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Abnormally Small

Susie S

Checking out the neighborhood
Joined
6/12/17
Messages
2
Real Name
Susie Swonger
I currently have a clutch of five cockatiels, the parents' second clutch, at 16, 14, 12, 10, and 8 days old.
The parents have already thrown the 10 and 12 out, and I am hand-feeding them around the clock. The 8 day old, still with parents, is abnormally small. He's almost completely bald, no feathers or fluff. His feet have not even begun developing, and he's just really tiny for his age. He's kept warm and his crop is full, but this is just really weird and neither I nor my mum know what's happening.
 

expressmailtome

Ripping up the road
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Joined
4/15/10
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49,992
Real Name
Matthew
Sometimes it is difficult for the parents to care for all of the babies in a clutch. When this happens, it is almost always the last hatched baby that is given the least care. Their instinct tells them that it is better that some chicks survive and a few die, than risking none of the babies being fed enough to survive. It is probably a good idea to remove that baby and hand feed it if you are comfortable doing so.
 

theocnoob

Jogging around the block
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Joined
11/7/11
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739
Location
Ontario, Canada
Real Name
Pablo and George
Sometimes it is difficult for the parents to care for all of the babies in a clutch. When this happens, it is almost always the last hatched baby that is given the least care. Their instinct tells them that it is better that some chicks survive and a few die, than risking none of the babies being fed enough to survive. It is probably a good idea to remove that baby and hand feed it if you are comfortable doing so.
I agree 100%
Birds always give the worst care to the runt/smallest
 
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