Breeding / Breeders Resources 
Listing of Breeders (By Species or Location)
Setting Birds Up for Breeding ... Housing Birds
Incubation / Egg Laying
An egg can be fertilized 24 hours before actual egg laying. Eggs remain viable for 10 days after they have been laid before losing viability. It is best to start incubating eggs as close to laying as possible.
Below are some relevant web resources:
- Infertile / Clear Eggs (causes and resolution)
- Thin-shelled, soft-shelled, no-shell, porous, misshaped / deformed eggs and other egg shell irregularities
Storing Eggs for Maximum Hatchability: The correct way of storing fertilized eggs before incubation begins.- Incubators: Description, Function, Options ... Incubators for Sale
- Important Incubation Procedures to Follow
- Incubation Humidity and Ventilation (humidity levels bird eggs need to be kept at at different stages and ways to regulate it)
- Temperature requirements throughout the egg incubation process and pertaining to the different bird speciesIncubation Times: Parrots / Birds
- Eggs: Failure to Hatch - Causes and Solutions
- Deformities in newly hatched chicks
- Dead-in-Shell / Embryo Mortality
- Candling Eggs to Verify Fertility and Development
- Repairing Cracked Eggs
- Information on Housing Chicks, Temperature Requirements, etc.
- Caring for POULTRY Chicks from Day One to Independence
- Chronic Egg Laying
- Failure to Hatch / Dead-in-Shell Diagnosis - Embryo Mortality (Death): Causes and Corrective Measures ... Signs of Deficiency in the Embryo Nutrient ... Find out if the embryo in a cold and neglected egg is dead or alive
- Saving eggs that were opened prematurely
- From "Egg to Parrot" - Illustrations of how the chick develops inside the egg
Taking Care of Chicks:
- Basic Supplies / Items You Will Need to Successfully Rear Babies
- Brooders & Intensive Care Units ... Brooder Temperatures ... Step-by-Step Instructions to Build Your Own Brooder
- Hand-feeding Protocol
- Hand-feeding Methods
- Handfeeding Utensils
- Hand-feeding Formulas / Weaning Foods and Feeding Syringes (includes recipes)
- Don't have time to be the only caretaker of chicks? "Co-parenting" is an option.
- Weaning Protocol
- Banding Chicks
- Early Socialization: A Biological Need and the Key to Companionability
- Weaning and Fledging Chicks ... Sprouting: Healthy Weaning Food (Methods and Instructions)
- Saving Eggs and Chicks During an Electric Outage
Chick / Handfeeding Problems
- Beak Deformities
- Burned Crop (from feeding food that is too hot)
- Chick Deformities
- Constricted Toe
- Crooked Toes
- Crop Emptying Problems - Slow and Sour Crop / Illustration of Crop Bra
- Setting a Broken Leg, Toes or Wings
- Non-Toxic Disinfectants / Disinfecting in the Bird Nursery (External link to the Green and Healthy Website)
Bird Nursery - Information about:
- Gas-filled Crop (Candida)
- Hydration Therapy for Chicks
- Punctured Crop or Esophagus
- Splay-legged Chicks
Reproductive Dysfunctions / Breeding-related Challenges:
Provides Info on Breeding, Mutations, Genetics and Bird-specific Breeding Requirements / Procedures and Challenges, Mate Aggression; Unsuccessful Breeding (Infertility, dead-in-shells, etc.)
Breeding Loan Agreements ... Record Keeping ... Bird Identification ... Closed Aviary Concept ... Pharmaceutical Supplies
Comments
Advice breeding
Hi
I'm looking for advice
We have a pair of cockatiels who only eat seed mix, they have never taken to any additional foods, cooked or raw.
They have recently mated, and have laid 4 eggs. They seem amazing and have taken it in turns to sit on the eggs. They have become protective and look to be doing the right thing.
We did not intend in breeding them but as they were showing signs of wanting to we wanted to give them the opportunity at a natural life as possible so added a nest box to see what would happen.
My question is this. As they only eat a seed mix and mainly small seed, what should I provide for them to feed the chicks?
Will they accept cooked or raw veg etc once the chicks are here as they are still ignoring what I am offering. I've tried porridge, egg, mashed bananas, cooked and raw veg. I have read that baby food is acceptable but wanted advice.
Is there other foods I should put in thats suitable for the chicks?
I do not want to hand feed I want to give mum and dad the chance.
Any advice would be great
Lisa
Once the chicks arrive, the
Once the chicks arrive, the parents will be going through an aweful lot of food - and they will typically gladly accept food items that they would not ordinarily touch. Boiled eggs (smashed down with a fork WITH EGG SHELL) are favorites as are sprouted seeds, millet spray, high protein foods are important to support the chicks' rapid growth.
Hi,
You may want to pull the
You may want to pull the oldest chick(s) that is / are hogging the food supply away from the youngest one(s). The oldest ones are larger and stronger and more demanding, and the parents will feed them first and may have not have enough to feed the rest. Five chicks is a lot to take care of. It may be that the parents needs help, especially if the male isn't able to contribute as much as he should (due to not being well). He may just be tired / exhausted. Removing the strongest / oldest chicks for handraising may help them out. If you have never raised chicks, you may want to consult an experienced breeder. In the absence of that, there are indepth instructions on this website: http://beautyofbirds.com/cockatielchicks.html
Best of luck now! Sibylle