First Baby Hatched

[beetory]

Hey everyone,

My name is Bee and I've had two conures for about seven years and last month my girl Darling had a swollen belly and of course, I panicked for a while wondering if she was sick but after a lot of research I came to the conclusion she was making eggs. She does live with a male but after seven whole years of her never laying an egg I stopped worrying about making sure they didn't mate. Uh, that's biting me in the butt today I guess.

I didn't want to leave her defenseless or without a space to feel safe to lay her eggs so I provided her with a nest box and she laid five eggs, unfortunately she got rid of one. It's been a whole month and the first baby hatched last night! I believe it was in the middle of the night as we did not hear his soft chirps until this morning at 6am.

Now... I'm a little bit worried because I didn't actually expect to get this far. I'm definitely inexperienced and I'm not sure what to do. I've tried researching online but unfortunately I couldn't find any concrete information. A lot of the articles and blog posts were more about discouraging your bird from laying eggs rather than what to do when they do. I've been doing my best with what I can see, though.

Now that a baby has hatched and possibly three more will be following I just want some insight on what I should do next.

I've seen some videos of "brooding" boxes and people hand-feeding the babies but I'm unsure of when I should attempt to take the babies from her nesting box to start this process. I don't want to just take them away from her, but I also don't know if her and Booger will be capable of handling the four babies and keeping them well fed. I'm totally out of my element here and any advice will help a ton!

My main concerns now are the brooding boxes, which I'm assuming are used to keep the babies warm during the day, and when I should start helping on keeping them well fed. For the feeding I know I will be needing various things but does anyone know what temperature the food should be? Whether a spoon is a good choice for someone like me that doesn't know how to feed them?

TLDR; My birds successfully made babies and now I don't know how to help them raise them.

 

[Scott]

Welcome, thanks for reaching out for assistance! Hopefully our breeder members will join the conversation. Bottom line, managing baby birds is a complex, tricky, and unforgiving endeavor.

In the interim, two "sticky" threads will be of great help: http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/54987-before-i-start-breed.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/74363-so-you-bought-unweaned-baby.html

 

[ChristaNL]

Why does everyone think birds can not feed their own offspring?

As long as you make sure there is plenty of appropriate food available... there should be no problem. (Saying this: I live on the continent where birds have a chance to learn from their parrents and are not habitually taken from them at a very young age.)
Just add a batch of eggfood in the cage (extra bowl) and usually the birds instincts will take care of the rest...


=


of course you have to read up like crazy on all the things that can go wrong and what to do *if* , but most of the time...they'll be just fine.

The first nest is always the hardest -> learning experience for the birds (and the owner) so yes, if things go sideways it could be now.
(Sorry, did not mean to freak you out there)


Just stay calm - no need to stress out the birds sofar they've done great-- just keep an eye on things and your hands off.
(If you were in Europe I'd tell you to order some legbands asap, but I found out you don't really do that over there... )

 

[beetory]

Thank you so much for helping out! These links were useful.

 

[beetory]

To be honest, I assumed they couldn't because once I saw the first egg I went online and a lot of videos were people feeding the babies so I just wasn't sure? I assumed they would be able to feed them but might need help in the long run.

What exactly do you mean by egg food? Is it the bird formula I've seen a few times before? I want to make sure they have it ASAP just in case.

Honestly if possible I would love it if they could raise them on their own, I definitely don't want to interfere with that as tempting as it is to try to hold the baby and both of them seem to have been very attentive, when one comes out the other immediately rushes in to be with the baby. I guess seeing so much human interaction with these hatchlings made me think that that was the only way to go when they're pet birds.

Hopefully this will be the last nest, I definitely never wanted them to successfully have baby birds I knew it was a very complex thing and I just never felt quite prepared for it. I still don't.

One more question, I'm a bit concerned by the volume of the baby's chirps when he calls out for food, I suppose. They are very soft, is that normal for the newborns or should he be louder? I know he's super tiny right now and the peeks I've gotten in when she allows me to take a look do show me she's keeping his crop full but I'm just concerned he might be weak? I don't know. Ahh, thanks again so much for the advice! It's okay to scare me, trust me. I think I might thrive on it a little bit.

 

[itzjbean]

Breeders here in the US pull babies from the nest at 2 weeks to begin hand feeding until weaning. This is done because it makes the babies much more calm and accepting of humans.

Since you've never done this before, I highly suggest you let the parents wean the babies (raise and feed them until they're eating on their own) while you handle them DAILY. This is what I did with my first clutch. One baby was getting plucked by the mom so I had to pull him eventually, but by then he was almost all feathered and could perch on his own. I did have to handfeed him or he would absolutely have perished.

