Watch me hatch and grow! [Cockatiels]

[itzjbean]

How long do they incubate before hatching? Sorry if you already said. I’m too lazy to scroll up!


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In cockatiels the incubation is 18-21 days. Not long at all. I could have a baby hatching as early as late next week!

 

[Inger]

Oh I can’t wait!!


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[itzjbean]

Another egg update!!!

I found another egg outside of the nestbox on the cage floor. I picked it up and was planning to put it into the nestbox with the other eggs (like I did with egg #2 when I found it in their food bowl) but noticed it was punctured and was leaking so I made the decision to toss the egg. I'm guessing Peach was standing on top of the edge of the nest box when she laid it and it landed or it rolled off the top and broke that way. I did crack it open and there was a perfect little yolk inside so I know it was a normal egg. I will keep watching to see if she lays any more.

EDIT: we are back to 5 eggs see post below. (3/29)

 

[LordTriggs]

see she knows she's on stage now for her egg laying trick!

I can't wait to see these babies growing up

 

[itzjbean]

I was wrong about Peach laying an additional (7th) egg!! I was able to get a better look into the nestbox this morning as Peach came out to poop and it turns out that they pushed one of the six eggs out of the nest box, she did not lay another one.

Why they did this I'm not sure. But as I mentioned earlier when I found the egg yesterday it was outside the box on the cage floor and it had a puncture hole and was leaking. When I cracked it open there was a yolk inside and no signs of chick development yet. It was a normal egg.

I'm led to believe that
1.) Possibly it got punctured while in the nest box and the parents knew it wouldn't hatch so they kicked it out.
2. Maybe Peach decided 5 mouths to feed was plenty and kicked out the last laid egg, breaking it when it hit the cage floor.
3. Maybe it wasn't fertilized and they could sense this and therefore kicked it out

Whatever happened, they seemed to know something about the egg and disposed of it. While I am saddened to lose our 6tth egg, I am glad to have such hard-working parents. If my memory serves me right this may have happened last time -- laid 6 but disposed of one with 5 ending up hatching. So maybe she has a thing for no more than 5. Who knows. They know what they're doing so I will look forward to the 5 babies!

 

[LordTriggs]

huh, an interesting development. Makes me wonder if they can somehow tell that an egg isn't going to hatch. Could be an interesting scientific study some day to see if there's more to learn about these funny animals

 

[itzjbean]

I write this post with tears in my eyes.

I found the female, Peach, dead in the nestbox over lunch. I should've known something was wrong because the night before she was pooping red. I panicked but then remembered I had added in red peppers in this weeks chop. After some online reading I saw that red poop is not uncommon when eating things like red peppers, beets and even carrots turning it orange.

I should've known it wasnt the peppers. This morning I woke up and uncovered the cage. The birds normally do a morning switch when Peach comes out and Boo goes in and incubated while she eats and preens. I should have known then she was gone in the nestbox but I did not until I came back from launch and still saw she was not out.

Nearing egg hatching time I thought they must know it's soon. Upon further inspection, I opened the box over lunch and saw both birds sitting on the eggs, but Peach's head was drooped and she did not move.

That's when I knew she was gone. There was some blood/red poop on the nest box with her so I am pretty sure she died last night while on the eggs.

I have been bawling my eyes out and am blaming myself. How could I let this happen. I removed her body (Boo did lunge at me) and inspected her, no blood on her that I could see but something had to have caused it. I am racking my brain trying to figure out what happened. I had a new batch of sprouts and chop this week. Contamination?? But I wash bowls out daily and all the food is human grade with apple cider vinegar to clean.

In the meantime, I am absolutely heartbroken but am trying to still salvage the eggs. I am not sure if they will hatch... they need that constant heat and so if Peach died last night. Though covered with her body they may have dropped significantly in temperature so may have chilled too much.

Within a couple minutes of taking out Peach's body, Boo is sitting back on the eggs. I have taken work off today and husband too to help me come up with a plan to save these babies and help their daddy recover from this.


I will update you all as soon as I can. In the meantime, please say a prayer for Peach flying free in heaven now and for her mate Boo, who is still miraculously incubating them. My brooder is warming as we speak and as a precaution while a necropsy is being done on her, I am throwing away the sprouts and chop I made this week and will be making a new fresh batch.

Rest In Peace my sweet Peach. I am so sorry i failed you and let you die at such an important time. I will try my hardest to save every single one of your babies.

 

[Dopey]

I am so sorry for this loss. Good luck in getting things set up to save the eggs.

 

[Inger]

I’m so very sorry.


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[texsize]

I am so sorry to hear of this tragedy.
my prayers go out to you.

 

[Sunnyclover]

Oh my gosh. That's horrible and truly heartbreaking. I really hope the babies can be saved.

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

I am shocked to hear about Peach. I’m so sorry for this terrible loss.

 

[Jen5200]

I’m so sorry to hear about Peach. Hugs to you, and to Boo. I hope you are able to hatch the eggs.

 

[Jobiness]

I am so sorry to hear about Peach, I was reading this post the other day and was checking is daily to see the results!

Hugs to you, hopefully you can save the eggs!

