Choosing your pair for breeding might be a daunting task. There are several purposes for this , one is to pair to obtain a certain type or breed, called selective breeding. You can obtain an "Albino" cockatiel (Technically a double mutation) by pairing a whiteface and a lutino. Many breeders believe (and with some scientific back-up) that letting the cockatiels "choose" their own mate produces stronger bonds and stronger chicks in effect, this is called natural pairing. These options are within your grasp but the basic requirements stay the same.
Age. Cockatiels are capable of breeding at 5-6 months of age but breeders are strongly against it. The parents are too young and most commonly irresponsible parents. They have little patience and readily abandon the clutch. Some suggests to breed Them at 18 months of age and there is no disputing that, but experience tells me that at just about 14 months of age, cockatiels are ready and capable parents. If you have all the time in the world, there is no reason not to stick to the 18 month rule.
Health Condition. breeding is a stressful, long term activity, you must prepare the pair for this. "Peak form" is the key. Provide eggfood, calcium in the form of eggshell and cuttle-bone, greens and the daily seed supply. Build up their health at least two months before breeding time. Cockatiels in captivity doesn't have a breeding season, you provide the triggers and they will respond.
Sexing your Male and Female: read this link Sexing your cockatiel
Showing posts with label breeding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breeding. Show all posts
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Cockatiel Breeding Step by Step (equipment)
A. The Breeding Cage.
The cockatiel is an eager breeder and is capable of breeding even in standard twin cages (17in. x 30in.). Now that is NOT recommended. Exercise and space for mobility is very important since a new batch is coming forth and they need space to fly about and test their wings. Bigger is better but a flight cage of 2ft. x 3ft. x 4ft. would be ideal. With this size, you can place the nest box higher giving the pair a safer ambiance, this may save you a lot of chicks that may fall victim to night frights.
B. The Nest Box.
The standard nest box is 1ft. x 1ft. x 1ft made of wood(preferably light and durable like "Palo Chino", used on crate boxes). The hole should have a diameter of 2.5-3 inches. The nestbox floor can be lined with nesting material usually hay, shaved wood or shredded paper to contain heat on the eggs and avoid rolling. The nest box size is large enough to accommodate both parents as they usually tend to the young simultaneously. It is also capable of holding 4-5 chicks. Once set-up it is best to leave the nest untouched unless emergencies(like mite infestation, chick death) call for major attention, thus it is a must to have a side door to peek on a daily basis.
c. Perches.
Provide enough perches near the nestbox hole as wandering chicks will jump out and need some branches to hold on to. Extra precaution must be made as common injuries occur on direct fall the first time they jump out of the hole, also provide some cushioning on the floor like hay directly beneath the nest box.
The cockatiel is an eager breeder and is capable of breeding even in standard twin cages (17in. x 30in.). Now that is NOT recommended. Exercise and space for mobility is very important since a new batch is coming forth and they need space to fly about and test their wings. Bigger is better but a flight cage of 2ft. x 3ft. x 4ft. would be ideal. With this size, you can place the nest box higher giving the pair a safer ambiance, this may save you a lot of chicks that may fall victim to night frights.
B. The Nest Box.
The standard nest box is 1ft. x 1ft. x 1ft made of wood(preferably light and durable like "Palo Chino", used on crate boxes). The hole should have a diameter of 2.5-3 inches. The nestbox floor can be lined with nesting material usually hay, shaved wood or shredded paper to contain heat on the eggs and avoid rolling. The nest box size is large enough to accommodate both parents as they usually tend to the young simultaneously. It is also capable of holding 4-5 chicks. Once set-up it is best to leave the nest untouched unless emergencies(like mite infestation, chick death) call for major attention, thus it is a must to have a side door to peek on a daily basis.
c. Perches.
Provide enough perches near the nestbox hole as wandering chicks will jump out and need some branches to hold on to. Extra precaution must be made as common injuries occur on direct fall the first time they jump out of the hole, also provide some cushioning on the floor like hay directly beneath the nest box.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Visually Sexing Your Cockatiel
Visually Sexing Your Cockatiel is possible to most mutations except two, the Whiteface Lutino aka "Albino" and the Pied. These two radically eliminates the color markings to identify the female (albino) or mixes up all the color pattern (Pied) to provide proper identification.
Visually sexing your cockatiel is reliable after the completion of the first molt, which takes about 6-8 months of age. Before the first molt all of them look like girls.
