This is where the fun begins!

[HowdyDoDee]

Baby budgie hatching today!!!

Let’s hope this little one is strong and momma bird has got her feeding and warming technique down this time. May baby budgie survive to see the joys of healthy bird life and feathered flight!

Have a lovely weekend!
Laura

 

[HowdyDoDee]

Couple hours later… (sorry video shaky. Little guy’s so tiny and I don’t want to disturb anything in the nest box.)
So amazing to see!

 

[wrench13]

The miracle of life! Thank you for sharing.

 

[Terry57]

This is so amazing to see, thank you so much for sharing it with us!
Little One, I can't wait to watch your different stages to adulthood

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Couple hours later… (sorry video shaky. Little guy’s so tiny and I don’t want to disturb anything in the nest box.)
So amazing to see!
View attachment 47510

Awww!
What happened with baby no. 2? If you lost him we all understand that new Mama budgies sometimes take a while to get the hang of it. Stay positive and we will all pray for your little littles!

 

[HowdyDoDee]

Awww!
What happened with baby no. 2? If you lost him we all understand that new Mama budgies sometimes take a while to get the hang of it. Stay positive and we will all pray for your little littles!

Thank you!
Yes, baby #2 died overnight after day 4. This time I’m going to supplement feed- or so I hope & plan- from early on. There is still one more viable egg in this clutch, and I’m hoping these two are hatched close together and will both survive. Twila and I, we’re learning together.

The nest box is consistently 75 degrees. I’ve added more nesting material- aspen shavings, and created a depression in the floor of the box with a little creativity. Twila took to that without any complaints.

Amazing to see baby hatch throughout the day today! I wonder if the others were out of their shells too quickly. They hatched in the morning, and I didn’t hear chirping before their hatching like I have with this little one. With the first, I had peeked inside the box in the morning, and within an hour he was totally out of his shell. I’m hoping this is a good sign with this one- fully absorbing that yolk sac.

I’ll start my supplemental (hopefully!) feeding with kaytee exact, then mix it with Harrison’s juvenile hand feeding formula if/when this little one is old enough for me to do so. Mix the formula with pedialyte for the first two days. The pharmacy gave me an insulin syringe, I’ll use it as a dropper to give tiny amounts, following baby bird’s rhythm.

My fear is that if/when I start formula feeding, momma will lose interest in feeding. However, when baby 2 died and I finally got a good look at him, it looked as if his crop was mostly full of air. He hadn’t gained weight as expected, although that’s hard to know for sure as I didn’t get a weight on him until after he’d passed.

All of this… maybe it’s a gift to these little birds that they don’t open their eyes for 10 days. Too much for them to see in addition to all that’s happening with their little beings. Just surviving is enough in their totally vulnerable state.

Please- if any of my plans do not sound wise- please correct me and advise! I very much appreciate shared wisdom. Thank you!

Laura

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Thank you!
Yes, baby #2 died overnight after day 4. This time I’m going to supplement feed- or so I hope & plan- from early on. There is still one more viable egg in this clutch, and I’m hoping these two are hatched close together and will both survive. Twila and I, we’re learning together.

The nest box is consistently 75 degrees. I’ve added more nesting material- aspen shavings, and created a depression in the floor of the box with a little creativity. Twila took to that without any complaints.

Amazing to see baby hatch throughout the day today! I wonder if the others were out of their shells too quickly. They hatched in the morning, and I didn’t hear chirping before their hatching like I have with this little one. With the first, I had peeked inside the box in the morning, and within an hour he was totally out of his shell. I’m hoping this is a good sign with this one- fully absorbing that yolk sac.

I’ll start my supplemental (hopefully!) feeding with kaytee exact, then mix it with Harrison’s juvenile hand feeding formula if/when this little one is old enough for me to do so. Mix the formula with pedialyte for the first two days. The pharmacy gave me an insulin syringe, I’ll use it as a dropper to give tiny amounts, following baby bird’s rhythm.

My fear is that if/when I start formula feeding, momma will lose interest in feeding. However, when baby 2 died and I finally got a good look at him, it looked as if his crop was mostly full of air. He hadn’t gained weight as expected, although that’s hard to know for sure as I didn’t get a weight on him until after he’d passed.

