Cockatiel hand raising experts.

[Silkiebegins]

I need some of your help all of you cockatiel experts on how to hand raise a baby cockatiel. So the story to why I need help is that my neighbor is going to give me some eggs to incubate so I need all the knowledge till I get them. I will also use this thread as help if I need some and updates as I will be keeping one and returning the rest to the neighbor. My main questions are what the feeding schedule is like, as in how often do I feed them? Do I only let the crop go empty during night when I don't feed them? How many times a day do I feed them? Towards the end of the formula feeding time do I start getting them used to regular feed? Temperature preferences throughout the weeks of age and tips and tricks.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Why isn't your neighbor giving you all the info you need? They should be mentoring you step by step. Have you seen the parent birds and their setup?

 

[Silkiebegins]

Why isn't your neighbor giving you all the info you need? They should be mentoring you step by step. Have you seen the parent birds and their setup?

Yes and yes. Also my neighbor cockatiel that was a broody died and so he didn't know what to do with them until I told him I had an incubator. So he knows as much as I did when I posted this thread. I also found a very informative source and pretty much figured out everything I need, but probably will still need this thread as when they hatch I will probably think I'm doing everything wrong and will need encouragement and support.

 

[Silkiebegins]

Also, how long can they go without feeding as I've read different sources saying that to let their crop only go empty during the night and feed them in the morning. I am a person who goes to sleep late in the night around 10 and wake up around 8:40ish.

 

[AusHen]

The crop emptying overnight isn't until they are a week old. the first 4 days you need to feed every 2 hours and 5-7 days every 3 hours around the clock. when they are 8-14 days you feed them every 4 hours but they can go 8 hours overnight

 

[Silkiebegins]

The crop emptying overnight isn't until they are a week old. the first 4 days you need to feed every 2 hours and 5-7 days every 3 hours around the clock. when they are 8-14 days you feed them every 4 hours but they can go 8 hours overnight

So I'm going to be sleep deprived, sounds fun. Also received news that I won't be getting them till April so won't be needing this thread for a while.

 

[Patiocoturnix]

So I'm going to be sleep deprived, sounds fun. Also received news that I won't be getting them till April so won't be needing this thread for a while.

I just read through I thought your neighbors female cockatiel was broody on the clutch and passed away so how are you going to get the eggs in April instead of now?

 

[Silkiebegins]

I just read through I thought your neighbors female cockatiel was broody on the clutch and passed away so how are you going to get the eggs in April instead of now?

No, he has multiple cockatiels and his broody one passed away a couple years ago and just receives fertilized eggs and has just threw them away. So when he heard I had an incubator he said when he gets more cockatiel eggs he'll give them to me. So I mistakenly thought I would recieve them soon. So I created this thread. When I asked again when he would expect eggs he said not until April. So my fault on being impatient but I still learned a lot, but not an expert on cockatiels as you could see.

 

[Patiocoturnix]

No, he has multiple cockatiels and his broody one passed away a couple years ago and just receives fertilized eggs and has just threw them away. So when he heard I had an incubator he said when he gets more cockatiel eggs he'll give them to me. So I mistakenly thought I would recieve them soon. So I created this thread. When I asked again when he would expect eggs he said not until April. So my fault on being impatient but I still learned a lot, but not an expert on cockatiels as you could see.

Ok that explains it thank you!

I still wouldn’t do hand raising. Parent raised birds are 95% of the time way better behaved then hand raised birds and like said before you really won’t get sleep for the first week or so they have to constantly be fed you also won’t be able to go anywhere.

 

[Silkiebegins]

Ok that explains it thank you!

I still wouldn’t do hand raising. Parent raised birds are 95% of the time way better behaved then hand raised birds and like said before you really won’t get sleep for the first week or so they have to constantly be fed you also won’t be able to go anywhere.

Fine with that I have plenty of free time but I personally think the cockatiel will be more tamed with being hand raised. Though like I said no professional. Plus, it's either I hand raise a batch and get to keep one or my neighbor throws away the eggs.

But it's still far, far, away in the future.....To be continued.... around April.