 

[LordTriggs]

oh my god no! I'm so sorry, all you can do now is help where possible, try putting Boo's food and drink right next to the nest box so he can get them quickly without leaving the eggs too long and of course give him extra fatty and protein filled foods for now so he has good stuff to give the babies. He's being a good dad right now

 

[itzjbean]

Thank you all for your kinds words. They mean a lot to me. An update on the eggs.

After lots of tears yesterday from the loss of Peach, I got my brooder warming and prepared in case Boo abandoned the eggs. Males will only normally incubate during the day and leave at night to let the female incubate but with Peach gone, I didn't know what Boo would do. Sure enough, after evening approached, he came out of the nest box, ate and then retreated to his night perch in the cage. I knew then that if I did not pull eggs then, they would not hatch. I pulled the eggs lat night at around 9pm and placed them in my brooder, which is homemade but has both the humidity and temperature the eggs need to hatch.

Do the eggs need a certain temperature/humidity to hatch?

Yes and no. Ideally the eggs should be kept between 98-100 degrees F (you can get technical with exacts around 98.8-99.8 F) and they do well at a humidity of 50-70%. My temperature/humidity gauge fluctuates some every time I go in and turn the eggs, which I am doing frequently, but the main thing now is keeping them continuously warm. As long as I don't overheat them (over 101 degrees +) and continue to turn them, they may still hatch.

Could I move the eggs back in with Boo in the morning?

Maybe. But I will not risk moving the eggs back in the nest box to see if Boo will continue to incubate, they are too delicate, so at this point the eggs are 100% in my care and Boo has been relieved of his egg/baby duties.

So now what will I do?

I have explained in previous posts, I am prepared for this. The eggs are now my responsibility. Despite the heartbreak of yesterday my brooder is holding now around 98-100 degrees F and I have my formula ready, my dropper, cleaning and sanitizing tools, paper towels, extra heat lamp in case this one burns out, and am now diligently checking the brooder and preparing myself in the event they may still hatch and need me to handfeed from day one.

Boo seems to be handling the loss as best he can. He only entered the nest box once this morning after waking up but I gave him birdie bread I made last night and spent a few minutes just talking to him softly, telling him how sorry I am and feeding him from my hands. He was making all his sounds and chirps and whistles he does, did a little calling for Peach but otherwise is still drinking, eating and pooping normally.

I dropped Peach off this morning at my vet for a necropsy. They do a physical inspection first and then if they can't determine the cause of death from there, they will send samples to Iowa State to be tested to get a specific answer. I cleaned out Boo's cage and cleaned all the bowls in case it was something contagious but I have yet to take the nest box out. May do that tonight, otherwise I am working slowly so he isn't so traumatized.

I will update when there is more info. In the meantime, please say a prayer for these eggs and for Boo.

 

[Kentuckienne]

Oh, I am saddened by this news. I hope things turn out well for Boo and the babies.

 

[Scott]

I am so sorry for this devastating loss of Peach. You are very well prepared, but this was likely beyond your control. Hoping for a successful hatch of the eggs as a lasting tribute to Peach.

 

[Tami2]

I am so sorry, I am crying while typing this. My heart is breaking for you .....

 

[itzjbean]

After incubating the eggs for 5 days there were still no signs of life so I decided to crack one open. It was just a yolk, no signs of any chick development. I decided to crack the rest and they were all the same - just a clear egg, nothing but a yolk inside. This means the eggs were never fertilized or just never developed, and the process of laying them likely worsened Peach's condition. While I am sad about the eggs I am also relieved, I promised Peach I would try my hardest to save her babies but in reality there were no babies to save. I can mourn her now fully and know that the eggs would never have hatched even if I were to have began incubating them earlier.

Now about Peach. As you know, she had been pooping blood the night before I found her gone and it was the only symptom she ever exhibited. In the initial necropsy the vet saw that Peach's crop had food in it, her lungs and heart looked normal but her digestive tract was empty and her kidneys and liver were very pale in color. They get specific results back today from ISU so I will update with another post then and I will be glad to know for sure what it was. Overall the cost of it was $45 for initial necropsy and to send her organ samples for testing was $170.

Boo is now my only bird and he is still eating, drinking and pooping normally so I know it was not likely a contagion but something she was possibly born with, disease of some sort. I will update when I have a solid answer on that and will make a new thread for her in remembrance but I wanted to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers during this time. I am still recovering from the loss of Peach but Boo seems to be okay. I have to remember that birds are much more simple minded than humans are, I don't think he wakes with dread in the morning knowing she isn't there or feels sad. Just lonely. I moved him to another cage with no more nest box as he would not let me take it out of his old cage (despite no eggs or mate inside) so I had to towel him and move him that way. But within minutes of it being out of sight he was just fine, no longer aggressive to me and just wanted to come out and sit on my shoulder. Out of sight, out of mind maybe.

To those who read this thread hoping to see some cute cockatiel babies, I am sorry this thread does not have a happy ending, but I hope it serves as a reminder that breeding birds can and will end in tragedy sometimes. But I still have hope. Once I know of Peach's cause of death I can move on and move forward. Boo will also move on, he likely has already. So in the summer/fall I will likely get Boo a companion, but for now we are a one-bird family and that Is okay.