Breeding bids is a difficult venture - and I say that because a lot of times, things just go wrong. Some people find it hard to believe that parents won't feed their babies or abandon them, they don't believe that bids will mutilate or neglect their babies, but that's because it's clearly never happened to them before. But I have seen and been in the middle of it. It's not fun when a chick's life is on the line and it's up to you to save it.

Sometimes birds can be really bad parents, either they don't sit on the eggs, don't feed the babies once they're born, kick one out, kick all of them out, abandon them... I had my cockatiel hen this year actually pass away while she was sitting on eggs. I had to incubate them, but I was ready with my supplies!

When it's a baby bird that needs your help, if you don't know how to save it from a neglectful parent, you will have to watch it die.

That's why breeding can be difficult -- things go wrong all the time. There are SOME people that have it lucky, that have birds that are excellent parents and don't need help, but that is actually pretty uncommon to not have something happen.

If you don't play with the babies daily, they will be afraid of humans and (in my personal experience) will prefer birds over people. When we don't feed them, they never learn to associate humans with good things and end up being frightened of them. It just happens..... so let the parents raise the babies.... but once they open their eyes (at 2 weeks) begin to play with them EVERY. DAY.

It also wouldn't help to get in touch with a breeder in your area of avian vet to help you should you need assistance.

 

[beetory]

Breeders here in the US pull babies from the nest at 2 weeks to begin hand feeding until weaning. This is done because it makes the babies much more calm and accepting of humans.

Since you've never done this before, I highly suggest you let the parents wean the babies (raise and feed them until they're eating on their own) while you handle them DAILY. This is what I did with my first clutch. One baby was getting plucked by the mom so I had to pull him eventually, but by then he was almost all feathered and could perch on his own. I did have to handfeed him or he would absolutely have perished.

Breeding bids is a difficult venture - and I say that because a lot of times, things just go wrong. Some people find it hard to believe that parents won't feed their babies or abandon them, they don't believe that bids will mutilate or neglect their babies, but that's because it's clearly never happened to them before. But I have seen and been in the middle of it. It's not fun when a chick's life is on the line and it's up to you to save it.

Sometimes birds can be really bad parents, either they don't sit on the eggs, don't feed the babies once they're born, kick one out, kick all of them out, abandon them... I had my cockatiel hen this year actually pass away while she was sitting on eggs. I had to incubate them, but I was ready with my supplies!

When it's a baby bird that needs your help, if you don't know how to save it from a neglectful parent, you will have to watch it die.

That's why breeding can be difficult -- things go wrong all the time. There are SOME people that have it lucky, that have birds that are excellent parents and don't need help, but that is actually pretty uncommon to not have something happen.

If you don't play with the babies daily, they will be afraid of humans and (in my personal experience) will prefer birds over people. When we don't feed them, they never learn to associate humans with good things and end up being frightened of them. It just happens..... so let the parents raise the babies.... but once they open their eyes (at 2 weeks) begin to play with them EVERY. DAY.

It also wouldn't help to get in touch with a breeder in your area of avian vet to help you should you need assistance.

Thank you so much! I'm truly hoping they will be good parents, Darling has been very diligent and has been in her nest box almost 24/7. She only comes out to eat and drink water and a quick visit with my mom (her one and only favorite human lol) before she dashes back in to be with her eggs and now one baby. I've checked in on her twice and she's allowed me to see both times and the baby looks like he has a full crop so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she continues to feed him well

I do have a big family and we all live together so I'm planning on keeping the babies and it won't be fun if they're wary of humans. Thank you for that advice, I will make sure we all have some time to handle them around the time they open their eyes, it's honestly quite exciting now to think of this!!!

I'm looking right now into finding a breeder contact in the area for some personal help as well and will be checking in with my avian vet, I didn't at first because I wasn't sure if her eggs were fertile or not. I was afraid of checking in case her seeing me handle her eggs would have caused her to break them.

I'm not sure if you saw my final question but the baby's chirps are very quiet. My mom mentioned this morning that she's worried he might be weak. Is this normal? Will the volume of his voice increase as he grows every day?

 

[itzjbean]

I'm not sure if you saw my final question but the baby's chirps are very quiet. My mom mentioned this morning that she's worried he might be weak. Is this normal? Will the volume of his voice increase as he grows every day?

Chicks exert a lot of energy hatching, so it's not uncommon for them to be somewhat quiet for the first few days. As long as the baby has a full crop and parents seem to be keeping it warm/sitting, it should perk up soon (day, two) and should be gaining enough strength to lift its head, beg and make louder chirps. Keep an eye on it though to be sure it's doing okay.

