Severely overweight parent fed cockatiel chicks

[ChrisH]

This is our first clutch. I finally braved the parents to pull the chicks for weights. The oldest chick is 13 days old and wieghs 85 grams! The youngest is 7 days old and weighs 28 grams! Parents get veggies, beans, eggs, some pine nuts and seed. It is bedtime, but tomorrow I will pull them for a couple of hours to make sure their crops empty. Do I limit food? Do I have to pull them to hand feed? I was planning on handfeeding at 3 weeks since the parents are hands off birds and became aggressive... but I am nervous to do that so young. I have hand fed parakeets but even they were 2 weeks old.

 

[Mizzely]

I will say I'm not at all an expert on babies, but it's totally normal for birds a week apart to be very different weights and development. The numbers are good to know for how much formula to feed, but their growth is overall more important, as you don't want them stunted.

What makes you think he is severely overweight?

Breeding Cockatiels, baby cockatiel, average weight gain chart, average weight of cockatiel chicks

Breeding Cockatiels, average weight and weight gain of cockatiel chicks and baby cockatiels.

www.cockatielcottage.net

 

[Zara]

Do I limit food? Do I have to pull them to hand feed?

No, but check in on the younger one to be sure they are being fed. With such a big difference in the chicks now, the elder one will find it too easy pushing the younger one out of the way and eating most of the food offered. If you notice the little one not getting fed, pull the larger ones for hand feeding and leave the little one in the nest.

 

[sunnysmom]

Also, a good resource: www.ask-noodles.com

 

[ChrisH]

I will say I'm not at all an expert on babies, but it's totally normal for birds a week apart to be very different weights and development. The numbers are good to know for how much formula to feed, but their growth is overall more important, as you don't want them stunted.

What makes you think he is severely overweight?

Breeding Cockatiels, baby cockatiel, average weight gain chart, average weight of cockatiel chicks

Breeding Cockatiels, average weight and weight gain of cockatiel chicks and baby cockatiels.

www.cockatielcottage.net

View attachment 408930

Thank you so much!!! My adults don't weigh much more than the oldest chick! I looked up online to see what their weight range should be and the numbers I saw were much lower!