The Process

I am a retired hobby breeder. I have years of experience and have perfected my process so that I produce only the healthiest and tamest of baby cockatiels.

My parents are fed a hugely varied all natural diet. It is as close to what they would eat in the wild as one can get. I never feed pellets and do not advocate them. Because of this, my birds and their offspring are big, healthy, and gorgeous.

Now for the process.

THE STAGES

There are five stages in my process. I feel that these stages are important to raise high quality babies that will be exceptionally tame as well as able to be a bird. I spend a lot of time with my babies so that they never lose their tameness.

The first stage is when they hatch out. For the first three weeks of their lives, they are kept with their parents. This is so they can receive all of the nutrients the parents give to them when being fed. This ensures that they will be strong and hardy enough to be hand fed with absolutely no issues.

Stage two is when I pull them for hand feeding. They are put into a brooder for warmth, if needed, and are taught how to accept formula. From this point on, they will only see me (no other birds) until about 6 weeks of age.

When they hit stage three, they are about 4 weeks old and will then transition to a medium sized cage. This cage has one low perch, and this is where they begin the weaning process. They are still being hand fed formula as well.

In this stage, weaning is the most important part of the feeding process. If not weaned onto as many types of foods as possible, they will have a very limited diet as an adult bird. The reason for this is in the wild, parent birds teach their offspring what to eat so that they never eat anything toxic. This is still hardwired into our pet birds.

I utilize the Abundance Weaning System. Basically, I feed them every type of food I possibly can so they learn to eat an abundance of foods. They always have food in their cage so that they can experiment with the many different food textures. It is actually fun for them.

I never force wean my babies. Force weaning is when you drop a feeding. This then forces the babies to eat less formula even if not ready. This is a very harmful practice, as it causes smaller babies, health issues down the road, and even psychological issues. I always let the babies drop their feedings. This way, I know they are getting closer to weaning on their own.

Stage five is the most fun of all. The babies are weaning/weaned and have been flying. They are in a big cage with platforms and perches, learning to climb and navigate the cage. At 7 weeks of age, they will be allowed to mingle with the flock. This is important as it teaches them to be social with other birds as well as teaching them bird etiquette.

During this stage, I handle them daily. They are so tame that they never really leave me. They love to fly and visit the flock but spend most of their time hanging out on me. When you get your baby, he or she will want to be with their people (you and your family) as much as possible.

Conclusion.

With Daisy Mae's, it isn't just about raising birds and selling them or how much profit can be made. Cockatiels are my passion. These are amazing and highly intelligent little beings that will steal your heart and be a wonderful companion for many years to come.