It would be good to get a gram scale -- they're cheap and easy to find (people use them to weigh things in the kitchen) and it would be good to start documenting the daily weight of every chick to ensure it's gaining weight. You can do this by blocking the entrance to the nestbox and taking the baby out to quickly weigh it, then put it back in and uncover the opening of the box. Both parents may show some aggression if you are in/around the box/chick, but that's normal and to be expected. When they breed and have babies it triggers instincts to protect their young just as they do in the wild. Keep the parents caged during this time to ensure their focus stays on raising their young. Visits to the cage are okay but the pair should be staying in the cage full-time during this hectic time.

 

[beetory]

Chicks exert a lot of energy hatching, so it's not uncommon for them to be somewhat quiet for the first few days. As long as the baby has a full crop and parents seem to be keeping it warm/sitting, it should perk up soon (day, two) and should be gaining enough strength to lift its head, beg and make louder chirps. Keep an eye on it though to be sure it's doing okay.

Okay, yeah I'm sure I can do that. Should I wear gloves when handling them or anything like that? I know there's like stuff about how parents reject their babies when they smell like someone else.

I'll be looking out for his chirps to get louder, I can hear him from about 6 feet away when the room is quiet but since everything is pretty new to us when it comes to this every little thing worries us. His chirps seem muffled and then we see the box shaking slightly (I assume this is Darling feeding him) and then he's quiet again after chirping a few more times.

 

[itzjbean]

Chicks exert a lot of energy hatching, so it's not uncommon for them to be somewhat quiet for the first few days. As long as the baby has a full crop and parents seem to be keeping it warm/sitting, it should perk up soon (day, two) and should be gaining enough strength to lift its head, beg and make louder chirps. Keep an eye on it though to be sure it's doing okay.

Okay, yeah I'm sure I can do that. Should I wear gloves when handling them or anything like that? I know there's like stuff about how parents reject their babies when they smell like someone else.

I'll be looking out for his chirps to get louder, I can hear him from about 6 feet away when the room is quiet but since everything is pretty new to us when it comes to this every little thing worries us. His chirps seem muffled and then we see the box shaking slightly (I assume this is Darling feeding him) and then he's quiet again after chirping a few more times.

The parents abandoning the babies based on human smell is not true.

Just wash your hands thoroughly, no gloves needed. They like the warmth of our hands. Wash your hands when you are done handling them also.

The worry you are feeling is understandable, as it's a new experience and the potential for something being wrong is high. That is why it is generally not attempted unless you have experience.

 

[beetory]

Just as an update the second baby has hatched and the first baby is way louder than it was on the first day. Darling has allowed me to see them a few times and their crops are full every time. Now I'm concerned because she moved all the bedding to one side of the nest and the babies are waddling around against nothing but the wood of the box. Is this okay? Should I try and fill it with more bedding so she cannot move it to the side? I think the babies have enough grip on the wood because they do move around and lift their heads. I'm just worried about any potential complications like splayed legs or curled toes.

 

[brighterdaysaviary]

I would make sure that there is bedding underneath them since that could cause splayed legs. And that is not a fun thing to try and fix and it gets pretty complicated.

 

[itzjbean]

Glad to hear the first baby perked up and the second baby hatched. Sometimes you have to learn as you go what is normal behavior for newborns.

As for the bedding, yes you can try adding some more to prevent splayed legs.

Keep us updated!! Sounds like the parents are keeping them well fed and warm. That's good!

 

[wrench13]

Thanks for posting your amazing journey with these 2 chicks. I hope it continues to go well if not HOLLER for some advice and help.

 

[ChristaNL]

Found out about egg food yet?

you buy it per box- it contains extra nourisment for breeding birds as well as their young. Since in the wild parents will add more protein to the diet of the young ones it is fair you let them do the same for the caged ones. (And yes in the olden days eggfood consisted mainly of hardboiled, pulverized egg with some more ingredients added to it - some people still swear by a certain traditional home-made mixture-, so I am not sure if it got the name from the ingredient of because "it is good to feed when birds are laying eggs etc.")
Remember this stems from the times when the birds got mainly seedmix and now and then some greens - so the young needed all the help (nutritionally speaking) they could get!

Grinn, pulling babies is illegal here, because it really gives the bird more psycological issues than it helps tame them.
Sometimes you need/ want to help a baby in trouble but mostly they do best if you just let the parents raise them and only handle them (but not feed) if you want them to become tame birds.
Just let them fledge naturally


(weighing is a great way to keep an eye on things)

 

[beetory]

Found out about egg food yet?

you buy it per box- it contains extra nourisment for breeding birds as well as their young. Since in the wild parents will add more protein to the diet of the young ones it is fair you let them do the same for the caged ones. (And yes in the olden days eggfood consisted mainly of hardboiled, pulverized egg with some more ingredients added to it - some people still swear by a certain traditional home-made mixture-, so I am not sure if it got the name from the ingredient of because "it is good to feed when birds are laying eggs etc.")
Remember this stems from the times when the birds got mainly seedmix and now and then some greens - so the young needed all the help (nutritionally speaking) they could get!

