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last night as i was checking on my tiel that has been laying eggs. she happened to get out of the box so i figured i would candle the eggs. i didnt think they would have anyting but yolk since my other female had layed and nothing came of her eggs and niether female had any males interested in them that i could see anyways...lol big surprise 4 out of the eight eggs have chicks in them and the first four should start hatching in 3 days! the other four have chicks also at least i see the spider looking area in the other four. and the dad is one of my tiels that i thought was a female one big question i have i hope someone can answer. i bought a house and we move in one week...how should i move the tiels with the eggs/babies that should be here by the move? my thought was keep both parents in the box take of the nesting box off and tape the hole shut and return the box asap to the cage when we get to the new house. would this be ok? any suggestions would greatly be appreciated. thankyou for reading my post

Hi Julie,

Congratulations on the to-be additions to your flock! I've never dealt with that kind of major upset while we had chicks, so I can't give you any direct thoughts, but I would probably suggest you keep the parents in the box for as long as you can, right up to the point of moving them into the new house. I don't think the move will affect the chicks so much as disrupt the parents' security and sense of well being. It will at best, be quite difficult during a move, but they should be OK once they realize they're not being tossed. Perhaps someone else has dealt with a move and move of birds and could give you some advice or pass along some tips..

Sam

I have a few questions about the babies...today one egg has started hatching is there anything i should watch for? i know to watch the parents for over preening and abusing the babies. i have read to use papertowels to line the box , but i have also read where people used pine shaving. any suggestions as to what works best? i know that the box needs cleaned once daily.and my hands should be clean before getting into the box. any other info you can give or websites you can point me too would be greatly appreciated. thank you in advance for reading my post

Congatulations! What do you plan on doing with eight chicks if they all grow good and healthy?

i have friends who are going to take them... but if all eight hatch and live then i will have to find homes for aboutr four of them i will post pictures of baby one in a little bit

here are the direct links to the pics of the first chick

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd23 ... ayone2.jpg

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd23 ... dayone.jpg

Nice bright yellow fuzz on that baby!! Congrats!!

I wouldn't put the parents in the box while you move, they may panic and step on the babies, but I would leave everything exactly the same and put them in the quietest room when you get to the new place and let them calm down. I hope they will continue sitting and feeding, but I would have everything set up to handfeed and all the supplies on hand just in case they don't.

thank you for the advice! i have everything on hand to hand feed if neccesary. its 7:30 am and i did my normal morning check to make sure all the tiels were ok and chick number two has arrived, another little yellow puff ball. if i can get a picture later i will post the link for everyone to see

Julie,

Don't use pine shavings, as most can contain a high level of sap even when dried, and the odor of it might be a little overwhelming for the chicks. I prefer using Aspen shavings, as it's very low odor, contains little to no sap, and is soft enough that you can rest assured the mom and pop birdies will be as comfortable as possible while incubating. An added benefit if shavings is once the poop starts to accumulate, you can scrape off the top inch or so along with the poo, and just replace it with fresh shavings. A large bag runs about $6.00 or so here in Augusta.

As for problems, the parents not feeding a chick would be the worst. Just watch during feeding to see that all the chicks are getting fed. The larger the chick and the louder it fusses, the more food it will get from the parents.

HTH

Sam

Are you going to keep any?

i am am not intending on keeping any babies but i know me and i probably will before its all over......lol

here is the latest link to the two babies

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd23 ... ksday2.jpg

Congratulations on your new additions! Keep those pictures coming!!!

Omg... Those babies look so cute! Congrats...! How are the parents treating them???

Petey and Ell are taking great care of their babies. they are very protective of them....the babies are opening their mouths for food. i will try and get another pic today of them when i change the bedding.

Julie, congrats!!!