Hand raising baby cockatiels from day 1?

Question

Hello. ive been hand raising 2 baby cockatiels since they hatched so im lookin 4 ne info on all aspects of the hand raising process. they r 2 n 4 days. The mamma bird was hand raised in a pet store so wen they hatched she didnt really kno wat 2 do so she attacked em. So far ive been feeding them the exact formula mixed to like, almost pancake consistency, along with sum plain pedialyte. Ive been keepin em warm n using pine bedding. feedings have been roughly every 1 1/2 hrs or so. I really want em 2 live so If u have any advice u feel would help id love to hear =] thx.

Also: is it normal 4 them 2 keep their heads kinda listless? at wat age can they like, support their necks fully?

Answer 1

Hi there congrats on the babies!! OK newly hatched chicks don't need any food for the first 10 - 15 hours after hatching, days 4- 9 feed them every 2 hours around the clock, but you don't not have to feed them from 12am - 5 am. An the formula must have the consistency of creamy milk. Days 10 - 14 Feed them every 3 hours from 5 am to 12 am still with the consistency of creamy milk, days 15 - 20 Feed them every 4 hours in a thicker formula. After 20 days they must go into a cage with low perches offer them apples and twigs from a willow or apple tree they are very curious at this age days 21 - 25 offer seeds and other veggies and fruits and feed them formula 3 times a day Good Luck!!  And yes its normal for there heads to be super bobblie at that age at about 14 days they can support there heads.

Answer 2

They will seem so helpless right now I understand your worry about them. I can tell you so far you are doing great keeping them alive and giving them a chance at life. Just make sure you never microwave your food or water for them so you do not burn their crops, always use hot tap water to mix their food with. And you should make it sometimes a bit thin so the babies get enough water intake to remain hydrated right now. Not too think right now. KAYTEE HAND FEEDING FORMULA is the best you can do for them right now, and you can also buy some stuff called INSTANT OUNCES to mix with their food too. Keep doing what you are doing and don't worry about their head and necks right now they will hold them up themselves in time. Sounds to me you are doing a great job and may need some sleep. It is perfectly ok to wait  3 or 4 hours so you can sleep sometimes right now. They won't get weak or die as long as you keep feeding them there after waking up yourself. Good luck with them {:O)

Answer 3

hi,

at 2-4 days old the formula should not be pancake like consistancy,it should be a little thinner,use a different syringe eyedropper or what ever you use to feed them,for each one,the instuments should be boiled,and is there any chance of the father helping with the feeding because I had the same problem ,but the daddy was willing to help until he saw me feeding them and then he kind of stopped,but luckily they are 3-4 weeks old.Make sure the formuls is 105 degrees too hot will burn them too cold will harden in their crop.

If nobody is kepping them warm you need a heating pad or something a heat lamp ,not too close as the babies have to be in a box or a container at at least 95 deg. far. And yes their head should be listless for about a week or maybe 8 days until they open their eyes for the first time,very excitingYou also don't have to necessarily use pedialyte as long as you boil your water and then let it sit until it goes back down to 105.deg.

I hope that I helped you as I know how scarey it can be,and also if you at any point think the baby is starting to regugitate,take the utensil away from it's motuth immediately or else it will go down it's lung instead of the crop and kill it and that would probably break your heart.

Answer 4

Your formula should be thinner than pancake right now. At 2 & 4 days old, the formula should be almost completely water and very little formula.  If you're feeding Exact, you don't need to supplement with pedialyte unless the chicks begin to dehydrate.

Do you have a sensitive gram scale? You'll need one to weigh the chicks.  Weigh them and feed 1cc per 2 grams, roughly, or until their crop looks FULL but not about to explode.  

Yes, the neck thing is normal, right now. When they start growing in down feathers & pin feathers they will begin to support their own necks. For now, they will be sort of propping their nasty necks up against the other babies for support.

But babies that are handfed from day 1 are not as stable as babies pulled at 4-5 days because of the beneficial biotics in the hen's crop that she feeds them when regurgitating food to them the first few meals.  So that already puts them at a dis-advantage.

Also, while feeding them, make sure that you have them facing forwards towards you, hold their head right under the jaw bone, lightly, and you're sticking your eyedropper (1cc syringe) in his mouth from the right side so that the end of the dropper is pointing towards the left side of his mouth.  (If you're right handed, this will be easier. If you're left handed. Face his back to your front and feed this way)  and be sure that you ONLY feed them when they give the feeding response (bobbing head up & down) since when they are doing this, their trachea is closed & their esophagus is open. Feeding before or after the feeding response can cause you to shoot formula down his trachea and aspirate him or give him pnemonia.

You do not need to boil or disinfect your feeding utensil between each bird, only after each feeding.  (Clutchmates that have diseases will spread diseases by being in close contact with eachother, so using the same feeding utensil is not going to make a difference.)

And boiling doesn't disinfect, bird-safe detergent does, or just buy a bunch of 1cc eyedroppers so you can throw away after each feeding session:

http://www.parrotworldusa.com/1ccsyringe...