I just fed my cockatiel parents instand wet oatmeal cereal made by Quakers. Just mixed with hot water. Is this the correct way or should I give it dry and mix with their usual seed mix? As the mother still enjoys eating the soil I add some calcium mix powder with it. Will the babies be ok if the mother feeds them with the soil mix? When I try new food, must I remove the seed mix and soil to force them to eat the new food? What happens if they don’t eat enough to feed the chicks?
The direction say feed a pinch per bird per day. How do I feed it? Do I sprinkle it on the seed or add it to water? I already put calcium plus in the water and have a cuttlebone that they love.
I am planning to breed them. They are zebra finchs.
Posted in Bird Feeding
Tagged Bird, birds, Blend, breeder, calcium, cuttlebone, day, direction, Feed, pinch, seed, supplement
I have 4 babies right now and 3 eggs left that may not hatch (1 was laid on the cage floor and the other 2 had cracks which I covered with clear nail polish). The parents are eating regular cockatiel food, millet, a powdery supplement for nesting birds, egg biscuits, cuttlebone (for calcium), broccoli, and Cheerios. They seem to like the Cheerios best and so far, the babies seem to be doing well (the oldest is 9 days old). Should I just continue on with what I’m doing then? I have been doing a lot of research on cockatiel breeding but I wasn’t prepared and that’s why the first egg was laid on the floor. I didn’t have a nest box in there since I didn’t think they had bred. Thanks for any info.!
Posted in Bird Nest Boxes
Tagged age, babies, baby, broccoli, cage, cage floor, calcium, cheerios, Cockatiel, cracks, cuttlebone, egg, egg biscuits, eggs, floor, Food, millet, nail, nest box, nesting birds, parents, polish
I read up a lot on cockatiel breeding before I put a nest box in with my two cockatiels, Birdy and Baby. Baby laid 7 eggs (which is a lot from what I’ve read) and they just started hatching. I can hear the cute little peeps coming from their box. I have them in a large cage and I covered it with a sheet so they feel more secure. I’ve been giving them regular cockatiel food, millet (their favorite), a supplement for nesting birds that Kaytee makes, Cheerios (a treat they’ve always enjoyed) and put cuttlebones in there for extra calcium. I tried putting different veggies in there like most books suggested but they don’t eat them. Is there anything else that I should be feeding them? I also put a bird bath in there for humidity which I read was important. I think the best thing I can do is NOT TO DISTURB THEM while the eggs are hatching. I don’t want them to get nervous and accidentally injure a baby or break an egg. Am I right? Should I remove egg shells and other waste?
Thanks for any info. Oh, this is both birds first time. Birdy is four and Baby is about three years old. They both are SUPER PROTECTIVE of their nest box and will try to bite me if I put my hands too close. I’m guessing this is normal? Baby has always been very affectionate but now she will bite and HARD! Like I said, this is just a warning for me to keep my distance, right????
Posted in Bird Nest Boxes
Tagged anything, baby, baby baby, bird bath, birdy, box, cage, calcium, cheerios, Cockatiel, cockatiel eggs, Cockatiels, egg, egg shells, humidity, lot, nest, nest box, nesting birds, peeps, sheet, veggies
I have been researching a lot from books and the internet but they don’t always answer everything. For instance, my birds first laid an egg on the cage floor because I didn’t have a nest box. I read that if you get it in a box right away that it may still hatch. I did do this. Also, two of the eggs had slight cracks and I covered them with light nail polish and a topcoat nail polish and let it dry. The birds DID NOT reject those eggs. Could they still hatch? I had read that advice in a book and on the internet. I think if I see another though, I’m just going to leave it because they get so upset and protective when I go in the box. Is it completely normal for them to try to attack you when you even try to change their food and water? I have been giving them their normal Cockatiel mix of mostly seeds, Spray Millet (which they love), egg biscuits, cuttlebone, a fruit flavored mineral block with extra calcium!, and a special mix that is for nesting birds. Any advice? THANKS!
A few more things. I ran out of space. Why can’t they allow more space for questions??? My male is four and is a white face with lots of grey and my female is two and is also a white face but almost totally white. Will the babies most likely be white faced as well? Is it possible to hand-raise a couple and let Mom and Dad take care of the rest? How old should I start hand raising? I will research a lot about it before attempting, don’t worry. This is their first clutch (is that the right word?) so what are the odds of atleast a few making it? And if the babies make it, at what age do you sell them and what is a fair price (esp. for whitefaces which aren’t as common as greys which most people are used to)? I would love to get two more pairs of ‘tiels if all goes well and I can find a pet shop that’ll take the babies. I would esp. like a Lutino. What would be cool to pair a Lutino with? THANKS FOR ANSWERING AS MANY Q’S AS YOU COULD! Wish me and my ‘tiels luck!
Posted in Bird Nest Boxes
Tagged advice, box, cage floor, calcium, Cockatiels, cracks, egg, egg biscuits, eggs, everything, internet, lot, mix, nail, nail polish, nest box, nesting birds, polish, seeds, someone, spray millet, topcoat
Hi i just walked into my room with a huge surprise, my bird laid an egg it is really small. I don’t really know how to take care of her tho. Is there a good chance that it is fertilized because there is a male cockatiel in the same cage. So i bought cuttle bone for calcium and a nesting box. Her poop also seems to be heaver is she just ovulating? and also this is her first egg there only seems to be one, when will she lay on them?
Posted in Bird Nest Boxes
Tagged Bird, cage, calcium, care, chance, Cockatiel, cockatiel bird, egg, good chance, OMG, poop, room, surprise, tho
I have two lovebirds, and the female already laid an egg yesterday, I already placed some bedding this morning that I got from our back and front yard, they consisted of grass, dried leaves, some leaves from a shrub, and some ferns. All moist to perfection because it rained here yesterday. I cut them into bedding-sized pieces and placed them inside the nesting box, making sure NOT to touch the egg out of fear that the birds might not sit on them anymore. But I did surround the egg with the bedding, so the eggs is probably cushioned. I also added boiled-egg in their diet, and some egg-shells, because I have heard that eggshells provide calcium. And plenty of green veggies. I change their water every now and then. And I secured the door of the box so the risk of the egg falling out when the birds peep out will be lessened. I still put them out to enjoys some fresh cool air. What more should I do? HOW LONG TILL ALL THE EGGS ARE LAID. Is it possible that ONLY ONE egg can be laid? This is my lovebird’s first time to lay eggs, can they be successful on the first time round? Do I have to wait for their second time to have babies? And when is the breeding season for lovebirds, I guess it’s the autumn or the cool season. Because when it started to get cool around here my birds laid an egg. I’m so excited of having an egg and I’m keeping to point to NOT peek at the box all the time. I peeked this morning to put some bedding and that’s that. How long do I have to wait till I can peek inside again to put some more bedding? Please answer me seriously. I need straight answers. Thank you very much.
Posted in Bird Nest Boxes
Tagged autumn, babies, bedding, birds, box, calcium, cool air, egg, egg shells, eggs, ferns, front yard, grass, green veggies, lovebird, lovebirds, Morning, Not, peek, peep, season, second time, shrub, sized pieces, straight answers, TILL ALL, time, yesterday
