• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Feeding 16 day old cockatiel chicks?

Anirudh30

Moving in
Joined
2/8/17
Messages
12
Location
Dubai, UAE
Real Name
Anirudh
Hi all, I want to know how many times I need to feed my 14-17 day old cockatiel chicks. Some websites say every 3 hours, while some say every 4 or even 5. Which one of them is better?
 

Birdbabe

Ripping up the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Avenue Concierge
Joined
11/17/09
Messages
26,105
Location
The valley of the sun
I would say as often as they're crops safely empty, they should be weaning soon,.
 

karen256

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Joined
3/12/12
Messages
2,556
Location
WI
Cockatiels should wean around 8-10 weeks (on average; if a baby wants to take a little longer it should be allowed to).
I would lean towards the more frequent feedings (4 or 5) if the babies are hungry and crying. Many factors affect how often they need the feedings - formula brand, thickness, food and brooder temp, ect., so it's best to follow what the babies want. Just don't feed them if their crops are obviously still full (sometimes greedy babies will keep begging), and don't feed them overnight, it's natural (their parents would not feed them overnight either) and it allows the crop to empty fully.
 

melissasparrots

Rollerblading along the road
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
1/9/11
Messages
4,081
Location
Iowa
Crops should completely empty once a day. Usually over night so you can sleep 7 or 8 hrs. During the day, I feed whenever their crop has emptied down to about the last 20%. that means number of times fed can vary depending on how thick the formula was mixed and how stuffed you are getting them. Feeding based off a set number of times a day is a great way to produce stunted/substandard chicks. Keep it simple. Feed them when they are not quite empty. However often that is.
 

Betty1957

Moving in
Joined
10/4/21
Messages
7
Real Name
Betty kempski
Hi all, I want to know how many times I need to feed my 14-17 day old cockatiel chicks. Some websites say every 3 hours, while some say every 4 or even 5. Which one of them is better?
Mine is 22 days old. He is eating 6.5 ml every 4-5 hours. I stop at night about 11-11:30. His crop is totally empty by 7 in the morning and I go from there. I still leave just a small amount in his crop for the next feeding about the size of a pea. He is happy and healthy…
 

Haroobom

Strolling the yard
Joined
1/4/21
Messages
100
I recently went through this... I fed according to body weight. I would weigh my bird every morning so I could get a measurement on an empty crop. Feed when the crop is empty, it helps to keep track of the hours it takes for the crop to get empty. Check your temps, formula and bird's so you can prevent sour crop or crop slow down. I had to massage my bird's crop empty and wait a few hours so I could feed again...... LOL handfeeding is HARD. Check my posts if you feel like you need some guidance....
 

Shezbug

ASK ME FOR PICTURES OF MY MACAW!
Super Moderator
Avenue Veteran
Celebirdy of the Month
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
4/28/18
Messages
25,823
Location
Vic, Australia
Real Name
Shez
This is a really old thread so you last two members to post here may not get any replies.
 
Top