All of this… maybe it’s a gift to these little birds that they don’t open their eyes for 10 days. Too much for them to see in addition to all that’s happening with their little beings. Just surviving is enough in their totally vulnerable state.

Please- if any of my plans do not sound wise- please correct me and advise! I very much appreciate shared wisdom. Thank you!

Laura
View attachment 47517

I'm very happy to hear that you are going to hand feed this little little. I wouldn't wait too long to start handfeeding him. You want to make sure he has a strong appetite and feeding response when you feed for the first time so he takes the formula eagerly. If you wait until he is weak from not eating enough he may refuse to feed. I started feeding Rocky about six hours after he hatched and he fed very well from the very first feeding. Before you start, remember that Baby can't see you so he is not scared so don't be scared yourself. You can do this if you follow these instructions. This is not that difficult. Baby budgie is hungry and wants food! He doesn't care if its you or Twila feeding him! Don't worry about whether Twila will feed him if you do. Twila obviously needs help and Baby needs food. If Twila doesn't feed him well after you feed him just keep on feeding him and let her feed him too let her keep him warm. He needs lots of food to grow big and strong and YOU are just as capable of feeding him as she is, probably moreso since shes been struggling. The food you are going to feed him is better for him than Twila's crop milk and crop food because baby bird formula contains everything Baby needs. Twila's crop food is only as good as what she eats. And you have an unlimited supply- Twila doesn't. Always wash and rinse the Baby's feeding equipment thoroughly between feedings. Critical things to remember:
1. Keep Baby warm while feeding him. If you have a small space heater go into a tiny room (closet or bathroom) and warm the room before you take him out of the nest to feed him. If you don't have a space heater, turn the bathroom shower on hot for about 10 minutes (shut the bathroom door) to fill the room with hot steam first.
2. Mix a fresh tiny batch of formula the consistency of runny applesauce at first for each feeding and throw away any uneaten food. Do NOT save for the next meal. As Baby grows you should make the formula thicker.
3. Using a digital thermometer make sure the formula is 102 to 107 degrees. Its okay to use a microwave IF you MIX IT THOROUGHLY before measuring the temp and feeding Baby. Hot spots in the formula will burn Baby's crop and kill him.
4. Use a small clean spoon, not a syringe. Let Baby take as much formula as he wants from the spoon at each meal. He will stop eating when his crop is full.
5. Technique: Hold Baby in the palm of your hand and hold his head between your thumb and forefinger cupping his body in your palm. Fill the spoon with formula and tap the side of his beak gently with the edge of the spoon. Tilt the spoon toward his mouth and let him dip his beak into the formula. He will open his beak and eat until he's full, pausing to swallow. Don't feed him laying on his back. He might choke that way and you'll spill the formula all over him.
6. Using a warm baby wipe, wipe all formula off his beak, face, neck and body after each feeding. Dried formula is hard to get off. Also wipe his bottom before each feeding (and after if he poops while feeding) so poop doesn't dry on his vent area. If it does, moisten the baby wipe with warm water and gently wash his bum until all poop is gone. Put Baby back in his nestbox with Twila right away after feeding and making sure he's clean.
7. Feed Baby every two hours the first week unless Twila is CLEARLY feeding him well. That means Baby must eat round the clock for the first two weeks at least.
Even if Twila is feeding Baby, continue to feed him every few hours unless he is so full he refuses to eat. His crop should be very full after each feeding. If you ever see that his crop is deflated (empty) FEED HIM immediately. Baby budgies eat A LOT! And they poop a lot- a well fed baby budgie will squirt out big wet poops (often bigger than adult budgies) frequently. That's a good sign.
The difference between what you are going to do (feeding Baby while keeping him with Mama) and what I did with Rocky is that I had to take care of Rocky round the clock myself because his mama couldn't. Twila may just need your help every few hours or she may reject her mama duties. If she does, you can take over all feedings. My concern is keeping Baby warm if Twila fails to. I have a small incubator that kept Rocky warm 24/7 until about three weeks old when he had enough down, feathers and body mass to keep himself warm. Using light bulbs and/or a heating pad to keep a naked baby budgie warm is very risky and Baby can easily get too hot and die or suffer painful burns on his delicate skin.
