baby cocktails

my 2 femal eand male cocktails have been getting eggs all year except i guess all of them were emty but now the female bird (daisy) just got 4 eggs but only 2 hatched buty the 2 babys seem very weak and they cant even stand on their feet and they dont eat much.i think they are about 2 weeks to 3 weeks old so im not sure if thats normal behavior or not.
(every time we touch them they start making werid noises and seem scared of everything)

[ireneo]

I deal with wild birds but young birds by 2 - 3 weeks after hatching should be able to stand up and beg for food. It sounds like they may have MBD - metabolic bone disease. That happens when they don't have enough calcium in their diet. Have you been supplementing the parent's diet as well? They can only feed the chicks whatever they receive as well. And babies need more calories per gram of body weight than a healthy adult because they're growing. So if they're not eating well, that also will affect their development. This doesn't sound promising.

Have you read up on breeding cockatiels? Their nutritional needs, proper substrate and nesting materials? I was thinking that a poor nest would also cause leg problems (splayed legs).

I'm sorry but I'm not sure the babies are going to thrive. Try calling a vet that would be willing to examine them and give you some feedback on how to avoid this next time.

[devilangel09]

you should not let them breed all year round thats not good for them and can really weaken them. prevent them doing this pleaase. at 2-3 weeks they wont quite be standing yet and would still be very clumsy. they are not wild bird chicks the time with parents are different. and as for them not eating much you probably see them when there about ready for a feed. so its all fine nothing to worry about.

and about you touching them and them making horrible noisies thats normal and it is because there afraid of you your a giant remember that! if you handle them more often then they would get use to your hand.

trust me all is well they dont walk about till at least 5 weeks old.

ive bred cockatiels and even hand reared them also i breed budgies

[ireneo]

Interesting because the info I read about cockatiels is that they are fully feathered and beginning to forage by 4 weeks. So they go from not standing to foraging a bit in one week or so? Very different. I didn't mean that wild birds are walking around in 2 weeks but I've seen nestling jays push up and stand in the nest when begging for food. There is some strength in the legs.

The poster said their birds were 2-3 weeks old and not even on their feet yet. That sounds rather bad.

[deman406]

how do you sex  cocktail

[ireneo]

Since they don't have any obvious identifying marks like some birds, the most accurate way to find out is through a blood test. I imagine that costs quite a bit. If your bird is laying eggs, it's a girl. If it's not, well, that's not an accurate gender ID. They say males will sing a bit in the morning. Not sure how accurate that is either. I'd feel more confident if my bird was laying eggs or had the blood test.