Frisco's FF

For the first time, Frisco dried his wings after a shower. Usually he just puffs himself up and sits on the perch, hoping to dry quickly. He loves to shower. I guess if your body covering is coated with white powder, it's quite annoying when you feel like some battered banana, waiting for the fying pan!

I got a picture of him, ever so comfortable, on his perch, with his left wing hanging loose. What amazes me about his wing, is that his flight feathers are a different colour - red and indigo/black. A real contrast from his green body.

I wonder if these feathers are his pride and joy, since they provide him the ability to actually fly. These are the very feathers we clip actually. They obviously grew out nicely after his first moult. It's such a shame to cut them short, so I would probably let him have them this time, unless of course, he decides to misbehave by flying around.

For starters, that's not safe for him - we have a ceiling fan in the living room, where Frisco spends a lot of his OUT time. In any case, it's always a surprise, when he decides to 'take flight' and do a nice landing. Thankfully, he's more a ground bird - he still prefers to potter around, pigeon-toed! Sometimes, I think I have a dog, not a bird. He walks hurriedly to me, when I call for him.

Anyways, if I were a bird, these feathers would be my pride......

MO

This is MO. I clipped his wings today, because he actually flew! This is Day 1, that they are all away from their parents. I'm not sure if MO is a he or she...not that it makes a difference -

He's a bit less skittish, if I could use that term for birds. Being the oldest of the 3, he's braver and somehow sturdy on the perch.

He's lost his baby fat, and is looking very much like a cockatiel. I'm teaching him how to STEP-UP and he's slowly getting it. As with all things, it takes time and lots of patience. Thankfully, it's the school holidays and my son has been very helpful with handling them.

They are growing up really fast - looking more like adult birds! Very soon, I'm sure they will all pop out of the nest box permanently. 2 of them look like their mom, except MO. The youngest is still straw-laden -

I really should prepare the cage for their 'leaving the nest'. I'm reluctant because it would be nice to have them live with their parents for now - but I think they work on instinct and will be able to hop, skip, fly with or without the guidance of their parents.

Mo and two I don't knows

Mo is looking really good - a bit calmer when picked up. Most times, they allow me to pet them, but when it's time to pick them up, they start to panic.

I know I should have started handfeeding them, but my schedule doesn't allow me to be diligent about their feed timings - Their parents seem to be doing a great job, so, i'm leaving it at that.

Mo is trying to peck at things, which is amazing. He's almost covered in feathers. The youngest still has straws - so it's true what they say - they probably hatch at different times/days.

Every day when I clean out their nest box, it's like unwrapping a present - I don't know what I will find.....they grow so fast - MO is at the bottom of the picture...now i need gender-unspecific names for the other two....

I have given a male cat, a female name - so, nothing this ridiculous is beyond me!

Almost There

The feathers are almost all out. In fact, MO has the most. His wings are streaked white. He's going to be the regular grey cockatiel. He's my favourite, because he's the least skittish. They are able to hop off my hand now. Waddling.
MO is at the top right of the picture.
My colleague tells me that I should put in a millet spray for them to start pecking on. I'm so glad they are growing up right, because their parents are first-timers.

Nest box pains

As they grow, the space in the nest box shrinks! It's only logical, yet, I wonder why I never provided them a much larger one.

Some of their wing feathers have sprouted out of the 'straw' - It's quite clear that the oldest is a dark grey, the middle - more cinnamon - as for the youngest, it has more yellow.

I will have to begin handfeeding them as a supplement very very soon - it's nerve-wrecking.

Wierd Cute

The chicks are still peeping. As this is the first clutch for me, I'm really concerned and have spent time reading online tips daily. Perhaps for an outwardly optimistic person, I'm a pessimist when it comes to an event almost entirely out of my control. I would love to hand feed them, but I work all day. And the last thing I want to do, is to blotch up the feeding and loose them because I'm negligent

I took this picture when I took them out when cleaning the nest box. They are learning to grip with their feet, a bit clumsy still, but silly sweet....

Clutch-2

I figured these 3 young ones are at least 7 days old. I didn't bother to look into the nest box earlier because I'm paranoid - and I do not wish to be upset and having to bury any one of them.
I was shocked to find that they had some tiny feathers and 'straws ends' jutting out of their mid-wing section. I am glad though because it means they have been alive for more than a day or so - giving me hope that they will survive.
Out of the three, one is considerably smaller, perhaps the runty one - from my experience, I need to watch that one, to make sure he's being fed by his parents. If not, I would have to make the painful decision to pull him out from the nest box earlier than the rest and hand-feed him.
In any case, this is the first picture of the 3.
My love for having cats, dogs, birds, fish, whatever around me is never because it's fashionable or my need for company. I just find them so amazing in that they respond to us, our state of mind and they are so tolerant of our moods.