If I knew where you lived I would let you borrow my incubator but I don't even know if you live in the US.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I'm very happy to hear that you are going to hand feed this little little. I wouldn't wait too long to start handfeeding him. You want to make sure he has a strong appetite and feeding response when you feed for the first time so he takes the formula eagerly. If you wait until he is weak from not eating enough he may refuse to feed. I started feeding Rocky about six hours after he hatched and he fed very well from the very first feeding. Before you start, remember that Baby can't see you so he is not scared so don't be scared yourself. You can do this if you follow these instructions. This is not that difficult. Baby budgie is hungry and wants food! He doesn't care if its you or Twila feeding him! Don't worry about whether Twila will feed him if you do. Twila obviously needs help and Baby needs food. If Twila doesn't feed him well after you feed him just keep on feeding him and let her feed him too let her keep him warm. He needs lots of food to grow big and strong and YOU are just as capable of feeding him as she is, probably moreso since shes been struggling. The food you are going to feed him is better for him than Twila's crop milk and crop food because baby bird formula contains everything Baby needs. Twila's crop food is only as good as what she eats. And you have an unlimited supply- Twila doesn't. Always wash and rinse the Baby's feeding equipment thoroughly between feedings. Critical things to remember:
1. Keep Baby warm while feeding him. If you have a small space heater go into a tiny room (closet or bathroom) and warm the room before you take him out of the nest to feed him. If you don't have a space heater, turn the bathroom shower on hot for about 10 minutes (shut the bathroom door) to fill the room with hot steam first.
2. Mix a fresh tiny batch of formula the consistency of runny applesauce at first for each feeding and throw away any uneaten food. Do NOT save for the next meal. As Baby grows you should make the formula thicker.
3. Using a digital thermometer make sure the formula is 102 to 107 degrees. Its okay to use a microwave IF you MIX IT THOROUGHLY before measuring the temp and feeding Baby. Hot spots in the formula will burn Baby's crop and kill him.
4. Use a small clean spoon, not a syringe. Let Baby take as much formula as he wants from the spoon at each meal. He will stop eating when his crop is full.
5. Technique: Hold Baby in the palm of your hand and hold his head between your thumb and forefinger cupping his body in your palm. Fill the spoon with formula and tap the side of his beak gently with the edge of the spoon. Tilt the spoon toward his mouth and let him dip his beak into the formula. He will open his beak and eat until he's full, pausing to swallow. Don't feed him laying on his back. He might choke that way and you'll spill the formula all over him.
6. Using a warm baby wipe, wipe all formula off his beak, face, neck and body after each feeding. Dried formula is hard to get off. Also wipe his bottom before each feeding (and after if he poops while feeding) so poop doesn't dry on his vent area. If it does, moisten the baby wipe with warm water and gently wash his bum until all poop is gone. Put Baby back in his nestbox with Twila right away after feeding and making sure he's clean.
7. Feed Baby every two hours the first week unless Twila is CLEARLY feeding him well. That means Baby must eat round the clock for the first two weeks at least.
Even if Twila is feeding Baby, continue to feed him every few hours unless he is so full he refuses to eat. His crop should be very full after each feeding. If you ever see that his crop is deflated (empty) FEED HIM immediately. Baby budgies eat A LOT! And they poop a lot- a well fed baby budgie will squirt out big wet poops (often bigger than adult budgies) frequently. That's a good sign.
The difference between what you are going to do (feeding Baby while keeping him with Mama) and what I did with Rocky is that I had to take care of Rocky round the clock myself because his mama couldn't. Twila may just need your help every few hours or she may reject her mama duties. If she does, you can take over all feedings. My concern is keeping Baby warm if Twila fails to. I have a small incubator that kept Rocky warm 24/7 until about three weeks old when he had enough down, feathers and body mass to keep himself warm. Using light bulbs and/or a heating pad to keep a naked baby budgie warm is very risky and Baby can easily get too hot and die or suffer painful burns on his delicate skin.
If I knew where you lived I would let you borrow my incubator but I don't even know if you live in the US.

