/chicks.

 

[greys4u]

you have lots of cuteness there!

 

[Marina Engan]

You've got a great system going!

I don't breed, for multiple reasons. If I were to breed, cockatiels would not be one of those species. (I suspect bird keeping in Spain is drastically different than here in the USA?) With the exception of Casey, my entire flock consists of second hand, plus, rehomes. Most of the birds I've taken in have been unwanted birds, one was close to death (starvation because they "simply forgot" to feed her... aka the pet they found outside ended up not being the pet they expected her to be). Some of the birds I've taken in I've found new homes for, others I've kept for several years until failing health, potentially related to age, has taken them from me. Charlie and Jayde came from foster homes, Jayde actually from a member here. Sylphie from a local bird rescue.


I have been speaking a little with a local breeder and she introduced me to her flock. She handraises all of her birds and the first foods that she introduces to her chicks are sprouted seeds and vegetables. No dry seeds or pellets! They get that once they are older! I wonder if it might help switching the parents to a similar diet while they are breeding and raising chicks?


Some parents are just bad parents though and may over-feed, under-feed or even mutilate the chicks. Sometimes, it can help to put them next to an experienced couple during the breeding season. If that doesn't work, it might be a good idea to discourage the pair from raising chicks again unless you are willing to hand raise all future clutches.



I have heard of some adult birds that their parental instincts are so strong that they'll help to feed any hungry chicks, even if they themselves do not have a nest, nor a mate. This is typically seen in female birds, but males will do it, too! Other pairs wont accept offspring from other birds *unless* they have their own eggs/chicks.

Thank you Monica!
I'm sorry to hear that people can "forget" to feed their birds. It is just horrible! But thank God for people like you and others in here who takes care of these poor little things.
I always say that when one decides to get an animal, one have a great responsibility for the rest of the life of the animal. They haven't made the choice to live with us, so we have to make sure that the animals we take in to our house and family, will have all its needs taken care of. They depend on us...
Oh I wish we had another way of thinking here in The Canary Islands! They don't care for their pets like we do. The vet told me that it is seldom people spend money on sick animals... they just keeps their eyes closed and hope for the best
We have animal rescue for dogs and cats, but not for parrots. I am searching for birds that needs a good home, but when I ask around people just shake their heads... I can't even get insurance on my birds. It doesn't exist...

I have given sprouted seeds to my adults and the older chicks, and they love it! So you are 100% right there But I have one question... at what age can a chick be introduced to sprouted seeds?

When it comes to this couple of parents... Yes, I am willing to hand raise all their chicks. They get beautiful chicks, and they are quite rare here, so it isn't difficult to find good homes for the small ones.
My Harlequin, Alejandro, does have strong parental instincts and he often tries to feed the chicks, and now he and his beautiful Bitten are ready to start their own family for the first time. So there will be new chicks here soon :-D

Concerning the problem I had...
I wonder if there could have been something wrong with the seeds. Because normally the chicks are fed very well by the parents. So I threw away everything I had and bought new. So I hope for a better result next time, and I will give them sprouted seeds just to be sure.

A to you and your flock