The Most Difficult Problems That Cocktail Breeders May Face

How can we ensure the safety of a cockatiel bird when purchasing:

1 – Do not rush when you are dazzled by the beauty of the bird and buy it in the hope that it will recover, because the cockatiel is one of the birds that deteriorates most quickly from diseases.
2 – Observe the bird’s movement, whether it is active or inactive, with little movement, because a healthy bird moves and plays a lot.
3 – The bird’s feathers must be observed, if they are organized and clean. A healthy cockatiel always cleans its feathers, but a sick cockatiel does not.
4 – Observe the bird’s breathing. The cockatiel’s breathing is calm and orderly, but the sick person’s is not.
5- Observe the eyes of a healthy bird. Its eyes are shiny, while the eyes of a sick bird are half closed.
6 – Observe the bird’s anus so that it is clean for healthy ages and dirty for sick ones.
7 – Buy from a place you trust and do not buy from the market because the fraud rate there is approximately 90% unless you are a professional.
8 – Buy in the morning to observe the movement of the birds so that they are not asleep.
9 – Observe the bird’s legs and make sure that each foot has 4 toes.
10 – Finally, observe the bird’s excreta, whether it is healthy or liquid, as the liquid indicates that the bird is sick.
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After purchase, the cage is prepared as follows:

1 – He placed a plate with fillers and a plate with special Syrian pulp for birds without salt.
2- Place a large waterer suitable for cockatiels.
3 – Place sepia bones to supply the birds with calcium, because if you do not place them, the birds may eat the eggs due to calcium deficiency.
4 – Do not set up a swing for large birds because if the bird is preparing eggs and swings, it is possible that the eggs inside it will spoil due to excessive movement.
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After putting the birds in the cage, you have an option:

1/ That the birds be small So train them 2/ To make the birds big for the purpose of production

The first is for the birds to be small, so you train them.
You buy a chick and feed it manually using a syringe or spoon with Cerelac, baby food, yogurt, and eggs with crackers. Thus, the intimate relationship between you and the bird begins, and it gets used to you, and you can teach it some movements and words by repeating them often. Imamah is on the condition that there is no one in the room except you and your bird, but after feeding the bird you must make sure that its stomach is full and the bird continues to eat soft food for a period between 5 and 6 weeks after that it starts eating grains and it has become accustomed to you and you can teach it whatever you want. The
second is for the birds to be large for the purpose of production.
Thus, the birds only need the presence of a nest and quiet, and not to forget the sepia bones and the eggs with breadcrumbs once a week, and after the eggs hatch and the presence of chicks, the eggs are served with breadcrumbs twice a week, and watercress is offered twice a month to stimulate the male. No more, because too many vegetables cause diarrhea in the cockatiel. After the male breaks the female and the female lays the eggs, the female incubates the eggs, and the male may help her. The eggs are detected after 5 days, so she lays the egg. As for a strong searchlight, if you see veins, the egg has a bird inside it, and if not You see, it is not fertilized, and if it turns black, there is a dead bird inside it.

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There are some problems that beginners may face In cockatiel breeding.

1 – The pair should not get along and beat each other. The solution, after making sure that they are male and female, is to humiliate the male in a cage next to the other cage for 8 days, and after that, bring him back together, then it is good. If they quarrel, then humiliate him again for 12 days, then bring him back, and if they get along, it is good. No, their age is not suitable for each other.
2 – The female does not lay on the eggs.. The solution is not to inspect the eggs frequently until 5 days after laying the eggs, because there are females that incubate the eggs for some time and lay them entirely. If it is not fertilized, she will not incubate it, and if it is fertilized, make sure that there are no insects in the nest and provide for them. Calm and safe, and you will have broods, God willing..
3 – Plucking the feathers. The husband plucks the feathers of the chicks in the fifth week.. The solution is to take the chicks out of the cage and feed them manually with a syringe or spoon, and the birds do this intentionally to remove the chicks from the nest to lay eggs and prepare New nest..
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How do I show that my birds are on me? About to bleach?

When each of us decides to buy birds, he hopes that these birds will lay eggs and produce his own birds, and here are now some of the signs that indicate that laying is approaching, God willing:

1 – After the male and female mate, we suspend the egg. The male will explore it, and after that he will enter and chirp, and the female will enter.
2 – After that, you may see the male breaking the end, or you may not see him.
3 – You will notice the drooping of the nest’s wings and the emergence of the back area. After that, the nest will lay eggs, God willing.
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How do you know the age of a cockatiel bird and whether it is a male or a female?

How to determine the age of a bird

The cockatiel is not like a budgie or like many types of parrots. Its age can be determined simply by looking… but there are signs that must be

You know it in order to know whether this bird is an adult or not… For example, in
an adult male, you find that he is able to tweet and his voice is very distinctive, and this is the first sign of puberty… The female finds that the pelvic bones expand when she reaches puberty, and this can be felt by hand if you are a professional (this The method is difficult because the female must have ovulated before to determine the age and sex. However, if you cannot notice this, you should look at the bird’s feet. The older the bird, the more scales are present on the feet. Its age can also be determined from the crown on the head. If it is large and has a crooked top, it becomes an adult, and if the crown is small, it becomes an immature bird, and its age can be determined from the tail. A small bird has a small tail equivalent to the size of its body or less. As for a large bird, its tail is equivalent to one and a half times the size of the bird… Also note the length of the bird, as an adult bird is It is longer than a small bird (the length of an adult bird is about 15 inches or approximately 30 cm). The most important thing that distinguishes a cockatiel is that as it gets older, red dots begin to spread on the cheeks… until almost the entire face becomes red. I do not advise you to buy a bird like this. This age (because it is a very old bird)
* Puberty:
Puberty in cockatiels is from 9 to 12 months, that is, almost a full year, and the cockatiel chick becomes ready to breed
* The appropriate age for training:
If you want a really trained cockatiel, you must start with it while it is a young chick. From 3 to 4 weeks (that is, before it gets used to feeding itself and dispensing with its parents), but I do not advise you to do this if you are not trained to do this (that is, you can actually care for the bird), and the younger the bird is, the easier it is to train, that is, The larger it is, the more difficult the training.

How to determine the sex of a bird

It is difficult to determine the sex of a cockatiel bird based on what you have read. The cockatiel requires experience because sometimes some of the characteristics of the male are mixed with the female and vice versa. However, the male is distinguished from the female by tweeting in a beautiful voice, while the female is not at all as beautiful in her voice as the male and the orange spot that The male has a bright facial crown, while the tail is dull, and the male’s tail ends with one feather. The male’s tail ends with two feathers, and the male has a tail of one color, while the tail has a striped tail and an area above the anus as well. These are some of the signs that beginners can notice. In birds, but it can fool beginners..

The molt stage in cockatiels:

molt occurs for the first time at approximately 7 months of age and lasts from two weeks to a month, and sometimes to a month
and a half, depending on the help you can provide to the bird at this stage.
During the molting stage, the bird sheds its old feathers and replaces them with new feathers. At this stage, it is
heavy in movement, and its appearance suggests that it is sick. It also sleeps a lot, is more irritable to disturbance, and is
sexually inactive. Mating may also occur at this stage, but either the eggs will be infertile, or
the chicks will be small, weak, and indistinguishable. It is important to know that this stage requires
great effort and energy from the bird and depletes a large reserve of its body.

There is another type of molt that can affect the bird, and it is called emergency or sudden
molt. This is due to reasons including changing the bird’s diet suddenly without gradual change, or changing
its location, or changing the weather suddenly. In this type, the bird does not change all of its feathers, but rather in areas
Certain only.

There is also a serious disease affecting the bird that should be noted, called French molt,
and its symptoms are similar to normal molt. We will talk in detail about French molt and its symptoms in another topic.
Itching may affect the bird due to the presence of some types of insects, such as flies, due to lack of hygiene. As for feather loss,
its causes are similar to sudden molting, in addition to excessive humidity in the air and a lack of diversity
in the bird’s diet.