I see you live in Minnesota. I will overnight my incubator to you if the Moderators somehow allow us to exchange information. Even if you can get one healthy chick out of this experience it will be well worth it to me. Also- its ALWAYS a good sign when a chick is so strong it hatches quickly.

 

[Terry57]

I see you live in Minnesota. I will overnight my incubator to you if the Moderators somehow allow us to exchange information. Even if you can get one healthy chick out of this experience it will be well worth it to me. Also- its ALWAYS a good sign when a chick is so strong it hatches quickly.

You can feel free to PM each other if you both feel comfortable, but the Mods can't be involved in exchanging any personal info..

 

[DonnaBudgie]

You can feel free to PM each other if you both feel comfortable, but the Mods can't be involved in exchanging any personal info..

What is "PM"?

 

[Terry57]

What is "PM"?

a PM is a private message To send a PM, go to the profile page of who you'd like to PM and click "Start Conversation". If you receive a PM, it will show up as a number where the envelope icon is next to your user name in the black bar at the top of the page.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

a PM is a private message To send a PM, go to the profile page of who you'd like to PM and click "Start Conversation". If you receive a PM, it will show up as a number where the envelope icon is next to your user name in the black bar at the top of the page.

I see you live in Minnesota. I will overnight my incubator to you if the Moderators somehow allow us to exchange information. Even if you can get one healthy chick out of this experience it will be well worth it to me. Also- its ALWAYS a good sign when a chick is so strong it hatches quickly.

I just checked on Amazon and you can buy an egg incubator to use as a brooder to keep a couple of baby budgies warm for as little as $30.

 

[HowdyDoDee]

THANK YOU!!!
Baby bird had a full crop at dawn, when I peeked at him, he looked like a little alien dinosaur ready for a lawn chair and sunscreen. (See video! )

Around 8:15 am,
baby bird had his first hand feeding and it went well! He was chirping and Twila had left the nest, so I went ahead and helped her. You can see his little mouth moving after his meal, but he no longer accepted feeding when he was through. The formula separates some as thin as it is, so it is mostly water with a little bit of formula (pedialyte actually).

I warmed the room and my hands, and we sat by the heater. I wrapped him in a baby washcloth with only his little head and neck exposed, holding him between my thumb and forefinger. Then I tapped his little beak spot to signal it was time for feeding, and used a small syringe to deliver the food. He bobs his head and opens his mouth, as I have a tiny drop of feeding ready for him at the end of the syringe.

He’s still attached to his shell. I’ll let that fall off naturally- yes? This little little is photogenic! For a baby alien dinosaur.

Please pray this one survives! I’m very grateful that I’m working as a school bus driver, and have time between shifts to help care for this little one.

Haven’t gotten a weight yet, as I am keeping time out of the nest box to a minimum. This is good reading about hand feeding.

Hand-Feeding Baby Birds | VCA Animal Hospitals

Curious about hand-feeding baby birds? There are several considerations to make when hand feeding. Visit vcahospitals.com for expert advice.

vcahospitals.com

In addition, I very much appreciate your advice!!! Thank you so very much!!!

Laura

 

[HowdyDoDee]

I see you live in Minnesota. I will overnight my incubator to you if the Moderators somehow allow us to exchange information. Even if you can get one healthy chick out of this experience it will be well worth it to me. Also- its ALWAYS a good sign when a chick is so strong it hatches quickly.

Thank you!!!!

I did buy an incubator. I have an infrared warming mat underneath the nest box, it does not have hot spots as it uses infrared heat. It’s very gentle heat, and it is not direct heat on the little creatures. It’s designed for sprouting seeds. I keep a thermometer inside the nest box- an aquarium thermometer. The veterinarian office said to keep the nest box in the low to mid-70’s.

The incubator maintains a temperature that is warmer than that- 100 degrees. It’s still in the box, I don’t expect to need to use it. I am truly hoping to keep baby with momma if at all possible. However we’ve had several eggs that are dead in shell, despite Twila sitting on her clutch most of the time. Maybe the babies were not healthy, or something else went wrong during development inside the shell. There remains only one egg now that is viable. It looks ready to hatch at any moment.

