Ask Lafeber

Cockateal

Will a male continue feeding if the female dies

Hi Margo,

It can go either way. It depends on the male and how devoted he is. Sometimes when one parent dies, the other abandons the chicks, and other times he or she will continue to raise them. However, it is very hard for one bird, so when this happens I do encourage the owner to pull the chicks for handfeeding between 2-3 weeks if they are comfortable with hand feeding.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda