Breeding and Incubators

[Dale Felton]

My cockatiels cant seem to keep their eggs going to the full term they are very good parents and the egg always gets to the later stages and then dies in the egg on the last few days so i think maybe is a humidity issue. I made the hard decision to try incubating the eggs in a incubator and handraising but now have a really bad issue with low humidity on average my incubator gets to 45% if i add sponges for surface area it raises to 65% however how do i get a constant extra 10-15% as i know %65 isnt enough. Unfortunately the last eggs i put in died trying to hatch which was heartbreaking and totally due to humidity. I realise the work and difficulty with hand raising cockatiels but any help would seriously help as i am so upset to keep losing my cockatiels eggs. I have been thinking of adding a separte base to my incubator with a fish heater inside to raise water temp to a constant and create a more humid area but cant decide whether thats nuts or genius. I also thought of a airstone to create water agitation and misting but if anyone can think of better please let me know as my pair are looking like they are about to start laying again. Any advice in general would be fab i have raised abandoned young birds before just not cockatiels.

 

[Zara]

Sorry to hear you keep losing chicks.
Incubator info is not my forte but I´ll tag some people who may be able to help.

@Irishj9 @Laurie @PoukieBear @BrianB

 

[Irishj9]

It may be that your pair are new parents, and literally lose interest before hatching

Lack of nest moisture, (in a species from semi arid Australia), is unlikely to be a major factor. 65% seems excessive given that Rainforest caiques hatch eggs at 50% humidity

But ill leave the cockatiel experts to chip in here

 

[PoukieBear]

Thanks for the tag Zara!

I don't have any experience in incubating eggs before they hatch, since my birds do a good job at doing the hard work. However, I do keep my bird room humidity at 50% by simply using a humidifyer with a built in sensor. I can set it so that it keeps the room right at 50%, turning on and off as needed (Much like your home's furnace)

It's headache free and reliable, and not expensive at all. I bought it off Amazon and have had it for several years with no issues.

Humidifiers, TaoTronics Cool Mist Humidifier, LED Display, 4L/1.06 Gallon Large Capacity, Ultrasonic Humidifier for Home Bedroom, Baby Room, Adjustable Mist and Humidity Levels, Sleep Mode, Timer, Auto Shut-Off, 360°Nozzle, 110V-Blue: Amazon.ca: Home & Kitchen

 

[BrianB]

I agree that humidity may not be the whole problem. I have a large colony of cockatiels outside here in Phoenix, AZ. There are three pairs currently sitting on eggs and the first ones started hatching this past Sunday. The humidity here runs low almost all year long. It's currently averaging in the mid 20% range, and I no longer have the misting system running to keep them cool.

Do you have water dishes big enough that they can bathe in? Birds will sometimes splash in the water and then go back to the nest box while they are wet. This naturally increases the humidity inside the nest.

You might look at how much calcium they are getting. The hen may have too much calcium and the chicks aren't capable of geting out of the eggs. Unfortunately I don't have any experience incubating eggs.