Twila laid eggs closer to three days apart, rather than 2. She’s 3 1/2 years old. Could her age play a role in this whole situation? Maybe so. But we’re going with it, this time around, and not again. (Please not again! I will do everything in my power to keep this from happening again! It was a surprise, especially considering the winter season, short days, and the fact that this had never happened before.)

I am very grateful for your generous offer of help! Thank you so much! Very kind of you.

Blessings!
Laura

 

[DonnaBudgie]

THANK YOU!!!
Baby bird had a full crop at dawn, when I peeked at him, he looked like a little alien dinosaur ready for a lawn chair and sunscreen. (See video! )

Around 8:15 am,
baby bird had his first hand feeding and it went well! He was chirping and Twila had left the nest, so I went ahead and helped her. You can see his little mouth moving after his meal, but he no longer accepted feeding when he was through. The formula separates some as thin as it is, so it is mostly water with a little bit of formula (pedialyte actually).

I warmed the room and my hands, and we sat by the heater. I wrapped him in a baby washcloth with only his little head and neck exposed, holding him between my thumb and forefinger. Then I tapped his little beak spot to signal it was time for feeding, and used a small syringe to deliver the food. He bobs his head and opens his mouth, as I have a tiny drop of feeding ready for him at the end of the syringe.

He’s still attached to his shell. I’ll let that fall off naturally- yes? This little little is photogenic! For a baby alien dinosaur.

Please pray this one survives! I’m very grateful that I’m working as a school bus driver, and have time between shifts to help care for this little one.

Haven’t gotten a weight yet, as I am keeping time out of the nest box to a minimum. This is good reading about hand feeding.

Hand-Feeding Baby Birds | VCA Animal Hospitals

Curious about hand-feeding baby birds? There are several considerations to make when hand feeding. Visit vcahospitals.com for expert advice.

vcahospitals.com

In addition, I very much appreciate your advice!!! Thank you so very much!!!

Laura

You can use a pair of tweezers to pick off the rest if his shell. You should probably moisten the inside of the shell and Baby with a spray bottler or mister of warm water first and let it sit for a while (try 10 minutes first because the shell is probably stuck to him. Mama generally does this for him. Don't worry about it being too soon to remove the shell. If he wasn't ready to hatch he wouldn't have. The formula does separate. Make it thicker and mix it thoroughly before feeding him. He needs solids not just liquid but liquid is very important especially the first couple of days. Watch to see whether he's pooping (smudges of watery poop in his bedding).

 

[HowdyDoDee]

You can use a pair of tweezers to pick off the rest if his shell. You should probably moisten the inside of the shell and Baby with a spray bottler or mister of warm water first and let it sit for a while (try 10 minutes first because the shell is probably stuck to him. Mama generally does this for him. Don't worry about it being too soon to remove the shell. If he wasn't ready to hatch he wouldn't have. The formula does separate. Make it thicker and mix it thoroughly before feeding him. He needs solids not just liquid but liquid is very important especially the first couple of days. Watch to see whether he's pooping (smudges of watery poop in his bedding).

Thanks. I’m going to watch the shell and umbilical region over the next 24 hours before intervening. I am concerned I may injure his delicate skin with removal of the shell, and he’d be in pain, and at risk for infection.

Beyond that timeframe- or maybe this evening- I suppose I’ll use a dropper with warm water to remove the shell without directly contacting his abdomen where it is adhered to him. For now, his little bottom sits in it like he’s in one of those circular sleds, and he seems to be doing fine. Momma bird may eat the shell, correct? She’s been going for the mineral block, and I suppose the shell has just the right amount of minerals to restore her nutrition. The shells seemed to disappear with the previous two, and I assumed she ate them.

He’s been sleeping since his first formula feeding, and I’m just waiting now for a little chirp to know he’s ready for some more nutrition. It’s been two hours since he finished his first formula feeding. I suppose formula is slower to move through his system than what momma provides for him from her crop. She’s with him now, and has been since he finished his feeding. If he chirps and she feeds him right away, I think I’ll leave it at that for the next couple of hours unless she leaves the nest box and his crop is empty.