The cock will have a bright yellow face mask with prominent cheek patches (except the whiteface). The hen will have a yellow face but of little surface area with the body color(usually gray) interloping parts of it including the cheek patch making it look duller than the male.
Barrings remain underneath the tail of the hen while they are absent after the first molt of the male.
Like the barrings, female cockatiels retain their spots under their wing where they are shed off by the male during maturity.
These spots and barrings are present even in the lutino. A bright light source will be necessary to visually identify the yellow/white barrings.
The Pearl's scalloped design while slowly shed off by the male during its first year while it will remain prominent in the female.
Combine these visual tips with your cockatiel's behavior and you have a relatively high chance of identifying the sexual orientation of your cockatiel.
Visually sexing your cockatiel is reliable after the completion of the first molt, which takes about 6-8 months of age. Before the first molt all of them look like girls.
The cock will have a bright yellow face mask with prominent cheek patches (except the whiteface). The hen will have a yellow face but of little surface area with the body color(usually gray) interloping parts of it including the cheek patch making it look duller than the male.
Barrings remain underneath the tail of the hen while they are absent after the first molt of the male.
Like the barrings, female cockatiels retain their spots under their wing where they are shed off by the male during maturity.
These spots and barrings are present even in the lutino. A bright light source will be necessary to visually identify the yellow/white barrings.
The Pearl's scalloped design while slowly shed off by the male during its first year while it will remain prominent in the female.
Combine these visual tips with your cockatiel's behavior and you have a relatively high chance of identifying the sexual orientation of your cockatiel.
Egg Binding, A Breeder's Approach
Egg Binding is a serious problem attributed to the inability of a bird to lay or expel its egg/s from its body.
It is observed that smaller birds including cockatiels are more susceptible to egg binding.
The usual cause of such inability is an abnormality in the egg's structure. Either soft shelled or abnormally larger in size, the stuck egg may kill your bird within seconds.
Lovely, my first cockatiel to succumb to egg binding, was all playful and active minutes before egg binding struck and killed her immediately.
The following are major causes of egg binding:
Lack of Calcium. Eggs are made of calcium. Being depleted of this element will cause hens to produce soft shelled eggs that are hard to expel. This happens when there is little or no calcium source within their diet, and even if there is a source, too many clutches laid within a small period of time will be too much for any small bird.
Overbreeding. More than two clutches a year places your bird at a high risk to encounter egg binding. Calcium and nutrient intake will not be able to catch up with the fast depletion of these nutrients due to excessive egg production.
Lack of Essential vitamins. Producing and laying eggs are stressful activities and Calcium is but a small portion of what a hen needs. Lack of other vitamins will lead to abnormally shaped egg that the cloaca is not designed to handle.
Age. A young bird, in the case of a cockatiel, below a year old, have a higher risk of egg binding due to the underdeveloped reproductive systems.
Prevention.
Apparently, given the list of causes, a responsible breeder can take steps to minimize it. Cuttlebone is the best and most trusted calcium source as it is natural, it also supplies necessary amount of iodine and most importantly, your cockatiels are more than willing to take them. They should always be available even when not breeding. Two or three times a week, soluble vitamins can be added to their water source. It is said that adding drops of vegetable oil to their seed dish can lessen the risk dramatically. For the overzealous breeders, remove the nest box after the second clutch to discourage further breeding until the next season.
Cure
Unfortunately, your veterinary is the only possible cure for your bird. Operation may be necessary and you don't have the tools for it nor the knowledge. The bird may be injected with calcium for cloacal contraction helping to expel the egg. With all these possible solutions the risk of losing your bird is still very high.
Always remember that breeding and egg laying is always an emergency situation. Do your best to stop egg binding before it happens.
It is observed that smaller birds including cockatiels are more susceptible to egg binding.
The usual cause of such inability is an abnormality in the egg's structure. Either soft shelled or abnormally larger in size, the stuck egg may kill your bird within seconds.
Lovely, my first cockatiel to succumb to egg binding, was all playful and active minutes before egg binding struck and killed her immediately.
The following are major causes of egg binding:
Lack of Calcium. Eggs are made of calcium. Being depleted of this element will cause hens to produce soft shelled eggs that are hard to expel. This happens when there is little or no calcium source within their diet, and even if there is a source, too many clutches laid within a small period of time will be too much for any small bird.
