My conure babies have hatched!!

[Melanie.L]

Hi there everyone, I am new to breeding conures in which this is my first time ever doing it and I have a few questions!

All the babies have hatched. My female conure laid a total of 5 eggs and the last egg hatched today. Im not sure how old the other ones are and was wondering if anyone would be able to help me out as to telling their age. I know for a fact they are at least a week and a half as ive been checking daily. The two biggest ones eyes are finally opening, they have lost their fluff and are starting to get their blood feathers and are starting to hold up their heads on tbeir own?

Also I was wondering is it mandatory to band them? My female has a leg band but when I bought my male he did not come with one. As a conure breeder if it is mandatory to use leg bands, where could one get them from and if the eldest birds are already a week or two is it two late?

now that theyve hatched, at what age should I be removing them from their nest ? i have a large clear bin that ive set up with a heating pad, towel, and pee pads for easy cleaning of their waste, is that good enough? do i need to add shavings or heated lighting if using a heating pad?

I want to remove them and start handling them as soon as they are at the appropriate age as I want them to be hand tamed and social! I attached a photo to this post hopefully someone can give me some info in terms of tbeir age and answer my other questions!!

oh also, at what age can I have them DNA sexed?

 

[gracebowen]

Respectfully you should have known the answers to those questions when you started breeding. Had it been an accidental breeding you should have asked the day the first egg was laid.

I handle my baby tiels when they turn 2 weeks. They leave the nest box when they fledge.
I dont recommend hand feeding. They will be just as social if the parents feed them as long as you handle them daily.

 

[Terry57]

Congratulations on your new babies! I'm glad you came here to ask questions, I'm bumping you back up in hopes of more replies

 

[texsize]

With my cockatiel babies I started handeling them shortly (2 or 3 days) after there eyes were open.

I want to say I am not an expert, You have to do what you feel is right.

I let my cockatiel parents take care of the feeding as long as I could. at about the 3 week point I had to separate the chicks because the parents were pulling out feathers. Hand feeding should be a last resort especially if you have not done it before.
After I separated the chicks I would put them in with the parents 5-6 times a day for feeding. When feeding turned to feather pulling I removed the chicks till the next time.

 

[NFFH]

Congrats on a nice healthy clutch!

The youngest looks under two days and the oldest way under 10 days.

My clutch I can show you the chicks and hatch dates if you want to compare.

Banding is not mandatory. I personally band my chicks but not everyone does.

I pull my chicks at 18 days or 21 days for the oldest.

I DNA at around 30 days and fully feathered.


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[NFFH]

This chick hatched January 4th and the picture was taken January 17 so it's 13 days old.

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[NFFH]

This is the last chick to hatch.
It hatched January 11th and again the picture was taken January 17th

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[NFFH]

Here is the full clutch picture taken January 17th

Hatch dates January 4, 6, 9 & 11th


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[gracebowen]

They are adorable babies.

 

[Melanie.L]

Awesome, your answers to my questions as well as the photos have helped a lot!! When you pull your chicks where do you keep them? I have a medium-large clear storage container that I've prepared with a heating pad, a towel and paper towel is there any thing I am missing? I just want to make sure I remove them at the appropriate time and have everything I need to make sure their healthy, happy and warm. Wasn't sure if I need to be putting bedding such as shavings in there or just the heating pad along with a towel and paper towel for their droppings.

 

[Melanie.L]

In response to Texsize, that is good to know in regards to the handfeeding. I was just wondering because when I bought my male conure the breeder was handfeeding and I had to continue the handfeeding at home since I got him when he was 6 weeks old so I wasn't sure if handfeeding was something that has to be done or if its only done if the parents start to ignore and neglect the babies!!

 

[Melanie.L]

At what age will they start to fledge? Im worried during fledging they will leave the nest box and fall to the bottom of the cage and hurt themselves.. or is this something the parents teach and help them with?

 

[NFFH]

If you leave them with mom and dad they usually start to leave the box around the 4-6 week time. Some stay longer than others. However I have always pulled for hand feeding.


