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COCKATIELS - ADVICE FROM A BREEDER Page 4
by Linda Greeson of BlueQuaker.com
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THE NEW CHICK
The newly hatched chicks are frail looking creatures indeed. They are not even capable of
holding up their large heads. Their eyes are sealed closed, giving them the general appearance
of an embryo. A faint yellow down scarcely covers their bodies. At this stage only a mother bird
could love them!
A healthy bird will start crying for food within the hour and the parents will usually start feeding
within two hours. The parent bird feeds the baby by taking the bill firmly into its own with a slight
pinching motion. This stimulates the chick to bob its head vigorously. The feeding parent then
pushes regurgitated food into the sides of the chick's beak with its tongue. The chick's crop
rapidly enlarges and is kept round and full by the faithful parents. At times the crop appears
larger than the frail little body.
During the first few days this regurgitated food is said to contain a milky substance called crop
milk. This is a protein substance that is necessary for the rapid growth of the chick.
The newly hatched chick cannot maintain its own body temperature. The "built in time clock"
possessed by the parent birds brooding the chicks until the pin feathers start to appear, about
the tenth day. The parents unfortunately do not have a "built in thermostat." They will fail to
change their pattern even with a drop in temperature with consequent loss of the chilled little
ones unless they are rescued by the breeder. Their brooding schedule is based on time, not
temperature.
The chick grows so rapidly it is often half its ultimate weight at one week of age. If the parents
start incubation with the first or second egg, the youngest baby can be literally be buried under a
pile of its brothers and sisters.Some parents skillfully seek this tiny chick out for feeding, but
more often it does not survive.
After all the eggs in the nest have hatched and are no longer available for the little ones to use
as head rests they form a circle, each one's head resting on the neck of another. By about eight
days they become stronger, their eyes start to open, and feather tracts become visible.
They always shuffle themselves backward, out of the huddle, to deposit their droppings in a ring
about an inch or two away. As they grow and move around the nest box they are not as neat and
scattered droppings are found. A change of shavings is necessary to keep the nest clean, and
well tolerated by the parents.
As they grow the cheeping sound of the chicks changes to a more strident demand for food.
They rock back and forth, making a hissing sound, raising their tiny starting crests, and setting
up quite a din.
At times the parents will feed all but one of their babes, leaving that chick empty and forlorn. I
cannot enumerate how many times over the years we have taken pity on the deserted chick and
taken it in for hand feeding and TLC, only to have it die at an early age. The parents seem to
instinctively know that this chick has some genetic defect, not visible to the most experienced
human eye, and wisely let nature take its course. By sad experience we have learned to bow to
their superior judgement.
BANDING
At seven to ten days we band all our chicks with American Cockatiel Society closed bands. An
application for membership in this organization necessary for purchase of the bands is found at
the back of this booklet.
There are many advantages to closed banding of birds. It provides positive identification for
accurate breeding records and medical histories. It is almost impossible to maintain accurate
breeding records without band number identification. Mistakes in making breeding choices and
sufficient pedigree background are necessary. The band also provides positive identification for
birds sold. A closed band is a requirement for championship points in showing.
The technique for applying the bands is not difficult after a little practice. The three longest toes
of the foot are pulled forward through the band. It is then slid upward over the backward bent
fourth toe, pulling this toe forward through the band as it is slid back down in place, This is
much easier to do than to describe! As the foot grows the band becomes a well fitting bracelet
and if not applied too early it will not fall off. It can only be removed by cutting.
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