Help

[minedweller]

We have a pair of pied cockatiels that had 5 eggs hatch and now as the babies are getting older and starting to get thier feathers we notice the male is plucking them, badly what do you sugest we do... This is are third clutch from different birds and we never had this happen before:shrug:

[Shirley]

Dr. C will see this tomorrow probably ...
But... in the meantime... here's what you do -
Take the male out now. The mother will feed the babies. One of our male Bourke's does this every time... and if allowed, he'll pluck their backs bald.

The mother feeds them just fine, and weans them as they mature. Then once the babies are out and eating on their own, put the male back and he'll mate again with the mother.

There are various theories as to why the males do this, and not all males exhibit this behavior. In fact, some people will not breed the babies of such males as it's thought to be inherited (??) And some take the male out immediately so the babies aren't "taught" to behave likewise. It's thought they pluck b/c they want the babies gone and are ready to start another clutch. They aren't trying to "harm" the babies, they just pluck them... but you don't want babies with bald backs, and once their pins regrow, the males will do it again... once the babies are flying about and eating on their own, the male stops plucking them, usually.

Hope this helps,
Shirley

[jimleasure]

ever consider pulling the babies and hand feeding them?

[Shirley]

Good point, Jim! duh! :doh: Most people hand-feed their cockatiels so they'll be very tame and not hand-shy... (Bourke's are just naturally more tame if played with while parents are raising them. )

[jimleasure]

hand fed all of mine after about 2-3 weeks of age. very rewarding and enjoyable. only i got very attached to them, hard to let them go.

[Brandy]

now is this something the Dad's will do in the wild as well?

[gary&chloe]

Isn't it sort of tricky to hand feed babies ??? I heard that if you don't know what you are doing, you can kill the babies.

I would like to try breeding one of my Meyers but I'm afraid to try hand feeding.

A Meyers and a Jardine...??? A Meyers and a Senegal ??? Monet is hot for both of them.

[jimleasure]

hand feeding can be tricky, at first. getting instructions from an experienced breeder is a big help. luckily i have one near by, and have bought young birds at the weaning stage from them and they always do a hands on demo before letting the birds go home with the buyer, just to make sure you're comfortable with it. and they are available 24/7 with any assistance you may need. once you get the hang of it you can have a very wonderful experience :drool2: ( at least it is for me ). but let me add a caveat to this...hand feeding is not for everyone. and as far as the combo of poicephalis, don't think that can happen.

[Shirley]

Like Jim said, Handfeeding is something you learn first "hands on" not from a book or just watching... but under the watchful eye of an experienced handfeeder... and all species are not equally easy or difficult to hand feed.
Can it be deadly? Sure. But... if done correctly, it's very safe and easy to do. There are many factors to consider... and it's important to learn the reasons behind each factor. Just a few are "when", temperature, formula mix ratio, How much? When to reduce the amount (and why), feeding tools, feeding styles, gram scales, etc.

[Shirley]

now is this something the Dad's will do in the wild as well?
Good question... I've no idea... but in the wild, the mom can run the dad off if she wants to... or the dad can pluck the babies, and once they are weaned, they'll fly off and grow new feathers.

[minedweller]

We do hand feed in the evening but my wife and I both work 55 and 60 hrs shifts, I will try pulling the male out he has lost alot of weight he is tiny compared to before.. thank for everyones help

[Shirley]

I wonder why the male has lost weight? I'd be concerned about that. You mean male, as in father of the babies, right?

Give him some extra millet and check his weight each day same time. Good luck!:wub: