Breeding Help

[BreezyTiel]

Going to be buying a $15 DNA Kit. I agree, the toenail method is best. I'll update you guys when I get the results back. Fingers crossed Charlie is indeed a male!

 

[Kiwi & Co.]

When will you get the results?

 

[BreezyTiel]

@Kiwi's Mom Unknown as of right now. Just ordered test online yesterday, gonna take a couple days to be shipped presumably.

 

[Zara]

Hey, are you having any luck with the diet? The article Mónica posted (on prev. page) seems to work very well for a lot of birds

 

[BreezyTiel]

@Zara Just put some zupreem colored pellets in Princess' dish, she hasn't touched them yet. The sprouted seed thing is worth trying.

 

[BreezyTiel]

Also, took nestbox off and cracked eggs. All duds (20 in total, rotting yolks) DNA test is still in transit.

Planning to pair them up again in June or July (after cleaning the nestbox out and putting it back)

For Clarification, both of their ages are an estimate, but I know that they're fully mature.
Going to post pictures of my pair soon as well.

 

[Zara]

20 in total

Sounds like you have two girls and there were multiple clutches off at least one of them.

 

[SandraK]

I've tried pellets before and they will not eat them whatsoever. They won't eat fruit either. They do eat egg food though. Why even post on a public forum? Looking for advice rather than discouragement

My ties usually won't even look at fruit as they prefer veggies. Just because they are male and female it doesn't mean that they'll necessarily breed. I have a small tiel flock and a small gcc flock and both are mixed but nobirdy is "making whoopie". A pair or two will sometimes but nothing really comes of it.

 

[BreezyTiel]

Diet Update: Zupreem Natural Pellets have been added to their seed mix (Kaytee FortiDiet Pro Health- they love the Kaytee) As of right now, neither seem to be taking to the Zupreem very well. I just hope the money wasn't wasted.... (My mom paid for it because I'm on disability and don't currently have a job)

DNA UPDATE: Kit is due in the mail today, hopefully we'll get a good blood sample! Fingers crossed

 

[Zara]

My mom paid for it because I'm on disability and don't currently have a job

Will your mum be paying for all the things to breed the birds? Brooders, thermometres, syringes, formula, heat pad, bedding, millet, vet costs etc?

Even if they don´t eat the pellets today, keep trying because sometimes it takes them time to try some.

 

[Mizzely]

Try offering the pellets as the only food source for a few hours, too.

Converting Parrots to a Healthier Diet - Tips

A healthy parrot starts with a healthy diet. Although the perfect diet is controversial, many parrot enthusiasts and experts agree on one thing; a seed only diet is a diet that is lacking in essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Studies have shown that adding fresh foods and pellets to a...

forums.avianavenue.com

 

[BreezyTiel]

@Zara, She theoretically would, but we aren't planning to buy all that stuff anyway because any chicks would be parent raised. I'm gonna get a lot of flack for this but we kinda believe in letting nature do its thing.

 

[Mizzely]

What if the parents reject the chicks?

There is nothing at all wrong with parent raised babies, and many people on the forum encourage it. It's always best to be prepared for the worst case scenario though!

 

[BreezyTiel]

I agree. I'm hoping to learn about hand feeding if need be. I'm watching a youtube video on it right now, in fact. Syringes are easy to come by

 

[Zara]

we kinda believe in letting nature do its thing

My sweet Adelie was abandoned by her mum and dad at 5 days old. They are great parents... to all other birds but her.
Nature would have killed her. But being prepared saved her life.
In the wild letting nature do its thing is fine... but these birds are captive and we must care for them like any other captive animals. Just like zoos do.

 

[BreezyTiel]

Realistically, we do what we can for our animals, we love them, want the best for them, think of them as our "fids"- but at the end of the day, animals are not children. We must keep the proper perspective. Sometimes, despite our efforts chicks die..

I would spend whatever I could on a life saving surgery for my theoretical child, breaking the bank if need be. Would I do the same for my bird or dog? no. That does not mean I don't love them, however.

 

[Matto]

If you are planning on letting the parents raise them, you have to make a decision beforehand about what you will do if they don't feed them. Your options are:
1. Let nature take its course. This is the easiest option for you, but you have to be prepared to have dead chicks.
2. Pull the chicks, place them in a brooder, and hand-feed them from day 1. Most difficult option, but also the most reliable. You will need a real brooder (NOT a homemade one with a heating pad, since those don't get hot enough for day 1 chicks), syringes, disinfectant, a scale, a thermometer, hand-feeding formula, bedding, electrolyte formula, and probably other stuff that I can't think of right now. Newborn chicks need to be fed every 90 minutes round-the-clock (though some breeders do take a 6-hour break to sleep). I've done this before, and with all the feeding, washing, disinfecting, etc you begin to feel like a zombie. Non-professionals who attempt this very often lose chicks, while professionals have a very high success rate.
3. Let the parents brood, but hand-feed them. It's rare to find parents who will let you do this. Most will get territorial and either kill or abandon their chicks.

 

[Matto]

Hand-feeding a day 1 chick and even a day 3 or 4 chick are completely different. The longer you can leave them with their parents, the better.

 

[BreezyTiel]

Thank you for all of your helpful advice @Matto and @Mizzely



"1. Let nature take its course. This is the easiest option for you, but you have to be prepared to have dead chicks." This would most likely be the option for me, .. I'm trying to be honest here. of course, everything is theoretical as we don't have any live chicks, yet.

Nobody wants dead chicks, we all want them to thrive, but sometimes they don't.