Grinn, pulling babies is illegal here, because it really gives the bird more psycological issues than it helps tame them.
Sometimes you need/ want to help a baby in trouble but mostly they do best if you just let the parents raise them and only handle them (but not feed) if you want them to become tame birds.
Just let them fledge naturally


(weighing is a great way to keep an eye on things)

I did some more research and bought it the very next day after work! They ignored it for a really long time but after Booger saw me mix it and offer it to him they took to it and go to that bowl to eat from there as well during the day. I replace it every morning at around 6am and empty it at night so they won't be eating it when it's old.

From what I can see my Darling is doing amazing on her own so I definitely won't be bothering them unless something drastic happens, fingers crossed it won't. I haven't been able to find a scale yet but today I will be looking around in different stores. I do want to keep track and make sure they are doing well.

 

[beetory]

Thanks for posting your amazing journey with these 2 chicks. I hope it continues to go well if not HOLLER for some advice and help.

Will do! I'm so glad I found this forum, it helped ease away a lot of my anxiety from this whole experience. I feel at ease knowing some experts are around here to help in case anything goes wrong

 

[EllenD]

Yes, keep adding the bedding to the nest box. Just block-off the nest box whenever the parents leave it with a piece of cardboard or similar, add the bedding, put the babies on it, and then unblock the nest box. The babies will likely develop splay-leg if they are only on the wood bottom of the box, as it's impossible for them to keep their legs together without some bedding. It's completely normal for mamma to keep throwing the bedding out, sometimes they will replace the bedding with their own feathers that they pull out, and sometimes the nest box will naturally be lined with hard droppings, which is what they do in the wild. But it's best if you clean the nest box out at least once a week, and make sure daily that there is at least a little bedding in the bottom of the box.

FYI: Even though you are not hand-raising/feeding the chicks. you can still hand-tame them by handling them every single day for 10-20 minutes per chick, more often each day the older they get. All you do is wait for mom/dad to leave the nest box to eat, drink, etc., and immediately just block-off the entrance to the nest box with something. Then take each chick out one at a time, and gently hold it, scratch it, pet it, and talk to it gently and softly for at least 10-20 minutes a day. As they get older and grow-in more and more feathers, you can keep them out longer. This will not cause the parents to start ignoring the chicks, or stop feeding the chicks, or disrupt that process in any way, that's totally a myth.

 

[beetory]

Happy Monday everyone, am I right? lol

First off, thank you so much for all the advice EllenD it's been a lot of help. But Darling still seems to be pushing the bedding away from her babies. Do you think something else might work better such as a hand towel, or another fabric item that she won't be able to move away from under them as easily? The babies seem to be keeping their feet under them very well so I'm not too worried but better safe than sorry.

Just a few updates, we expected another baby to hatch on Saturday and when it didn't we were both disappointed and relieved because it is a lot of stress but at the same time I can't help but root for all of them to hatch. The baby surprised us by hatching Sunday morning while we were at church, when we returned home Darling came out for a drink and I took a quick peek to make sure the babies were doing alright and there was the newest tiny one. He already had his tiny crop full like his older siblings. I was a little bit shocked at how small he was in comparison to the older babies, omg I almost couldn't believe it.

They are all chirping very loudly! At first I was concerned because I couldn't distinguish one from the other but now the two bigger babies kind of echo one another's chirps every 2 hrs or so. One of them even looked like he opened his eyes a tiny slit but I think that might have just been my excitement. Also they are so strong! They lift their heads up all the way I'm so proud of them.

Everything seems to be going very well so far, I'm really happy.

 

[beetory]

So yesterday Darling came out for a drink and some food and I covered her nest opening to check on the babies. They're all doing really well, they are growing so fast and their crops were full. She keeps moving the bedding away no matter how much I add in there. The babies are keeping their feet under them so I'm not too worried but would like any tips/signs of what to do if something is going wrong.

Also she took a bath, which was weird because I hadn't seen her take a bath in a while, and immediately after went into her nest while she was still wet and sat back on top of her babies. Is this okay? I know there needs to be a certain level of humidity in her nest as well for the babies but I don't know, I'm just wondering if that's normal behavior. I would assume she would be cold to the touch if she went back in wet to cover her babies again.

Not sure if I'm making sense, it's all so crazy in my head I'm not interfering with them because they are doing well in keeping them fed and warm and the babies are chirping so loud so I'm happy about that. Just so many things going through my mind.

I have a lot of questions about what the next step is going to be, like getting them a cage with perches that will be low when they are learning to perch, or what type of food I should offer them while they are being weaned. Am I supposed to move them out of their nest when they are a certain amount of weeks old??