Supplies for Breeding?

[GraceBirds]

I will be allowing my cockatiels to breed in a year or so, and I'm starting to collect the supplies I need now so I can be completely prepared.
I would appreciate suggestions of brands and the best products to use.

Here is my list of things I need to buy:
Nest box
Calcium supplement
Non toxic egg marker
Incubator
Egg candler
Dummy eggs
Nesting material
Brooding box?
Baby bird formula
Feeding syringes, spoons, tubes, etc
Ankle bands?
(Please make suggestions of things to add to my list that I have probably missed

Where can I purchase a large enough nest box (1 foot square) with a see through back and top opening?
What is the best, most afordable incubator for cockatiel eggs.
What non toxic marker should I get to mark
What nesting material should I use (I have heard Aspen chips or shredded paper, but both have their pros and cons)?
What brooding box should I get, if any?
What's the best baby bird formula for cockatiel chicks?
What feeding syringes and spoons should I get?
What ankle bands should I buy?

Thank you so much!!!!

 

[April]

@BrianB @Mockinbirdiva @Matto @Zara

 

[T. gillii]

For me, a homemade brooder has worked fine. Tall plastic tub with holes drilled in the side, a heating pad taped to one of the sides (kept on low heat), bedding. Biggest issue I ran into was cleaning once the chicks were almost feathered. Poop machines.

I'm not sure you want a see through back. I haven't heard much about them but I worry it could make the hen feel insecure. I opted for a cheap night vision camera and that has worked well. Amazon has a decent cockatiel nestbox.

Incubators are... expensive. And I know nothing about them. If your hen doesn't incubate the eggs, my best advice would be to wait until she matures a bit more.

Wood shavings are good. You can also supply soft wood blocks for them to chew up in the nest.

Every formula has it's pros and cons, affordability, accessibility, etc. Depends on where you are and what you can buy. I would not recommend Kaytee. It is the most affordable and accessible, but I have heard of issues. I use Higgins In-Tune. If you are in Europe, I've heard good things about Versele Laga. There is also psittacus that does more species/genus specific formula MINI HAND FEEDING


I got my syringes from walmart. The ones on Amazon I purchased were too large and clunky.

Depending on your location, you can have custom bands made and shipped for probably less than $20.

 

[GraceBirds]

Thank you so much!

When I said see-through back on the nesting box, I meant like a plexiglass back with a wooden slide cover so you could peek in the back but it would stay dark and private. Like this: https://a.co/d/6h2ulCW , but I don't know if this is big enough.
What heating pad do you use or know of?
Where can I buy a non toxic egg marker?
Could you please send me Amazon links for the camera and cockatiel nesting box? Thank you!
What do you think is the best egg candler? Here's what I'm looking at: https://a.co/d/9GaVIdH
This might seem like a stupid question, but do I let the cockatiel parents eat the baby bird formula as well, so that they feed it to their babies? I'm asking because for cats, I know kitten kibble is usually what is supped to be fed to the mother cat as well.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all my questions!

Is there a specific site to buy the ankle bands? What size should I get?

Again.... thank you so much!

 

[GraceBirds]

Does anyone know anything about this incubator off of Amazon? Would it work for incubating cockatiel eggs? What's the best incubator for cockatiel eggs that's still affordable (it doesn't need to be able to hold a bunch of eggs).
Thank you for any help or advice!
Please refer to my first post on this topic to see all my questions.

 

[GraceBirds]

Does anyone know which of these brands is the best baby bird formula?
Higgins InTune , Hagen , Harrison's , Versele-Laga NutriBird , or Psittacus ?

Please inform me as to what is best. Thank you so much.

 

[BrianB]

I would avoid the nest boxes with the plexi side, even with the wood that slides back. I've seen some, and they are cheaply made. You'll be better off getting a regular wooden box with a top that opens. You could drill a small hole through the top of the lid and place a camera over the hole. I did that with my Eclectus nest box and a Wyze camera. She knows when it turns on, but it doesn't disturb her. She looks up but doesn't leave the nest.

Wyze Camera

The egg candler works fine. I have one, but I've managed to lose the rubber caps.

