Green Cheek Babies

[Fulmer]

Hello everyone I would like to start out by saying how grateful I am with this group we were first time breeders and we have two beautiful green cheek babies that are about a week and a half old now. Parents are raising then beautifully and babies are growing so quickly. I have a few questions; first we wanted to keep a baby but I’m thinking it would be best to keep both so they can bond is that true or would one be okay since we handle and love our birds daily? Second since the parents are doing the raising (which I’m thrilled about) when could we start touching and holding the babies to get them to be friendly with humans? The parents let us look at the babies when they are out and being held. We have not touched them though and don’t plan to until we get advise on when is the right time for touch or hold them briefly. We want them to be super comfortable with us.
The people in this group have been so helpful and informative.

Thank you,
Lori

 

[BlesssdGal]

Hello! Congrats on your babies. You don't have to keep them together if you are keeping one as a companion pet as they will bond to you as their flock. And also if the parents are raising them it's good to socialize and get them use to people early on!

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Hello everyone I would like to start out by saying how grateful I am with this group we were first time breeders and we have two beautiful green cheek babies that are about a week and a half old now. Parents are raising then beautifully and babies are growing so quickly. I have a few questions; first we wanted to keep a baby but I’m thinking it would be best to keep both so they can bond is that true or would one be okay since we handle and love our birds daily? Second since the parents are doing the raising (which I’m thrilled about) when could we start touching and holding the babies to get them to be friendly with humans? The parents let us look at the babies when they are out and being held. We have not touched them though and don’t plan to until we get advise on when is the right time for touch or hold them briefly. We want them to be super comfortable with us.
The people in this group have been so helpful and informative.

Thank you,
Lori

It's fine if you only want to keep one, however, you will need to house it in it's own separate cage as the parents may become aggressive to it when they begin a new breeding cycle. ( even if you remove the nest box). In the wild a fledged chick would fly away from an attack and become independent but in our homes in an enclosure have no way to escape a parent that no longer wants them in their territory. If you keep both babies and house them together be sure to dna sex them to avoid siblings ( if one is male and the other female) mating in the future. Since you work for a vet they can collect a blood sample and send it off for testing. When your chicks open their eyes they'll be more aware of you but at this age holding them isn't going to imprint them on you since the parents are still feeding them. When their feathers start coming in you might hold them for brief periods providing the parents are out of the box and have no objections. I think the last thing you would want would be rejection and or aggression to your chicks from the parents. Once they are completely weaned you will separate them from the parents and handle them as you wish. You really, really do not want to "create" a needy baby craving your attention that could lead to behavior problems down the road.

 

[Fulmer]

Thank you sooo much. I’ve read weaning is anywhere from 8-12 weeks. When is the best time or is it when they completely eat and drink on their own?

 

[Fulmer]

Oh yeah I also wanted to ask when should I take the eggs out that didn’t hatch

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

You could candle the eggs to see if they are viable. If the hen started incubating before she finished laying then the remaining eggs might still hatch. Normally, they don't start incubating until the whole clutch is laid. I think candling was in one of the links I provided in your first post. If you believe or know the eggs are not going to hatch I would say leave them in the nest until the chicks have a good covering of down on them for warmth. The eggs also serve as "warmers" to chicks in the nest when the parents are out ( hen still sitting on the eggs keeps them warm). If the eggs are pushed aside and not benefiting the chicks in helping keep them warm I would discard them. If an egg breaks take it out to keep fluids from contaminating the nest. Give us a photo of the babies in the nest when you can.

 

[Fulmer]

 

[Fulmer]

I would like to sex the babies but you have to pull out feathers to get a blood sample how awful. If a did this what age should they be?

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

I would like to sex the babies but you have to pull out feathers to get a blood sample how awful. If a did this what age should they be?

Pulling feathers is common ( from the chest) but I always clipped a nail just enough for the quick to bleed onto the card provided by the company that performs the test. ( I used Avian Biotech). None of mine stayed upset by it but had a sore toe for a day or a few hours. With this method it's best done early in the day to keep a watch so it doesn't continue to bleed. I put a coagulant on the nail tip after I collected my blood sample. Four to five weeks if breeders are selling a sexed bird but really can be done later too.

 

[cosmolove]

Personally I could never get myself to do the feather pluck. I used the method of trimming a nail a little too short as well and got the blood on the card and sent it in. You get the results back pretty quick but I know a lot of breeders who do this really early that way they can identify male and female for people interested to get them homes sooner.