Ask Lafeber

Cocktail egg chirping

Our cocktail parents killed one of their hatchlings. So we took out the remainder two hatchlings and an egg. We hear the baby chirping from inside the egg. Should we help it hatch?

Hi Liza,

I’m sorry this has happened. Sometimes the parents will kill chicks either accidentally or deliberately. However, you really need to put the chicks and egg back immediately and hope the parents take them back, which they most likely will. The chicks at least have a chance with the parents. But with you trying to hand feed them, they will probably die. Sadly cockatiel chicks are very hard to keep alive at that age by hand feeding, and even the most experienced hand feeders have trouble keeping chicks that age alive. Most of the time they do OK for a day or a few days, and then they start dying. As for the egg, unless it is nearly hatched, you will kill it trying to help it. And without the parents keeping it at the right temperature, it will get cold and die before it can hatch. It can take a couple of days from when the first little hole appears. During that time, the chick is still dependent on the yolk sac, and if you assist the hatch too soon, it will bleed to death or not be ready to breathe yet.

As for what happened, sometimes the parents accidentally crush a chick, or don’t feed it properly. Sometimes they get too rough with the chick, or they don’t know what the chick is. But if you aren’t willing to let nature take its course, the parents won’t learn, and you shouldn’t breed them again. Breeding birds isn’t easy, and sometimes you will lose chicks. But that’s all part of it, and by taking these chicks and egg, it make it more likely to happen again because you aren’t letting the parents learn from their mistakes. If this is their first time, it is more common for the first clutch to fail. It is really sad when it happens at this stage, but this is again what you have to expect with breeding birds. If they deliberately killed it, it may be that they are too young to breed. If they are under 2 years old, they should not be allowed to breed yet. They aren’t mentally ready, and killing the chicks means they get to mate rather than have to care for the chicks. It’s very common with young pairs because they really just want to mate. If they felt there was danger around the cage, such as too much activity from people or pets, they may kill the chicks. They have to feel like they have a safe, private place to nest, and if they feel there is a threat, they may abandon or kill their chicks. Hopefully this helps you understand why they did this, and they might do just fine with the rest of the chicks. The chicks still have a much better chance of surviving with the parents than with you. Whether these chicks survive or not, once they have either left the box or if they don’t make it, remove the nest box and do not give it back to the parents for 6 months. You have to do this after every clutch, and they should only be allowed two clutches per year. Otherwise they get too worn out, and this can be another reason they would kill or fail to care for chicks. And if these birds are under 2, then don’t give them a nest box again until they are 2 years or older. Lastly, if you can’t deal with the sad side of breeding – and many people can’t – just don’t let them breed again. Again, I’m sorry this is happening but I do hope you will return the chicks and eggs and give the parents a chance, which will give the chicks a chance.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda