[Ravendust]

I have a pair of cockatiels that have successfully laid and hatched their first clutch of eggs. The first baby was born on May 24th, the last baby was born on May 30th! There are 4 total (they laid 5 eggs and 1 was infertile). I'm new to raising cockatiel babies, but I got into looking at different mutations as I realized 1 of the chicks has red eyes. I'd love to know if anyone knows what the parent mutations might be from looking (I think mom is a white face, dad is a grey/pied split, maybe with a gene for lutino hence the red eyed baby) Rex is a real sweetheart, she loves her head scritches. Pikachu does not want touched, but he loves being talked to. They're both fantastic parents, though she didn't let him sit on the eggs too often. He does a LOT of feeding and care for the chicks. Nest box is getting cleanouts every other day which gives me a better chance of getting a good look at the growth for all babies. We've also got a camera in there to help keep an eye on things, make sure everyone is healthy and developing properly.

this was during the last nest box clean-up 3 days ago. Both parents came over to feed the chicks with us right there, weren't angry or defensive which was a relief- they're very protective when they're in the box, but it needed some serious tlc and drying time.

these are the babies today- 3 of them have the black eyes, the 4th has red. They're growing so fast! Right now they are not fans of being handled, I'm hoping to keep working with them to change that! <3

 

[tielfan]

The red-eyed baby is a lutino girl. Dad is split to lutino, and all your lutino chicks will be girls. A lutino mother is required to to get a lutino boy, and mom isn't lutino.

I don't see any whiteface babies. A whiteface baby has white down, and your chicks all have yellow down. If dad is split to whiteface it will be possible to get WF babies, but so far he hasn't shown that he has the split.

Both parents are at least split to pied, so pied chicks are possible. I can't see enough of the parents to tell whether they're split pied or visual pied.

It's too early to tell what color any of the babies are, except for the lutino girl. If you get any cinnamon or pearl chicks, it will mean that dad is split to that mutation and the baby is a girl. Cinnamon, pearl and lutino are sex-linked mutations, and they all follow the same inheritance rules.

 

[Robert Seale]

Welcome to the forum! Your story sounds SO similar to mine with our first clutch! We also had four chicks and one dud. That is a VERY nice looking set of parents you have there! That pied hen ( with the yellow crest ) looks JUST like our hen Woody that laid our 2nd and 3rd successful clutches. Since you have a chick that has red eyes, that's VERY interesting as that indicates a Lutino mutation must have been involved somewhere down the line as they are known for red eyes. By all means please post more pictures of your babies as they get older.

 

[Ravendust]

Thank you so much for your responses! I actually wanted to share videos with the chicks/parents but didn't have time earlier to get them uploaded to google drive so I could link it! My female is the all grey and white, the male has the yellow and red in him. I love learning more about cockatiels, I've been doing a LOT of research since they started mating and a lot of the info I got came from different sections of this forum. Figured it was time to register and join in! I'm sharing a link to a google drive folder for my cockatiels- there are a handful of pictures and 2 videos in the folder right now. I'm looking forward to the little ones getting their feathers!

Cockatiels - Google Drive

 

[Robert Seale]

Thanks for YOUR response! I will be sure and check out your link. As I'm sure your already aware, it sure won't take long to see those baby feathers! It's downright amazing how fast these birds can grow in 3 or 4 weeks!!!

 

[Ravendust]

It really is amazing how fast they grow! Seeing how much bigger they are day by day, opening their eyes and starting to stand up more rather than wobbling around. Checking in on them every day feels like Christmas morning as a child- a sense of magic and wonder, excitement at what I'm going to see.

 

[Ravendust]

Babies are curious, still somewhat wary but they warm up to attention quickly! They're up and waddling around, preening, stretching their wings <3

 

[Robert Seale]

That lutino female with the red eyes is really going to be special! That's the one mutation I've never had.......YET! LOL!

 

[tielfan]

It looks like you have at least one pied chick - the one with dark eyes and a tiny little yellow crest starting to come in. Pied chicks have yellow crests more often than not. Normal grey chicks have dark crests.

 

[Ravendust]

These babies grow so fast <3 look so different every time we bring them out!

Above is Tuesday, below is today!

 

[Robert Seale]

You have some REALLY cute babies there!

 

[Ravendust]

Above is yesterday, below is today. The two oldest are busy practicing their flaps and getting curious about the world outside of their box!

 

[Misstiel]

They are so adorable!!! 🥰

 

[Ravendust]

I have loved every moment of this journey with these guys <3 The oldest two are a week older than the other two. I'm so proud of Rex and Pikachu for how amazing they've done as first time parents. All babies are healthy and growing well. They're getting the love and attention they need from both parents who share feeding duties constantly.

The two oldest are practicing their flapping and checking out the entrance to the nest box. We like to joke that they've graduated from peepers to peekaboos. Mom and dad always go up to the box when babies are practicing their flaps, Rex loves pets and when she's getting attention she will go to where the babies can see her enjoying pets <3

 

[Ravendust]

Just sharing their most recent pictures <3 The youngest has a few yellow feathers in the crest and cheeks it looks like otherwise all grey and white

 

[Ravendust]

Everyone is filling out and doing well! The two oldest babies have the most white (the lutino and the baby tucked under the prominently gray one. They're starting to warm up to playtime and nestle in for sleep when they're tired <3 I talk to and pet them every day. I am introducing them to some baby foods (they LOVE peas, don't know what to think about the pears they tried a few days ago) 3 of them have begun exploring the cage though they're not much of climbers yet. I occasionally step in to rescue them from the cage floor while also trying to get them to pick up climbing. While I wouldn't mind waiting for them to figure out how to get back on their own I don't want them down where all the filth goes for too long. Everyone loves to practice their flapping too- though my conures like to screech extra loud when they do. Oldest 2 are almost 5 weeks, 3rd baby is 4 weeks and 5th is almost 4 weeks now. <3 Mom and dad are proud parents and always scurry over when the babies are practicing with their wings. They also climb up and down the bars when babies are on the bottom to show them what to do.

I'll probably never get dad to enjoy pets (he likes to hiss lightly and lunge menacingly though he's never actually bitten) He understands that I provide them with fresh food, water, and clean the nest box but doesn't care for physical attention, though he enjoys being talked to. Mom LOVES attention and pets. Anytime I'm near the cage/messing around inside to tidy up/refill food and water she's coming over for some love.

 

[Ravendust]

youngest chick born May 30th. Just started coming out of the nest box last night. Other than a little yellow in the crest/on the back of the head this one is all grey and white with red cheeks.

Born May 27th, looks the most like papa, thankfully not taking after his temperament too!

Born May 25th, love the duality on this one. Lots of white throughout. Loves attention.

Born May 25th. This sweet girl loves sleeping in the food dish up by the nest box.

These are all today! Lutino doesn't want to be confined to the box anymore when I'm cleaning the nestbox/giving them attention. She's all about climbing out and exploring now!

 

[Ravendust]

Babies are all fully weaned now <3 I made the decision to pull the nest box a few days ago. The youngest was the only one still spending a lot of time in there and demanding feedings frequently. Box came out and youngest became willing to eat on its own. They've grown so quickly!! Love these babies, they're so sweet and take after their momma personality-wise

 

[Luka the tiel]

View attachment 93708

Babies are all fully weaned now <3 I made the decision to pull the nest box a few days ago. The youngest was the only one still spending a lot of time in there and demanding feedings frequently. Box came out and youngest became willing to eat on its own. They've grown so quickly!! Love these babies, they're so sweet and take after their momma personality-wise

they are adorable! cant wait to witness this exprience next season as my baby will be old enough (he is over 5 months i guess)