Is your bird going through the molting stage, or is it molting its feathers from certain areas, or is itchy?

These steps are very effective in accelerating the end of the molt and stopping the feathering or the end of the itching:
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If the bird is in In the molting stage, the pair must first be separated from each other, and it is also possible to suffice with removing the nests.

It is very necessary that you expose your bird to natural sunlight at this stage, not directly, but rather that the room be well lit with natural sunlight.

The diet you provide to your bird during this period must be
different to help the bird. You must reduce the amount of seeds and rely more on diversifying meals with
calcium and natural vitamins, including vegetables and fruits, such as cucumbers, which contain a lot of minerals.
It is possible to use vitamins added to water, in addition, of course, to Proteins such as egg meal
with breadcrumbs, and also sprouted wheat are very useful at this stage, while completely staying away from pistachios or
peanuts in particular, which are not recommended at any stage for the bird. However, if you previously fed it
this type, it must be stopped immediately at this stage.

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It is recommended to give your bird distilled water at this stage. If this is not possible, you must make sure to change the water daily and clean the drinkers well and daily.

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Be careful not to expose the bird during this period to weather fluctuations, and make sure that the temperature is suitable for it.

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Beware of materials that emit odors, such as perfumes, air fresheners, cigarette smoke, etc.

Cleanliness in the cage and nest is also very, very important in this case

The stage is to ensure that there are no insects of any kind within the nest or cage, and to use
known cleaning methods.
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Aloe vera extract or aloe vera juice is a very effective treatment
in accelerating the moulting process and quickly completing this stage for budgies. It also stops Removing the feathers helps
stop the itching:
Of course, when we talk about aloe vera, this does not mean any type, but rather a specific type called
ALOE VERA. It is a home aloe that is used for decoration and is widely available
in ornamental tree stores.

How to get aloe vera juice:

The easiest way to get aloe vera juice is to bring a soft piece of aloe vera full of juice.
We cut the aloe leaf with scissors.

We carefully peel the aloe vera leaves (you will notice the transparent substance inside the leaf that resembles gelatin).
We place the transparent substance in the electric onion slicer.

We then filter the juice

We put the aloe vera extract or pure juice that we extracted in the refrigerator until used

When we want to use aloe vera extract, we put a few drops in the water spray used
with the iron and then spray the bird with it daily.
We will see that the bird has quickly finished the stage of moulting, feathering, or even itching, God willing.

How do you know if your birds are sick?
How do you know if your birds are sick??

There are some indicators that can be observed to determine whether the bird is infected with a disease or not, by observing the bird’s behavior, the way it stands, breathes, and sleeps. Below are some of those indicators whose appearance indicates that the bird is infected with diseases and illnesses.

What do you do if you find your bird sick or dead??

If you notice one of these symptoms mentioned above in your bird, you must immediately take the bird out of its cage and put it in another cage so that the infection does not spread to the rest of the birds, then clean the cage from the blue.

If you find some dead birds in the cage, the cage must be completely sterilized with disinfectants, and the cage must be dried well from the water so that the disinfectants do not affect the other remaining birds. Then take the sick bird to the veterinarian and describe the symptoms of the disease well so that he can diagnose the disease well.

However, if you cannot take your bird to the veterinarian or his condition does not require it, it is sufficient to isolate it in a warm and quiet place and place an electric lamp near it to make it feel as warm as possible, which is an effective treatment for many diseases. A piece of cloth can also be draped over the cage to increase the heating. Food must be placed on the base of the cage so as not to stress the bird up and down

Cockatiel bird diseases and their treatment:

Perhaps this topic is one of the most important topics, especially for beginners who do not know what is the appropriate medicine for the bird’s condition. Here are some diseases and their treatment, God willing:

Firstly, as a fixed rule, if you notice signs of the disease on any bird, it must be isolated from the rest of the group immediately so that the disease does not spread to the rest of the group.
As for diseases, they are as follows:

First: Wounds and injuries.

