Feeding cockatiel parents hand feeding formula while they are feeding their babies?

Question

I have read on a couple different sites that you should feed your cockatiel parents the hand feeding formula while they are feeding their babies.

I have not yet started this but was curious if anyone else feeds their parents the formula.

Out of a clutch of 6, 4 have died either in egg or shortly after being hatched. My babies are 1 day old and three days old.

Answer 1

There are several possibilities for bird death before hatching. The hen should be at least a year old before setting on eggs. Seed only diets that consist mostly of sunflower and millet are empty calories and don't produce viable young. Sometimes the first 1-2 hatches of new parents don't survive no matter what measures are taken. Since both birds take care of the young and sit on the eggs, it is essential they are fed fruits, vegetables and a decent pellet diet. I use Zu-Preem Cockatiel Breeder for the parents and when hand feeding I use Kay-Tee hand feeding formula. It is not a good idea to interrupt the birds just to find out what's going on. When the eggs hatch, the sound of a baby bird is obvious and consistent.