And Baby Makes Three!
Cockatiels are notorious prolific breeders so successful breedings can even be possible for the novice breeder. When given the proper diet, caging, and lighting, most cockatiels will readily breed. So what happens when the babies come?
Oftentimes many first time breeders are amazed that their eggs even hatched and are ill prepared to take care of youngsters. In the nest, cockatiels should readily take care of their babies without human interaction. In fact I have noticed that those folks who are always talking about fostering babies or having to pull early are the same folks who are always checking on the status of their babies. Just like I discussed in the earlier chapters, we should leave the majority of work to the "experts" (our cockatiels). When babies are thrown out, normally the parents are very instinctual and have culled their babies for some reason (whether it be environmentally or genetically). I have often picked up dead babies out of the next to see swollen abdomens or other deformities. Having too many babies also can cause the parents to neglect the younger babies. In the cockatiels mind, they want to put their resources into what they think will survive. They are thinking of survival of fit birds, not how many they can produce. It is the goal of the aviculturist to produce multiple offspring and thus we begin to care for the babies left behind by the parents. Although I don't condemn this practice (I often do this myself) I often find that the parents do know best and pulled chicks can sometimes be very weak. My best chicks are those that the parents choose to feed.
What happens when the parents choose not to feed? I'll discuss that next time.
Related Articles
Setting Up Pairs
Setting Up Pairs Part 2
Setting Up Pairs Part 3
Oftentimes many first time breeders are amazed that their eggs even hatched and are ill prepared to take care of youngsters. In the nest, cockatiels should readily take care of their babies without human interaction. In fact I have noticed that those folks who are always talking about fostering babies or having to pull early are the same folks who are always checking on the status of their babies. Just like I discussed in the earlier chapters, we should leave the majority of work to the "experts" (our cockatiels). When babies are thrown out, normally the parents are very instinctual and have culled their babies for some reason (whether it be environmentally or genetically). I have often picked up dead babies out of the next to see swollen abdomens or other deformities. Having too many babies also can cause the parents to neglect the younger babies. In the cockatiels mind, they want to put their resources into what they think will survive. They are thinking of survival of fit birds, not how many they can produce. It is the goal of the aviculturist to produce multiple offspring and thus we begin to care for the babies left behind by the parents. Although I don't condemn this practice (I often do this myself) I often find that the parents do know best and pulled chicks can sometimes be very weak. My best chicks are those that the parents choose to feed.
What happens when the parents choose not to feed? I'll discuss that next time.
Related Articles
Setting Up Pairs
Setting Up Pairs Part 2
Setting Up Pairs Part 3
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