In this case, you must wash these wounds with a piece of cotton and a (diluted) antiseptic solution daily until you notice that these wounds begin to disappear and are complete. You must find out the cause and get rid of it. For example, if Something sharp in the cage or a quarrel between the birds, so they must be separated from each other.

Eye diseases:

These are infections that occur to the eye as a result of exposure to air currents and the absence of a good place to sleep away from the air. The affected bird scratches its eye with anything in the cage or on its leg. Treatment: We wipe the bird’s eye with a very diluted disinfectant solution and apply cream. Or ointment according to the veterinarian’s advice (in these cases I use Thromycin ointment once every 12 hours)

Diarrhea:

It is a change in the nature of bird droppings, which are in a widespread form and the diarrhea is (white, green, brown, or black, with a foul odor)
and is Treating diarrhea in all its cases using the medicine (Meficol)… How to use: The bird is thirsty for 5 hours in the summer and 7 hours in the winter, then the contents of the capsule are emptied into a large water trough. The small water trough is not useful because the medicine will be very concentrated in it, which will lead to the bird’s life. Empty the contents. Stir very well and repeat for 3 days, then two days of rest, then another day of the medicine. In this case, very good heating must be provided because it contributes to the bulk of the treatment. Treatment of diarrhea must begin as soon as you notice it, because it can kill the bird in 3 days. If you neglect it.

Constipation:

It is the observation that the bird is trying to perform the excretion process with difficulty.
Treatment is to buy a box of tetracycline capsules and empty its contents into the large watering can for 3 days after being thirsty for 5 hours in the summer and 7 hours in the winter. After that, the bird rests for two days and then is given treatment for another two days. Heating is also the major part of the treatment.

Mites:

Mites are very, very small insects that multiply horribly and reach millions in number in a few hours. They are fatal to birds and are in the form of black dots on the eggs and bodies of birds. Despite all of this, it is very easy to Eliminate it.. How to get rid of the infection: Buy a bottle of Actomethrin from the pharmacy, put 2 caps of the medicine on a medium water sprayer, and spray the nest well and the birds with it, and be careful not to spray the birds’ faces. After that, leave the birds and then come back again after half an hour. You will find that the infestation has completely ended, and this solution can be used to spray the infestation for prevention.
These diseases are the common diseases reported by most breeders, but there is a condition that occurs to some birds, which consists of the bird being lethargic, closing a sample and not opening it except when disturbed, standing on one foot, fluffing a feather, and not noticing any of the previous diseases, and it is treated. This case is using tetracycline using the same method that we previously explained to you in cases of constipation…

Prices of bird supplies:

Regular food plate: 2 EGP.. Double plate: 3 EGP.. Watering can from 2 to 5 depending on size.. Sepia toaster 2 EGP, Sepia bone plate 1, 5.. Flares 8 EGP per kilogram.. Syrian pulp 7 EGP per kilogram.. Balkum + Al-Daniba 5 EGP per kilogram.
Mineral salts in cubes 5 EGP per box, 2 cubes and liquid and placed in water, which is the best for 13 EGP. 3 different bottles mixed together in the water.

Very important tips:

1 – Birds should be fed vegetables, but only two or three times a month because they cause diarrhea.
2 – Eggs should be served with breadcrumbs once a week, and when there are chicks, twice a week, no later than two hours, because after that they spoil.
3 – The provision of prey should be reduced when the chick is laying on eggs, because it will cause the chick to gain weight, which will hinder the egg-laying process after that.
4 – The eggs should not be uncovered frequently or the cage should be moved so that the end does not abandon the eggs. Once a week for a period not exceeding two minutes is sufficient.
5 – It is preferable to place cockatiels in a place where the sun enters, but not directly on the birds, because if a cockatiel lives in a closed place, it will find that it stops singing, and after that it becomes depressed and gets sick with black, foul-smelling diarrhea. 6 – The water must be changed daily and
some Lemon drops are used in the winter to prevent diseases.
7- You must not forget to place the sepia bones so that the birds do not eat the eggs due to calcium deficiency.
8 – If you notice that birds are trying to eat their droppings, this is due to a lack of mineral salts, so you must provide them with them.