I suppose Twila never learned from her elder birds how to be a momma bird since she’s been in captivity as a pet bird since her juvenile days. Does that seem reasonable? And/or do momma birds sometimes have to learn by their own personal experience too? Anyway, we can’t go back and undo what happened with baby 1&2 in hope of a better outcome, but we’re giving baby 3 the best shot we can at a full and happy bird life. I trust my intuition more now than ever, hopefully that’s a good thing!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Thank you!!!!

I did buy an incubator. I have an infrared warming mat underneath the nest box, it does not have hot spots as it uses infrared heat. It’s very gentle heat, and it is not direct heat on the little creatures. It’s designed for sprouting seeds. I keep a thermometer inside the nest box- an aquarium thermometer. The veterinarian office said to keep the nest box in the low to mid-70’s.

The incubator maintains a temperature that is warmer than that- 100 degrees. It’s still in the box, I don’t expect to need to use it. I am truly hoping to keep baby with momma if at all possible. However we’ve had several eggs that are dead in shell, despite Twila sitting on her clutch most of the time. Maybe the babies were not healthy, or something else went wrong during development inside the shell. There remains only one egg now that is viable. It looks ready to hatch at any moment.

Twila laid eggs closer to three days apart, rather than 2. She’s 3 1/2 years old. Could her age play a role in this whole situation? Maybe so. But we’re going with it, this time around, and not again. (Please not again! I will do everything in my power to keep this from happening again! It was a surprise, especially considering the winter season, short days, and the fact that this had never happened before.)

I am very grateful for your generous offer of help! Thank you so much! Very kind of you.

Blessings!
Laura

Some eggs fail to develop. Rocky's two egg siblings died in the shell and inadequate incubation wasn't the cause. I'm so thrilled that you got an incubator! I'll sleep better .

Thanks. I’m going to watch the shell and umbilical region over the next 24 hours before intervening. I am concerned I may injure his delicate skin with removal of the shell, and he’d be in pain, and at risk for infection.

Beyond that timeframe- or maybe this evening- I suppose I’ll use a dropper with warm water to remove the shell without directly contacting his abdomen where it is adhered to him. For now, his little bottom sits in it like he’s in one of those circular sleds, and he seems to be doing fine. Momma bird may eat the shell, correct? She’s been going for the mineral block, and I suppose the shell has just the right amount of minerals to restore her nutrition. The shells seemed to disappear with the previous two, and I assumed she ate them.

He’s been sleeping since his first formula feeding, and I’m just waiting now for a little chirp to know he’s ready for some more nutrition. It’s been two hours since he finished his first formula feeding. I suppose formula is slower to move through his system than what momma provides for him from her crop. She’s with him now, and has been since he finished his feeding. If he chirps and she feeds him right away, I think I’ll leave it at that for the next couple of hours unless she leaves the nest box and his crop is empty.

I suppose Twila never learned from her elder birds how to be a momma bird since she’s been in captivity as a pet bird since her juvenile years. Does that seem reasonable? And/or do momma birds sometimes have to learn by their own personal experience too? Anyway, we can’t go back and undo for baby 1&2 what we’re doing for baby 3 in hopes of a better outcome, but we’re giving baby 3 the best shot we can at a full and happy bird life. I trust my intuition more now than ever before, hopefully that’s a good thing!

Mama isn't taught anything about being a Mama. Its all instinct. Rocky's mama, a pedigreed, show quality English Budgie, was hand raised and she successfully raised five broods of babies herself before she was five years old. She can't be bred anymore because she has bad osteoporosis and just fractured her femur (upper leg bone) three months ago from a short (two foot high) fall. When she lays eggs her pelvic bones separate and don't bounce back together as they should, causing temporary leg paralysis. Some mama birds just do it better than others. Twila is not too old to breed but after four years old she should probably be retired.
Anyway, please try to help Baby out of his shell. He can't poop properly and keep his vent clean if he's stuck in his shell. The key is to moisten the area between him and his shell so it can be removed without hurting him.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Thanks. I’m going to watch the shell and umbilical region over the next 24 hours before intervening. I am concerned I may injure his delicate skin with removal of the shell, and he’d be in pain, and at risk for infection.