Overbreeding. More than two clutches a year places your bird at a high risk to encounter egg binding. Calcium and nutrient intake will not be able to catch up with the fast depletion of these nutrients due to excessive egg production.
Lack of Essential vitamins. Producing and laying eggs are stressful activities and Calcium is but a small portion of what a hen needs. Lack of other vitamins will lead to abnormally shaped egg that the cloaca is not designed to handle.
Age. A young bird, in the case of a cockatiel, below a year old, have a higher risk of egg binding due to the underdeveloped reproductive systems.
Prevention.
Apparently, given the list of causes, a responsible breeder can take steps to minimize it. Cuttlebone is the best and most trusted calcium source as it is natural, it also supplies necessary amount of iodine and most importantly, your cockatiels are more than willing to take them. They should always be available even when not breeding. Two or three times a week, soluble vitamins can be added to their water source. It is said that adding drops of vegetable oil to their seed dish can lessen the risk dramatically. For the overzealous breeders, remove the nest box after the second clutch to discourage further breeding until the next season.
Cure
Unfortunately, your veterinary is the only possible cure for your bird. Operation may be necessary and you don't have the tools for it nor the knowledge. The bird may be injected with calcium for cloacal contraction helping to expel the egg. With all these possible solutions the risk of losing your bird is still very high.
Always remember that breeding and egg laying is always an emergency situation. Do your best to stop egg binding before it happens.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Handfeeding cockatiels
Things to remember
When to Pullout
If you have a choice, chicks should be pulled out at 2 weeks of age. During this period the chick should be stronger, its eyes open, it would be easier to feed, domesticate and its immune system more complete.
Pulling out a chick younger than 2 weeks old is possible though not recommended. Uno, our first handfed bird was pulled out from the nest when he was 2 days old, he is a sour crop survivor. During this period until the second week you have to feed it once every two hours constantly with a watery solution of your handfeed mix with a rubber tube and syringe.
Brooding materials and sterilization
Others use an enclosed small glass aquarium, bottom lined with wood shavings then covered with newspaper. What works best for me though is a fruit basket more like of a wicker nest. bottom covered with newspaper and another layer of crumpled paper. This makes it easier(and cheaper) for me to clean up. the crumpled paper had to be replaced when soiled before the next feeding time.
Temperature Control
The younger the chick's age the more important this is. Young chicks don't have enough feathers to regulate heat properly, they still depend on their parents for their heat source, especially in colder places. If purchasing a heater is easy in your location, lucky you. The most commonly used improvisation though is the use of a lamplight. The distance of the bulb from the brooders' floor can be adjusted to properly meet the desired temperature which should be as warm(not hot) as a humans' breadth.
Handfeeding formula/mix
There are lots of available hand feeding formulas in the market. In our locale though, it is not that easily available. And yes there are proven options if you have a similar situation as mine. Baby foods specifically those which are made of fruits, cereals and the like are possible and sometimes, specially at chicks a week old or younger, safer. I purchased a handfeeding formula that is really good except that it is still grainy (not powdery like baby's food which is finer) and I'm not sure if my formula is not watery enough, choked one of my 4 day old chicks to death. Since then I only use Cerelac (Fruits and soya) for week old or younger chicks. Upon reaching the first week though, it is better to use the more balanced specifically formulated handfeeding solutions. You can notice that they grow much faster and fatter.
Preparing chick for handfeeding
Handfeeding Schedule
Wing clipping
I will make a stand on this as others try to play safe in the middle others oppose it, but one can say that when one is handfeeding chicks, this is almost a necessity.
Sour Crop on Handfed Chicks
This is said to be typically common on cockatiel chicks. One of the common culprits is cold food. This induces the fungi Candida to grow which is one its main causes, it can also be caused by bacterial growth. It can also be due to impaction, solid foods blocking the passage, though it should be a rare cause for handfed chicks since they are fed plain handfeeding formulas. This is a RED ALERT, time is definitely against you, our first handfed chick Uno survived it.
Nymphicus Hollandicus
KINGDOM : ANIMALIA
PHYLUM : CHORDATA
CLASS : AVES
ORDER : PSITTACIFORMES
FAMILY : CACATUIDAE
SUBFAMILY: CALYPTORHYNCHINAE
GENUS : NYMPHICUS
SPECIES : NYMPHICUS HOLLANDICUS
Cockatiels are Parrots under the Cockatoo family, the smallest of these crested kind.
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