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[SilverSage]

No, a storage bin isn't good enough. You need to be able to keep them at EXACT temperatures as well as monitor humidity. Heating pads turn off and cannot be properly regulated. Heat lamps can mess with development. You need a brooder. You can buy them on Amazon.

Respectfully, I'm quite alarmed that you don't know these things already and yet you are breeding. PLEASE go spend every waking moment you have researching the needs of developing chicks.


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[EllenD]

Ok, first of all congratulations on the chicks. I have been breeding for 20 years and it's very rewarding and exciting. However, these are certainly questions you should have known long ago, before you let your bird's mate. There are many things that scare me that you've said, and I'm sure you'll want to listen and agree that what matters is what will be OK for your bird's.

First of all, if you've never hand fed baby chicks before then please don't start on a whim. I'll answer your questions because you're going to do what you want anyway, but even experienced breeders aspirate babies, and if that happens they die in a matter of seconds, and there is nothing you can do. If you handle your chicks daily but keep them in the nest box and let the parents feed them, they will become tame. But, you always need to be prepared to be able to hand feed because the parents could reject a chick, could start hurting a chick, etc. So you must be prepared, and you're not...And just asking you a serious question, ARE YOU READY TO PULL CHICKS AT 2-3 WEEKS AND THEN HAVE TO FEED THEM EVERY 2-3 HOURS, INCLUDING AT NIGHT? I highlighted that because you must feed chicks that are 2-3 weeks every 2-3 hours, including at night. At 4 weeks it's every 4-5 hours and they can go 6-8 hours over night. Do you work? If so you'll have to take the chicks with you and take a 30 minute or more break every 2-3 go to feed them. They will not grow or develop and will not get the nutrients they need to survive if you feed them any less. You need to also study feeding times based on age, as well as feeding amounts.

If you were going to hand feed you pull the chicks between 2 and 3 weeks. They need crop milk from mom for the first 2-3 weeks, this gives them necessary antibodies, and only if they are orphaned should you pull them before hand. Any older than 3 weeks and you'll have trouble getting them to eat from a syringe or pipette. You need to have (MUST HAVE) a high-quality baby bird formula, a candy thermometer, a hot plate or at the very least multiple containers to keep hot water in to keep the formula between 105-110 degrees. This is very important! If the formula is any warmer you will burn their crops and cause infection and pain, and any colder and you will cause crop stasis. You must learn to mix the formula properly depending on the age of the bird, and you must learn how to feed them properly, otherwise you can kill them instantly. I prefer using disposable pipettes, sometimes an eyedropper is even easier when they are very young. Go slowly, only give drops at a time, and follow the baby's head motion. Go in from the baby's left side of the beak (your right), go over the tongue and across to the baby's right side of the back of the throat (your left). That's the side where the crop entrance is, this helps to avoid the trachea and killing the baby due to aspiration. There are many websites with diagrams and detailed instructions about mixing food, temp, feeding techniques, etc. and I highly suggest you go study thoroughly. You should already know these things. As I already stated, it would be much better to allow the babies to live in the nest box and be fed by the parents because they know what they are doing. You can start to handle them at 2 weeks, and this will tame them up for you. This is definitely safest.

As for housing if you're going to pull them, NO PEE PEE PADS!!!! My heart stopped when I red that...THEY ARE TOXIC TO BIRDS! Any type of dog pee pee pad or baby diapers are extremely toxic to birds. Many birds have died from chewing on them, there is absorbent stuff inside that will kill them!!! YOU SHOULD HAVE A BROODER! No, what you are planning is not at all good enough... Actually not even close, the babies will easily freeze to death. You have to realize that the mother is usually sitting on top of them and this happens inside a very small nest box. They are toasty warm. When the mom goes out for food or water they huddle with their siblings closely inside the small nest box, and this is only for a few minutes. Keeping them inside a plastic tub with a heating pad under them is not good enough. They will not be warm enough. You need to go online and order a brooder, you can find a used one cheaply on eBay or Amazon.

