Cockatiel Egg and Chick Thread

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Isn't it cool, Peg? :) I didn't mean to say that baby birds are better than baby bunnies. Just want to make sure no one thinks that's what I mean!
 
Today's update! The first chick could hatch as soon as Sunday :shock::shock: It probably will be longer than that (more like Wednesday), but wow. He's starting to run out of room in his egg! Soon we should be able to hear him chirping away inside the egg. Amazing, huh? I REALLY hope Arthur and Poppet know what to do when the chicks hatch, because I've done as much reading about handfeeding as humanly possible and I'm terrified about killing the babies accidentally. There are about 5000000 ways things can go wrong during handfeeding, especially with little tiny chicks. This excellent website describes some of the things that can go wrong: http://www.cockatielcottage.net/feeding.html Feed to slow and the chick can choke. Feed to fast and the chick can choke too. Food 2 degrees too cold? Crop won't empty and chick will die. Food 2 degrees too hot? It'll burn through the chick's crop. You can puncture the baby's esophagus with the feeding syringe. It can get bacterial infections. Feed too much and the crop will get all stretched out and won't empty right. Feed too little and the baby won't grow right. Etc.

To top it off, the avian vet (who is also the bunny vet!) is out of the state for the next couple months so if we need vet care, we're kinda screwed. I'll take them to the old vet (she treated Arthur and Poppet once when they were sick), she knows some about birds, but isn't super well versed.

I'm so worried about the babies dying. Not really them dying I guess, but about them suffering :( Chances are all 4 won't make it. I'll be happy if 1 makes it! But I hate the idea of them being in pain. I'm doing everything I can to be ready (I have lots of supplies!) so hopefully it will all be okay.
 
It sounds like you are as prepared as you can possibly be.....

I can hardly wait till you have chicks.
 
Me too, Peg! My very being seems to have a terrible effect on reproduction (the disaster last time Arthur and Michaela tried to breed, I tried to breed my hamster 10 years ago and she ever got pregnant in spite of pairing her with 3 males, etc), so I really hope this works out. Go babies GO!
 
Yay, glad you like it, Ali! And Pipp, I didn't see your post because we posted at the same time the other night! I love the popcorn eating icon :)

Today is day 18 for our oldest egg! Hatching could happen anytime between today or Wednesday, but since it's the first egg, it may even hatch on Friday since I'm not sure if the parents started incubating it right away. I'm going to guess we still have until at least Tuesday though. The little chick is almost completely developed now, his head should be tucked under his right wing in preparation for hatching!

I'm having to fight the urge to keep peeking in the nest box. I actually haven't looked since Friday. As time goes on, Poppet is getting more protective of the eggs and tends to knock them over in her zeal when I open the lid. I don't want the little baby getting disoriented! I'm pretty sure we'll hear the chick when it's hatching anyway because he will chirp.

I really need to find the cord so I can charge my camera battery! Gosh, I feel like a first time father whose wife could go into labor any minute :D
 
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! HE'S HATCHING!!!! Okay, I'll stop yelling, but..... the first egg is hatching!!! It has pip marks on it (means he's breaking it open) and I can hear him CHIRPING!!!! That means that we should have a baby tomorrow!!!!
 
SnowyShiloh wrote:
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! HE'S HATCHING!!!! Okay, I'll stop yelling, but..... the first egg is hatching!!! It has pip marks on it (means he's breaking it open) and I can hear him CHIRPING!!!! That means that we should have a baby tomorrow!!!!
Click to expand...
:pray::shock::pray::shock::pray::shock:
 
I just took another peek (opened the lid to the box but didn't pick up the egg or anything) and there are lots more pip marks! He's doing great! They're in the correct spot on the egg and he's going in a counter clockwise direction, just like he's supposed to :) I heard more cheeping too! C'mon, baby!

Bad thing is I can't find my camera charger :( Of all the things to miss! I do have my video camera though so will film him once he's out. He will look like this:

chick3-1.jpg


then after his feathers dry, he will look like this!

chick2-1.jpg

 
Pipp, they really are homely little things! They look like dinosaur aliens. They get even weirder looking for a while, then they start getting cute when they sprout feathers :D

I'm going to bed now, but hopefully I'll have a little birdy surprise when I wake up! Please hatch, little baby!
 
No new baby yet! It's normal for it to take 24-36 hours. Longest 24-36 hours ever! I discovered he was starting to pip at about 4:30 Sunday afternoon, so I'm going to guess he started at 2:30. In that case, it has been approximately 18 hours since he started. The egg looks a bit more pipped than it did when I went to bed. I haven't picked up the egg in a while, but we heard him cheeping at 1 am last night. I stood there with the nest box lid open this morning for about 30 seconds and didn't hear him, hopefully he was just napping and nothing more sinister!

If anyone is in a prayin' mood, think some kind thoughts for the little baby because hatching is pretty dangerous business for a bird. Lots can go wrong!
 
Okay, good news is I'm sitting about 4 feet from the nest box on the couch and I'm pretty sure I'm hearing baby bird chirps. Very quiet, but I'm pretty sure it's him and not Poppet since I've never heard the parents chirp so quietly! They chirp frantically like that when they're having contractions to bring the yolk sack into their bellies.

EDIT: I went and stood with my ear by the nest box and it's definitely the baby :D C'mon, babyyyy! Hatch!
 
You have me so excited....I can hardly wait to know you have babies.

By the way - a bit of bragging here - I think baby bunnies look cuter the first two days than chicks do...maybe not by much.

I'm so excited - I almost wish the nestbox was right here - but then I'd be pacing in front of it.
 
Hatching them sounds quite a lot like hatching chickens! We have hatched a few clutches and I love when you can see them developing in the egg and see little heart beats! I love right before they hatch as well you can feel them moving and sometimes hear them chirping :) I really want to hatch chicks again now lol! Maybe if one of the ladies decides she is going to start hatching.
 
HE HATCHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's perfect! Fuzzy and yellow and mama is feeding him! Uploading pictures now!!!
 
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