Cockatiel chick

Question
QUESTION: We have a large avairy at work with lots of different birds, which I'm guessing shouldn't be mixed but seem to get on fine. I have no experience with birds or chicks, but I do my best and take care of them well. About a month ago we had 2 cockatiel chicks hatch, I left them alone as the parents seemed to be doing a good job, until
I noticed that one chick had been killed by another bird, I then made it my mission to try and protect the other one. Recently over the past couple of days as the chicks got older and stronger it to has been attacked, sustaining head injuries. But it still seems ok, it's got it's feathers and is warm. Other than remove any potential threat which could be a number of birds, I've removed the chick and the parent, which after online research believe to be the father, as this bird has looked after the chick since it hatched. I couldn't be sure of the other parent as they all look the same. I've not touched the chick with my bare hands and made a new nest (with it's old bedding) is this chick old
enough to
leave it's parents? Is it old enough to eat seeds? Or will it need hand feeding if I separate it?  Have I done the right thing? I've read that the father can kill the chick? Eek! Much help and advice needed please.

Emma

ANSWER: I'm guessing that the aviary is full of only Cockatiels? Cockatiels can be breed in multi cockatiel aviaries, but there are some breeders who think it a bad idea. Mainly because of the point you brought up, it is hard to tell what bird is hurting the chicks.

Whenever chicks are being hurt in an aviary it is best to remove them from any and all cockatiels in the cage, and be hand-fed/hand raised. Unless you are positive that the parent you remove with the chicks is not the one harming the babes. Also it can be very hard for a single bird parent to meet all of the chicks needs. Raising babies takes a lot of energy for birds, just like it does for people.

I don't know if your ckick is ready to be weaned or not as you didn't tell me it's age. If you tell me how many weeks old it is I can help you better care for it.

Blessings,
-m

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The avairy isn't just full of cockatiels no, we have canarys, budgies, lovebirds, parakeets etc etc. I'd say that the chick is about 5 weeks. It's a good size, has most of it's feathers but is still patchy in places. Apart from it's injuries seems fine and is interested in me bless. What should I do next? Although I removed one of it's parents, I'm unsure about the whole thing. I haven't got a problem feeding it myself but I'm not always on site all day and work between the hours 9am-5pm. If I knew that it was old enough to feed itself I would move it out of the avairy in to a cage In our small animal shed.

Emma

Answer
First of all NEVER breed in an multi species aviary. I know these birds are at your work and this is not your choice, but parakeets in particular tend to bully cockatiels and attack the young. I know it sounds funny that a little keet will beat up on a cockatiel that is triple it's size but that is just the way it is! At 5 weeks it is not ready to feed itself. It won't be weaned until it is 6-8 weeks old; usually closer to six. Would work let you take it home to care for? It will need to be hand fed every 4 hours until it weans, you can start leaving regular food and water out at about 6 weeks and then watch it to see when it starts eating more and more seed, and begs to be hand fed less and less.

If the parent is feeding it (you have seen it feed it) then you won't have to hand feed, just keep it separated from the other birds, as long as keeps growing then the parent is able to keep it fed, if it weighs less and less then you will have to take over!

hope this helps,

Blessigns,
-m