i have Cockatiel Chick 10 days old, parents of the chick are taking good care of it. it is the only alive chick of the clutch of 6 eggs. it was the first clutch of the pair.
my concern is that the chick is 10 days old, still its eyes are not completely open, no signs of new feathers. it is growing too slowly. i’m really very worried if it is alright .
Hi Sapna,
It sounds like your little one is doing well. At 10 days, he won’t have feathers or fully open eyes. He should still have a lot of fuzz, and if he is a grey or darker color, you may start seeing a dark area on the ends of his wings and a little spot on his head. It’s harder to notice this if he is going to be a light color such as lutino. From this point, you will start seeing more obvious development each day. You might want to search for images or videos online for other chicks his age. The growth rate will vary depending on a lot of things such as if the parents are feeding or if it is being hand reared. Nutrition can also make a difference. Breeding birds need a nutritionally balanced diet like pellets or our foraging diets. A loose seed mix is not enough nutrition. You should also offer dark leafy greens, chopped veggies, chopped fruit, multi grain bread and cooked eggs with the eggshell crushed and cooked in the eggs. Always wash the egg shell thoroughly before you use the eggs or the shells and always cook the shells. If your parent birds are not getting enough nutrition, the chick will not thrive but will probably still survive. You can’t change the diet now, but you can add to it. You will be surprised at how much food the parents need while feeding a chick and how they are more likely to eat the above foods even if they aren’t used to them. They instinctively know they need the nutrition and will usually eat what you give them. You also need to give them food throughout the day – they will eat a lot more than usual even with only one chick to feed.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
