Here is some very important information you need to know when dealing with a new, baby cockatoo or many other large species of parrots that must be handfed in captivity if the parents will not feed or if it is your choice to raise the baby from day one. All of the information here is given strictly for cockatoos unless an * (astrick) is in front of the heading, then it applies to all hookbills: *Brooder Temps: 1. 98.5 degrees Fahrenheit for first 3 days 2. 97.5 degrees Fahrenheit for next 5 days 3. 95.0 degrees Fahrenheit for the next 5 to 7 days 4. 93.0 degrees Fahrenheit afterwards until chick has sufficient down (approx. 2 weeks) *Humidity: 40% to 50% constant. Do not let this go lower or higher while in the brooder! The Chick: 1. The first 3 days is considered CRITICAL 2. Next 2 weeks is considered VERY IMPORTANT and the chick can die for unknown causes. If this occurs, it is very important that you get a necropsy done by an avian vet to find the actual cause of death! 3. Skin color should be a flesh tone with a slight, whitish hugh. If the skin is bright red the chick is too hot and/or dehydrated. 4. The down is yellow in cockatoos, white in other hookbills. 5. Typical weight for newly hatched umbrella is 10 to 14 grams. 6. The chick will open its eyes between 10 and 14 days old. 7. The ear openings will open after the chick is 10 days old. 8. The chick should be eating 10% to 15% of its current body weight. The chick MUST be weighed BEFORE EVERY feeding. 9. Use Pedialite in formula instead of tap water. It is not proven but it is possible that the chemicals in regular tap water could be poisonous to baby parrots. If you do not have Pedialite, use bottled water instead! DO NOT use distilled water!!!! 10. There is no need to use active cultures until the chick is older unless the baby bird seems to be suffering from the lack of the will to survive! 11. Only use Stainless Steel bands for the chick. Aluminum bands are too thin and weak and will be destroyed by the bird when it is older and playing with the band. Umbrella cockatoo band size is (7/15"); size #16 from L & M Bird Leg Bands. Formula: 1. From Day 1-3 months of age I mix the formula with pedalite only. Do not use vitamins in the formula or you can over-vitaminize your baby and kill it. *2. The crop must empty out once every 24 hours to prevent sour crop. If there is still formula in the crop near the 24 hour mark, do not feed the baby for 15 minute increments until the crop is empty. *3. Formula needs to be fed between the temperatures of 100 and 103 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything colder and the chick will refuse to eat, but anything hotter can cause scortching of the crop which can kill the baby bird. *Preparation: 1. It is not as easy as the instructions say to find the right con- sistency for your baby bird. The first few days the formula needs to be mostly liquid with a little bit of formula. I mix about 1/2 of a long iced-tea spoonful of formula to 10cc of Pedialyte for day one'rs and young chicks. When the chicks are older, the con- sistency is that of a very runny cake batter. Please visit an accomplished hand feeder so the you can see the consistencies of formula. If it is too thin the baby will not get enough nourish- ment and if it is too thick the baby also will not get enough nourishment becasue it cannot eat as much! Do not expect the hand feeder to allow you to hand feed their baby bird. This is a true skill. You can either do it well or you cannot do it. One single drop of formula in the windpipe of the baby bird will kill it! *Hand Feeding: The best method and most accurate is to feed the baby bird with a syringe with NO needle on it. After filling the syringes with the formula, place them in a cup of water that's heated to 101 to 106 degrees farenheit. Gently place the tip of the syringe into the baby's mouth at the corner and when it opens wide gently and very slowly push the plunger of the syringe so the formula goes into the baby's mouth and let it swallow. They can eat very quickly or very slowly. Each baby is different! The crop MUST empty at least once every 24 hours! *Feeding Times: This is hard to say but this is a general guideline for parrots, specifically for cockatoos but again keep in mind that this isn't carved in stone and varies widely: Day 1 to day 7: Feed EVERY 2 hours DAY AND NIGHT! Day 8 to weaning: Increase the feeding time by 20 to 30 minutes as the chick grows. As it grows it will eat more at each feeding but less frequently. So, after day 7 you'll begin feeding every 2 hours and 20 (or) 30 minutes. After a few days if the crop still has food in it at its scheduled feeding time, it is time to increase it by an- other 20 to 30 minutes. Books: A very important book to purchase and follow is Parrot Handfeeding and Nursery Management by Voren, Howard; and Rick Jordon. It will cost about $45. You can get it from Sheila at Sundown Aviary. Other: Sterility is very important. Remeber that your new baby has not developed an immunity to any bacteria or diesases and can become very ill. All towels, paper towels, tissue, etc must be as clean as possible. All syringes, bowls, cups, spoons thermometers, etc. must be cleaned after every single use. If you have a friend who works in the medical field (i.e. doctor, nurse, dentist, medical tech, etc) you can give them certain items to be sterilized in an autoclave. I am a professional body piercer and own my own business so I actually own my own autoclave. I autoclave all my bedding (such as Care Fresh) and paper products like tissue and napkins. I also sterilize the water that is in the brooder for humidity. All of this is not absolutely necessary but I just don't like to take chances.Questions or comments? Email me here.