Need info on caring for chicks

[Dirk_G]

Hi There I am new here and glad I found this forum.

I'll try keep it short. I rescued a male Indian ringneck from some kids trying to sell it at a traffic light. They had it wrapped in a blanket in the baking summer. I've had different birds in the past. So I took this bird in and got it a companion.

After 2 years now they've grown to like each other and are doing all the things mating birds would do. So I decided to get them a breeding box attached to their cage.

The famel has already taken up residence in the box and prepared the nest in the wood chips.

I have seen them mating and it is the season here.

So what I'd really appreciate is some info on how to look after the chicks if and when they hatch. I'd like to hand feed and tame 1-2 of the chicks. Should I just let the parents feed and bring up the chicks till about 6 weeks and then take aside and start hand feeding the ones I want to tame?

If anyone has some links or info on how to hand rear the chicks please share your info. I can get all the formula and equipment from a local bird shop.

One last thing. The female generally stays inside the box most of the time. But when she comes out to eat or be fed by the male i often notice that she is breathing heavily???

Thanks for any help provided

[Dirk_G]

Omg I'm a noobie. I just looked in the box today and theres one egg. That explains why she was panting and breathing heavily. I am worried cos she doesn't sit on the egg all the time. They mated and she laid the egg while the cage was in the tv room. Now i'm worried that the constant noise and comotion may cause her to abandon the eggs. Or possibly moving them to a unfamiliar quiet small room may not be a good idea?

How long will it take for her to lay the whole clutch and how often should each egg be laid? 1 per few days?

Please can someone put my mind at rest an offer some advice or some learning meterial. I've just got my male who had a huge phobia of ppl and hands, to eat from my hand. I really put a lot of time into them and want to give em the best care possible.

Thank You

[Donna]

Hi Dirk

You can expect an egg every other day unil she has four or five eggs. She will most likely start incubating them after the second or third egg is laid and then you will not see her come out much. As far as moving their cage to a more quiet room just leave it for now, they were comfortable enough to breed and start laying eggs so their fine where their at, just don't disturb them by checking the box to much. The eggs take 23 to 26 days to hatch and they will hatch the same way they were laid (every other day). I usually start hand feeding at about 4 weeks old but you must keep an eye on them especially if they are new to parenting and sometimes new parents either don't feed them well or start picking on them and hurting them.

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww57e.htm
http://www.cockatiel.org/articles/handfeeding.html

Donna

[Dirk_G]

Thanks for the info and links Donna. Unfortunately its been a few days and there is still only one egg. She is already sitting on that one egg most of the day.

I'll keep an eye on them but i still notice that the male tries to mate with her everytime she comes out the box.

Lets wait and see what happens.