Now here's the big issue. You know nothing about all of the problems that can and will arise, and you will not be able to help the babies. Do you know about crop yeast, crop stasis, and slow crop? Do you have probiotics and a digestive enzyme mix on hand? Do you have the proper prescription medicines that most breeders keep on hand at all times? No. So this is where you're going to have issues if you hand feed. If you let the parents feed the chicks these problems won't arise because the parents know what they're doing. Just handle them each daily and you'll have nice, tame chicks. You won't have to worry about them fledging or weaning.


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[EllenD]

I forgot to add something: I think it's wonderful that you want to learn to breed and raise baby birds. But there is a lot to learn and a lot to it, and I hope you don't find this out personally but baby birds die very easily if you aren't prepared and you don't study and learn the techniques necessary to duplicate the environment provided by the parents. The best way to learn proper breeding and hand-raising techniques is to mentor with an established breeder. I learned from my mom, who had been breeding for years, and she learned from my grandmother. Most people will do a kind of internship with an established breeder and will be taught how to properly hand feed, what equipment, supplements, tools, medications, etc. you need, how to treat illness and handle issues as they come up, etc.

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[Hrosenski]

Ok, first of all congratulations on the chicks. I have been breeding for 20 years and it's very rewarding and exciting. However, these are certainly questions you should have known long ago, before you let your bird's mate. There are many things that scare me that you've said, and I'm sure you'll want to listen and agree that what matters is what will be OK for your bird's.

First of all, if you've never hand fed baby chicks before then please don't start on a whim. I'll answer your questions because you're going to do what you want anyway, but even experienced breeders aspirate babies, and if that happens they die in a matter of seconds, and there is nothing you can do. If you handle your chicks daily but keep them in the nest box and let the parents feed them, they will become tame. But, you always need to be prepared to be able to hand feed because the parents could reject a chick, could start hurting a chick, etc. So you must be prepared, and you're not...And just asking you a serious question, ARE YOU READY TO PULL CHICKS AT 2-3 WEEKS AND THEN HAVE TO FEED THEM EVERY 2-3 HOURS, INCLUDING AT NIGHT? I highlighted that because you must feed chicks that are 2-3 weeks every 2-3 hours, including at night. At 4 weeks it's every 4-5 hours and they can go 6-8 hours over night. Do you work? If so you'll have to take the chicks with you and take a 30 minute or more break every 2-3 go to feed them. They will not grow or develop and will not get the nutrients they need to survive if you feed them any less. You need to also study feeding times based on age, as well as feeding amounts.

If you were going to hand feed you pull the chicks between 2 and 3 weeks. They need crop milk from mom for the first 2-3 weeks, this gives them necessary antibodies, and only if they are orphaned should you pull them before hand. Any older than 3 weeks and you'll have trouble getting them to eat from a syringe or pipette. You need to have (MUST HAVE) a high-quality baby bird formula, a candy thermometer, a hot plate or at the very least multiple containers to keep hot water in to keep the formula between 105-110 degrees. This is very important! If the formula is any warmer you will burn their crops and cause infection and pain, and any colder and you will cause crop stasis. You must learn to mix the formula properly depending on the age of the bird, and you must learn how to feed them properly, otherwise you can kill them instantly. I prefer using disposable pipettes, sometimes an eyedropper is even easier when they are very young. Go slowly, only give drops at a time, and follow the baby's head motion. Go in from the baby's left side of the beak (your right), go over the tongue and across to the baby's right side of the back of the throat (your left). That's the side where the crop entrance is, this helps to avoid the trachea and killing the baby due to aspiration. There are many websites with diagrams and detailed instructions about mixing food, temp, feeding techniques, etc. and I highly suggest you go study thoroughly. You should already know these things. As I already stated, it would be much better to allow the babies to live in the nest box and be fed by the parents because they know what they are doing. You can start to handle them at 2 weeks, and this will tame them up for you. This is definitely safest.

