Conure Baby Photo Diary

My conure parents, Nancy and Willis (named by Bella of course!), laid 8 eggs this season! Only 7 hatched, and to help the pair with feeding, I decided to pull 3 of the oldest babies. The babies began hatching on April 7, and I pulled them for hand feeding a week later. Right now, they are around 2 weeks old.

Here is a short video of the babies in the nest box. They have just hatched, or are hatching. My daughter, Bella, is wondering what is wrong with their eyes - they aren't open yet ;)



"Oh, look at their little blue eyes! What's wrong with their eyes?" Bella is a riot!

April 18, 2013

This is the youngest baby. He or she is around 12 days old here. The ears are beginning to develop more. When babies are around 10 days old, the eyes begin to open. He or she looks like a pink-eyed baby. Maybe a pineapple or a cinnamon!


Here he is again. His crop is still a touch full, so I'll wait a bit for the next feeding. Right now, this baby weighs in at a heavy 42 grams!


Baby number 2 is another pink-eyed baby, and he's around 12 days old here. It's easier to see the developed ear now. This baby weighs 46 grams.


Here is a great example of the egg tooth. This little horn is what helps babies break out of their shell. The egg tooth should wear down when the babies are between 3 and 4 weeks old.


The baby on the top, right is baby number 3. He is the oldest - around 14 days old. He looks like a visual normal green cheek. Baby number 3 is a chubby 52 grams, and he loves to eat!


"Step ball chain, and SLIDE!" This baby is all over the place!


He started really climbing today. He decided there was no better place to be, but in my hand.


So, he climbed right up - and went to sleep! The huge journey lasted all of 5 seconds. Baby conures look very vulnerable at this age, but they are very strong and really fast. All part of God's great plan ;)


And, although the babies are strong, they are still babies. After a big climb, a full belly and a conga line, they are ready for bed again.



April 22, 2013

The babies are between 16 and 18 days old and weigh between 50 and 58 grams. They are starting to get more down feathers now. Soon I will be able to see their colors.


Here is baby number 1, around 16 days old.


And here is baby number 2, also around 16 days old.

The oldest, baby number 3, is 18 days old. He is getting more baby fuzz, and he is staying awake longer. Not for this photo session, though!

April 26, 2013
Our conure babies are between 20 and 22 days old today! Each baby's egg tooth has worn down and they are getting fluffier. This is my favorite stage in parrot development. When babies reach 3 weeks of age, they are ready to play and cuddle more :)



Here's baby #1. I love watching the babies begin to feather out. Baby #1 might be a pineapple, but it's still a bit early to tell.


Baby #2 is starting to look like a pineapple, too! Here we can see the tail feathers emerging. Some say that pineapple babies have a halo around the red in their tail feathers. However, Nancy (the conure mommy) is a cinnamon, and does have a halo, too. When the pin feathers under their wings pop more, their true colors will be more apparent.


Baby #3 is a normal green cheek conure. Even at birth, his feet and beak were very dark. His baby fuzz is quite dark, also. As the babies grow, I introduce them to different toys...the teddy bear was a big hit with the babies - #3 thinks the bear could do without a nose, though :)


Baby #1, being the youngest, is happy to annoy his/her siblings. Right now, I think Baby #2 is just happy to be fed and warm. Baby #3 is still with his teddy bear - I'll make sure he has his bear at bedtime.

April 28, 2013
The babies are between 22 and 24 days old now. They are still gaining weight, but they are getting sloppy with their formula, and are starting to run off to play during feedings. I'm finding myself spending more and more time with them, cuddling and playing and losing track of time :) They are beginning to make soft puppy sounds, and, because my heart is constantly melting, I absolutely cannot stay away.


Baby #1 on left, with Baby #2 on right. You can see the differences in the pin feathers between these two girls. Baby #1 will have more red, and #2 may have softer yellow coloring, with red here and there. Both girls will turn into lovely pineapples.


Baby #1 really tried taking off today...It amazes me how strong they think they are. They are very agile for being so petite. And they are quite fearless - they need lots of supervision when playing outside of the brooder.


Baby #3...this boy is everywhere! In the first photo, you can see how messy he gets with his food. No sloppy handfeeding on my part...this is all him :) One thing all the babies love is getting their feathers wiped gently with a warm washcloth. This is a wonderful way to bond with birds, especially when the pin feathers are emerging.

May 1, 2013
The babies are 26-28 days old. Their weight gain has slowed down, and they tried some softened pellets today. It's still too early for the babies to wean, but once they start using their beaks to grab objects and preen, I begin introducing them to different foods. Today we just walked through the food and enjoyed some morning sunshine.

Baby #1

Baby #2

Baby #3



May 2, 2013
Here are some photos of their lovely feather emergence.
Baby #1

Baby #2

Baby #3

Here are all the babies from this clutch together!

May 7, 2013

The conure babies are 32-34 days old now. They don't look much like babies anymore, but they still have a lot of growing to do. In a few more weeks, they will look like little adults. They started to climb and perch, so I have moved them to a large brooding tub. They are being introduced to toys and different foods to try.



Baby #1, even though she is the youngest, was the first to try out some carrots.



One of their favorite games to play involves, first, hiding under the care bears blanket, and then shoving each other out of the way so they can be the one in the middle ;)



But that doesn't mean they love each other any less.



Baby #2 on left, baby #1 on right.

Below is Baby #1. She is the reddest of the pineapple babies.



A lot of people love conures for their playfulness and cuddly nature. All the babies have been very cuddly, and they show absolutely no fear, allowing me to flip them upside down and bring them in close for a snuggle. Baby #1 spends the majority of her time on her back, doing nothing in particular. This little girl loves to cuddle.






Baby #1 is making a run for it! It's getting more and more difficult to photograph these ornery babies.



Baby #2, below, has a softer coloring, which is really quite lovely. She is quickly becoming my favorite, following me from room to room as I go about my cleaning, and climbing up my leg at the first opportunity. I've told others that she is my velcro baby...and I am happy she is stuck to me ;)



And she found her opportunity...



Baby #3 Already has a home, and will be leaving us when he has weaned. He really stood out in the big pile of pineapple and cinnamon babies. His feathers are gorgeous! The deep greens, maroons and reds are really stunning against his black features. As the oldest, he has really paved the way for his siblings - being the first to begin cllimbing and perching, and the first to welcome a single hatch quaker baby to the nursery. #3 has really been a big help to me making the little quaker feel comfortable. They have become good friends :)





Below, you can see that #3 spends almost as much time lying around as his sisters do...





My daughter, Raven, enjoys bedtime with the babies the best. She helps me clean up faces and tuck them in. We have some pretty spoiled kids here, and I think some pretty spoiled babies, too.



May 14, 2013

The babies are 39-41 days old. They have most of their feathers and are just starting to fly. This is the moment in their development when they shed a bit of their baby weight for flight. They are being hand fed a few times a day still, but the babies are also eating big kid foods throughout the day. I peeked in on them just a moment ago, and found baby #1 laying upside down in her bowl of peas and carrots - she'll get it eventually ;)

Baby #1



Baby #2



Baby #3