Please Help, Baby Bird Problems!!!?

Question

I have 3 Baby Cockatiels that where born October 18th and they still look like they are newly hatch, they are still pink covered with yellow down; eyes closed, feet, beak, and claws flesh-colored but they are getting bigger but nothing else is happening. It is NOT inbreeding for I bout the parents at 2 different pet stores, can it be that they do not have all the vitamins and minerals from the food the parent are feeding them (99% of the food in there crop is millet) so, should I start hand feeding them?
Please do help me out!!

this is my first time raising Cockatiels but not my first time raising birds, I have over 20 budgies and right now I have 1 baby budgie that was born almost the same time as the cockatiels, and its eyes are open and already has some feathers. But being a bigger bird will the developing be slower compare to a budgie, does that have any thing to do with any thing??

Yes this is there first clutch

Answer 1

Cockatiel babies at about eight days become stronger, their eyes start to open, and feather tracts become visible.
It is best to pull the baby cockatiels ( bird breeders' jargon for removing a chick from the nest) at twelve to fourteen days and began hand feeding them one at a time.

Answer 2

The eyes may only open closer to 15-17 days. I breed suns that seem to grow at different rates for each clutch. You should not start feeding them at this stage because it takes a lot of know how and time to feed such a young bird and as the parents are feeding them, so I would not do so. Also touching the babies may cause the parents to stop taking care of them. If you have to touch a baby such as banding, wash your hands with fragrence free soap, then rub the nesting material on your hands before touching the baby.

You can provide a separate dish of handfeeding formula or crushed pellets ( I buy this as powdered pellets ) mixed with water. Change this 2-3 times a day as it goes rancid. The parents will take this mix to give to the babies which is better than millet. I cook for my birds so they dont get a lot of seed or pellets. The parents will also benefit from a better quality diet. If your local pet shop has an extruded mix for breeder birds add this to the diet, this will provide the missing nutrients without going to a lot of trouble.

You cant change any birds diet suddenly as the bird will starve itself to death. Changes should be made in separate dishes or over at least a 2 week period.

Answer 3

They sound okay for babies under two weeks. cockatiels don't develop pin feathers until 2-3weeks old, their eyes should be opening soon. As long as they are gaining weight, about 10% per day. Make sure you give the parents a good cockatiel seed mix, and every morning you should give them some soft foods: wholemeal bread soaked in milk, vegies; peas, corn, carrot, zucchini.
If your worried that the parent diet isn't varied, you can sprinkle some egg and biscuit on their seed or add avian vitamins to their water, they will in turn feed that to the chicks.

Answer 4

Those sound like normal ten day old chicks to me.

Here's a link to some photos of chicks of a different psittacine species. Jill did an excellent job of tracking their development, and these may give you a better idea of what to expect:
http://judiesplace.homestead.com/HatchtoFeathers.html

No one should attempt to handfeed a baby bird without an experienced mentor to show them how to do it properly; otherwise, it's too easy to accidentally aspirate and kill the baby.

Since the parents are keeping the chicks fed, I'd concentrate on enriching their diet. A breeder's diet does require more nutrients than a pet bird's maintenance diet. I cook for my breeders daily.

There are a number of Yahoo groups dedicated to cockatiels and/or bird breeding. Find them at: http://groups.yahoo.com/.

Check out websites of the North American Cockatiel Society http://www.cockatiel.org/ and the American Cockatiel Society http://www.acstiels.com/.

An avian vet or local bird store might be able to direct you to a local breeder. Ask if there's a bird club in your area.

(1) Don't abruptly switch the patents' diet or disturb them unecessarily - you don't want them to abandon their chicks.

(2) Do not pull the chicks or attempt handfeeding without an experienced handfeeder/breeder at your side - literally. The chicks' lives depend on this!

Best regards,

Kathy
Houston TX
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bird_Breeder-Hobbyist/

Answer 5

Leave the babies alone. Let them grow at their own rate. Some clutches take longer to get older then others. I have babies all the same age and all look different ages. I dont worry about it. I usally pull the babies when I feel in my heart they could survive in my care without being fed by the parents. Otherwise I allow the parents to raise them. I wouldnt worry about them until they are at least 3 to 4 weeks old when they may be ready to pull to hand feed.

Answer 6

Gloves do no longer count number. %. them up placed them contained in the nest and word if the mummy comes back. That entire aspect about heady scent and the mummy forsaking the baby which develop into touched is a farce. I extremely have back fairly some babies to nests and watched them live to inform the tale. If that's been better than an afternoon though then it will be too previous due. If the mummy does no longer go back in an afternoon you may want to kill the babies and placed them out of their misery to attempt this you in hardship-free words right away pull off the heads. or in case you sense that's undesirable, then you actually can call animal administration and they are going to kill them for you. both way they are going to die. i basically favor no longer to enable them struggle through starvation.

Answer 7

Keep in mind your tiels are a bigger bird than your budgies, naturally they are going to take a little longer to sprout feathers and open their eyes! I would just start hand feeding them like normal, they seem just fine to me!

Answer 8

Feed the parents,[supreme] egg and biscuit,they will love it.get yourself [trill]budgerigar premium seed.Cockatiels love it,it has vitamin,A,B,C,D,E CALCIAM and IODINE.CUTTLE FISH,and add [pretty bird] mineral and vitamin to their diet.I always give my birds one slice of bread per day,as well as one green veggies,grapes and cellary is a big hit,if this is not improving, hand raising would be your only option,this may be there first broud,and struggling with this

Answer 9

I wish I knew something to tell you about the birds, but I don't. I would suggest that you call either a veterinarian, a zoo or a pet shop for advice. Someone should know. Good luck!

Answer 10

I would not try to hand feed them....let Mother Nature take its course