As for housing if you're going to pull them, NO PEE PEE PADS!!!! My heart stopped when I red that...THEY ARE TOXIC TO BIRDS! Any type of dog pee pee pad or baby diapers are extremely toxic to birds. Many birds have died from chewing on them, there is absorbent stuff inside that will kill them!!! YOU SHOULD HAVE A BROODER! No, what you are planning is not at all good enough... Actually not even close, the babies will easily freeze to death. You have to realize that the mother is usually sitting on top of them and this happens inside a very small nest box. They are toasty warm. When the mom goes out for food or water they huddle with their siblings closely inside the small nest box, and this is only for a few minutes. Keeping them inside a plastic tub with a heating pad under them is not good enough. They will not be warm enough. You need to go online and order a brooder, you can find a used one cheaply on eBay or Amazon.

Now here's the big issue. You know nothing about all of the problems that can and will arise, and you will not be able to help the babies. Do you know about crop yeast, crop stasis, and slow crop? Do you have probiotics and a digestive enzyme mix on hand? Do you have the proper prescription medicines that most breeders keep on hand at all times? No. So this is where you're going to have issues if you hand feed. If you let the parents feed the chicks these problems won't arise because the parents know what they're doing. Just handle them each daily and you'll have nice, tame chicks. You won't have to worry about them fledging or weaning.


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Thank you for all you said. We had an accidental breeding. Saw a broke egg on the bottom of the cage. We built a nesting box and had it up within the hour cause she was heavy still and I didn't want her to lose anymore. Within a couple hours she had her 2nd egg and had a clutch of 6. 1st hatched on the 13th and the 2nd on the 16th. The mom and dad are being great parents. I'll feed her some apple while she's in the nesting box but give them there space. I talk to them in a clicking noise and they talk back and then I open the door so I don't surprise them. They had a clutch last year but none hatched. I was shocked when we saw the baby. I'm reading everything I can. Just incase I ordered the formula, feeding droppers. Replacing her calcium and minerals so she stays healthy. I'm hoping mom and dad continue to care for them as I know that's the best. They are doing good. There's extra food water and fresh fruit and veggies multiple times a day in the cage. Dad comes out to eat more. The back half of the cage is covered. They seem to like it quiet and dark. To much disruption startles them easy. Here's the 1st baby and the 2nd.
Anymore advice?
I read alot last year when she had her 1st clutch and none made it and she laid more that didn't hatch. I figured it was cause they're 11 years now and I read they wouldn't breed on lay eggs this late but the did. I feel like a horrible bird mom cause I didn't know more when we noticed there was a baby this time. Reading more online book was ordered stat.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Thank you for all you said. We had an accidental breeding. Saw a broke egg on the bottom of the cage. We built a nesting box and had it up within the hour cause she was heavy still and I didn't want her to lose anymore. Within a couple hours she had her 2nd egg and had a clutch of 6. 1st hatched on the 13th and the 2nd on the 16th. The mom and dad are being great parents. I'll feed her some apple while she's in the nesting box but give them there space. I talk to them in a clicking noise and they talk back and then I open the door so I don't surprise them. They had a clutch last year but none hatched. I was shocked when we saw the baby. I'm reading everything I can. Just incase I ordered the formula, feeding droppers. Replacing her calcium and minerals so she stays healthy. I'm hoping mom and dad continue to care for them as I know that's the best. They are doing good. There's extra food water and fresh fruit and veggies multiple times a day in the cage. Dad comes out to eat more. The back half of the cage is covered. They seem to like it quiet and dark. To much disruption startles them easy. Here's the 1st baby and the 2nd.
Anymore advice?
I read alot last year when she had her 1st clutch and none made it and she laid more that didn't hatch. I figured it was cause they're 11 years now and I read they wouldn't breed on lay eggs this late but the did. I feel like a horrible bird mom cause I didn't know more when we noticed there was a baby this time. Reading more online book was ordered stat.

I see that this thread started six years ago. Is any of this thread based on today, April 16, 2023?

 

[Hrosenski]

I see that this thread started six years ago. Is any of this thread based on today, April 16, 2023?

Thank you for pointing out the year for me. Guess my post is the only current one.