Beyond that timeframe- or maybe this evening- I suppose I’ll use a dropper with warm water to remove the shell without directly contacting his abdomen where it is adhered to him. For now, his little bottom sits in it like he’s in one of those circular sleds, and he seems to be doing fine. Momma bird may eat the shell, correct? She’s been going for the mineral block, and I suppose the shell has just the right amount of minerals to restore her nutrition. The shells seemed to disappear with the previous two, and I assumed she ate them.

He’s been sleeping since his first formula feeding, and I’m just waiting now for a little chirp to know he’s ready for some more nutrition. It’s been two hours since he finished his first formula feeding. I suppose formula is slower to move through his system than what momma provides for him from her crop. She’s with him now, and has been since he finished his feeding. If he chirps and she feeds him right away, I think I’ll leave it at that for the next couple of hours unless she leaves the nest box and his crop is empty.

I suppose Twila never learned from her elder birds how to be a momma bird since she’s been in captivity as a pet bird since her juvenile days. Does that seem reasonable? And/or do momma birds sometimes have to learn by their own personal experience too? Anyway, we can’t go back and undo what happened with baby 1&2 in hope of a better outcome, but we’re giving baby 3 the best shot we can at a full and happy bird life. I trust my intuition more now than ever, hopefully that’s a good thing!

I attribute my success in raising my baby Rocky to studying as much as I could from reliable sources that made sense. I had never done anything like this before and was scared I would mess it up but Rocky, thank God, thrived! It isn't that hard if you do everything I did.
There's a guy I follow online who's a real budgie expert and he was primary information source. His name is Alen AxP and he has posted countless utube videos of everything to know about budgies including breeding them and hand feeding them.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I attribute my success in raising my baby Rocky to studying as much as I could from reliable sources that made sense. I had never done anything like this before and was scared I would mess it up but Rocky, thank God, thrived! It isn't that hard if you do everything I did.
There's a guy I follow online who's a real budgie expert and he was primary information source. His name is Alen AxP and he has posted countless utube videos of everything to know about budgies including breeding them and hand feeding them.

Make sure Baby's crop looks like there is formula (yellowish brown stuff) in it after he feeds not just air or Pedialyte. Pedialyte sounds like a great idea for first two days but formula has all required nutrients and using Pedialyte could be doubling up. Plain water would be better after day two. Its what all the manufacturers recommend. I always follow their instructions.

 

[HowdyDoDee]

Some eggs fail to develop. Rocky's two egg siblings died in the shell and inadequate incubation wasn't the cause. I'm so thrilled that you got an incubator! I'll sleep better .

Mama isn't taught anything about being a Mama. Its all instinct. Rocky's mama, a pedigreed, show quality English Budgie, was hand raised and she successfully raised five broods of babies herself before she was five years old. She can't be bred anymore because she has bad osteoporosis and just fractured her femur (upper leg bone) three months ago from a short (two foot high) fall. When she lays eggs her pelvic bones separate and don't bounce back together as they should, causing temporary leg paralysis. Some mama birds just do it better than others. Twila is not too old to breed but after four years old she should probably be retired.
Anyway, please try to help Baby out of his shell. He can't poop properly and keep his vent clean if he's stuck in his shell. The key is to moisten the area between him and his shell so it can be removed without hurting him.

Yes, I’ll do that. I just fed him and he’s still got a small amount stuck to his rear end. I’ll bring him in the bathroom with the shower running for that, so he doesn’t catch a chill.

Took a lot of feeding this time. Then fell asleep immediately. Was afraid that he aspirated and croaked, but whew! Just sleeping. Scary. My goodness this is intense!

He opens his mouth wide for feeding now. Having him wrapped in a baby washcloth is good for wiping the dribbles as I get the rhythm down. The formula cools down so quickly during feeding. It’s not easy to be sure he’s not being offered a bubble at the tip of the syringe, even though I’ve cleared the syringe of air.

Momma joined him in the nest right away after I fed him, and didn’t complain while I fed him. Just a few calling chirps from her at that time, as she exited the nest box when I took him out. Baby’s few chirps during feeding sounded strong.

This is a lot of work, and stress. What miracles these little creatures are that survive!