This incubator has worked well for me, but it might be too much for cockatiel eggs. I can't imagine hand-feeding cockatiels from hatching because they are just too tiny.

Baby formula can be a tricky question. We've all had good and bad experiences with many of them and have our personal preferences. I dislike Kaytee because it separates quickly. I loved Mazuri, and my birds did amazing on it, but the price went up, and in the quantities I used, it became economically unfeasible. I switched to Hagan Tropican and some of my birds did very well on it, and some didn't. I've heard good things about Higgins InTune, and Harrison's, as well as Versele-Laga. I switched to Psittacus for one bird in particular and have been impressed. I'll probably stay with it. Another breeder I know had very good things to say about the ZuPreem formula, but I've never seen it for sale anywhere. I guess start with what you can find locally.

These are the syringes I use—the slip tips, not the lock tips. You can find them in different sizes, from .5 ml to 60 ml. With proper care, they last a long time.

Bedding—Aspen works great. Even though it says it is soft aspen, it can sometimes have sharp pieces in it. Run your hands and pull out any sharp pieces before it goes into the nest box or brooder.

I don't use ID leg bands on little birds, but I use colored plastic bands as identifications as they are sold or while DNA tests are pending.

 

[GraceBirds]

Thank you so much! Could you send me a link for the colored plastic bands you would use on baby cockatiels please?
Thank you!

 

[GraceBirds]

I would avoid the nest boxes with the plexi side, even with the wood that slides back. I've seen some, and they are cheaply made. You'll be better off getting a regular wooden box with a top that opens. You could drill a small hole through the top of the lid and place a camera over the hole. I did that with my Eclectus nest box and a Wyze camera. She knows when it turns on, but it doesn't disturb her. She looks up but doesn't leave the nest.

Wyze Camera

The egg candler works fine. I have one, but I've managed to lose the rubber caps.

This incubator has worked well for me, but it might be too much for cockatiel eggs. I can't imagine hand-feeding cockatiels from hatching because they are just too tiny.

Baby formula can be a tricky question. We've all had good and bad experiences with many of them and have our personal preferences. I dislike Kaytee because it separates quickly. I loved Mazuri, and my birds did amazing on it, but the price went up, and in the quantities I used, it became economically unfeasible. I switched to Hagan Tropican and some of my birds did very well on it, and some didn't. I've heard good things about Higgins InTune, and Harrison's, as well as Versele-Laga. I switched to Psittacus for one bird in particular and have been impressed. I'll probably stay with it. Another breeder I know had very good things to say about the ZuPreem formula, but I've never seen it for sale anywhere. I guess start with what you can find locally.

These are the syringes I use—the slip tips, not the lock tips. You can find them in different sizes, from .5 ml to 60 ml. With proper care, they last a long time.

Bedding—Aspen works great. Even though it says it is soft aspen, it can sometimes have sharp pieces in it. Run your hands and pull out any sharp pieces before it goes into the nest box or brooder.

I don't use ID leg bands on little birds, but I use colored plastic bands as identifications as they are sold or while DNA tests are pending.

Thank you so much! Could you send me a link for the colored plastic bands you would use on baby cockatiels please?
Thank you!

 

[BrianB]

Thank you so much! Could you send me a link for the colored plastic bands you would use on baby cockatiels please?
Thank you!

Leg Bands

I use sizes 8 - 10 for macaws, nd 5 or 6 for conures. Cockatiels have those skinny lets, so 5 should fit. They aren't very expensive, and it doesn't hurt to have different sizes available. You never know who might have a leg that's a little thicker. Sometimes, the rings in the same bag are slightly different in size. When you don't need them, you can cut them off easily.

 

[GraceBirds]

Leg Bands

I use sizes 8 - 10 for macaws, nd 5 or 6 for conures. Cockatiels have those skinny lets, so 5 should fit. They aren't very expensive, and it doesn't hurt to have different sizes available. You never know who might have a leg that's a little thicker. Sometimes, the rings in the same bag are slightly different in size. When you don't need them, you can cut them off easily.

Thank you!