Breeding cockatiels..

[Mare]

..egg laying and then,,setting on eggs, cockatiels :). I have a book ordered that should go into detail of the who's and what's of cockatiels. From the research that I've done so far, we may have some babies by April 11-14!! So scary! I may FINALLY be a Grandma :).

Any helpful info from peeps here, will be greatly appreciated, thanks!

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Have you watched the seminar vids on first aid, a couple are about egg-bound birds and the second one mentions the clutch sizes that cockatiels lay.

[Mare]

Thank you, Jean-Pierre! I've watched them but am looking for some "up close and personal" accounts :)

[Robyn]

If you plan to handfeed pull them at 2 weeks

[Mare]

Thank you, Robyn, I do plan on hand feeding. It would be nice to have some "tame" babies. Hand feeding is a whole n'other subject..yikes! I hope my book gets here soon :)

[spiritbird]

I will suggest one of the best books around on this subject. I have a copy if you want to borrow it I will put in the mail. It's called
Parrots - Hand Feeding and Nursery Management. I got it because I thought my birds might have a family. I am not giving them a nest box so they are no longer mating but may in the future. It's a wonderfully detailed book with many photos. Got it on Amazon. My avian vet recommended this book.

[spiritbird]

[Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks] Make sure you condition the tiels for being parents. Crushed egg shells like in the link and hard cooked eggs or commercial egg food are good. Up the road you will need another cage for the youngsters so mom and dad will not hurt them.

[Cedardave]

Make sure to leave them at least two weeks.They will receive gut bacteria from the parent feeding that kickstarts their immune system...therefore healthier,stronger babies.When we have little ones hatch,we always mix hand feeding formula into the parents food.It gets them used to it and makes for a better transition to hand feeding.We syringe feed ours..well no cockatiels..but almost everything else.Its good to have your formula and syringes ahead of time instead of panicking when you need them last minute.You will be very entertained as your little ones bob their heads with joy as they eat.

[Mare]

Ok! Thank you, Dianne, you keep your book, you may need it someday :). I just ordered it from Amazon, thank you for the info!

Thank you, Dave! Good stuff to know! I suppose this book I have ordered will go into the correct supplies I'll need to have.

[spiritbird]

Also read up on co parenting. It's another option.