breeding and raising chicks...

Question
QUESTION: We have 3 Parakeets (2 male, 1 female) in a very large cage.  About a month
and a half ago our female (Lessa) laid 3 eggs on the bottom of the cage.  We
left them alone for a few days to see if she was going to do anything with
them and when she didn't we removed them.  About a week later, she started
disappearing inside the nesting box.  We can't look into the nesting box
without moving the cage and we didn't want to disturb her too much so about
once a day we would place our camera to the opening and use the digital
display to make sure she was still okay.  After another week she had laid 6
more eggs and was spending all her time sitting on them.  Our green male
(Jade) started showing signs of taking food to her and grooming himself and
handing her his feathers.  Now 5 of the eggs have hatched and both male and
female are taking care of the chicks seemingly well.  The other male (Tika)
completely leaves the nesting box alone.  He went to look in a couple times
when this started, but Lessa and Jade would scream at him and chase him
away.  Jade and Tika still interact normally when Jade isn't in the nest and as I
said before Tika doesn't go near the box anymore.  How important is it that
we place Tika in a seperate cage?  It is a large cage and Tika has been
'disciplined' not to approach the baby box, so is he still a possible threat to
the chicks?  Also, how often or likely is it for all 6 eggs to hatch and remain
viable chicks?  I was only really counting on maybe half of them to hatch, but
am really excited at number 5's 'birth' last night.  I know this is long and
rambling, but this is what happens when you think you have something
covered and then you read other things that throw you off your stride...  
Thanks for your time!
ANSWER: Hi, Deahanna.  Thanks for posting!

I wouldn't be so worried about Tika bothering the chicks as I would of Lessa (or the male) hurting or killing Tika.  I would separate Tika because of this.  Having a "third wheel" in a cage with a breeding pair of keets is asking for trouble.  Also, you never know what Tika might do (to the chicks) if he were to somehow get into the nesting box.  If Tika gets into the nesting box and the female finds him in there, she will likely kill him (unless he can escape from her) and/or he might/probably would kill the babies.    

Regarding 6 eggs hatching, it depends on how healthy the adult birds are, whether the eggs are fertile or not, how the embryos have developed during incubation, how healthy they will be, etc., etc.  There are many things that affect hatchability/survivability.  Babies are born as clean slates and develop immunities as they grow older.  Also, the type of diet the adults are on, how well they've been cared for during their lifetimes, husbandry, etc., all play into the chicks' survivability.  When my birds lay 6 eggs to a clutch, I plan on all of them hatching!  If some don't, they don't, but you should always plan on the max hatching and no lessor.

Chrys

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

QUESTION: How long do the chicks need to be out of the nest before we can re-introduce
Tika to the main cage with everyone else?  The nesting box is looking kind of
nasty/dirty with 5 babies and Lessa living in there.  Can/should we remove
everyone from the box to clean it or should we just leave them be and wait until
the babies leave the nest?  Thanks.
ANSWER: Hi again, Deahanna.

I think I'd wait until the newest babies are weaned from the parents before putting Tika back in.  In fact, I'd separate all these babies into a different cage from the parents.

Yes, most definitely remove all birds from the nesting box and clean it out.  This is something that should be done on a regular basis as the babies are growing.

Chrys

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

QUESTION: Thank you so much for all the help.  Once again life shows us reading how to's
don't always fully prepare you to deal with the reality!  When you say separate
the babies from the parents, when are we supposed to do that?  I thought the
dad was supposed to take over their training when they leave the nest.  Can the
babies ever be reintroduced to the same cage or do they always have to live
separate?  

Answer
Hi again, Deahanna.

You would separate them when they are eating and drinking on their own.  Dad does perform the training...don't separate them until daddy teaches them what to eat and how to drink.  

The reason I recommend separating these birds is because you don't want daddy or mommy bird pairing up with any of their babies, and you don't want any of the siblings pairing up with each other.  Birds that are related to one another shouldn't be bred with each other.  This is the reason for separating them.

Chrys