|
|
|
indian ringneck
Egg
Joined: 23 Feb 2005
Posts: 10
Location: Australia |
| Handrearing Smaller Birds |
 |
|
 We have recently built ourselves an outdoor 'mini' aviary and might have to end up handrearing the babies. Does anyone know how, or has had experience handrearing the baby birds.  I have a few questions also.  I have read that some inexperienced owners actually force food down the baby bird's windpipe and I don't want to do that at all. Where should I feed them down? I don't know which pipe the food should go down !?!? I would like to know the general info on these birds & how to handrear them. The ones we are looking to handrear will be budgies, Cockatiels, Princess Parrots, Maybe Kings, etc. Those small birds. |
Friday February 25, 2005 8:01 am |
|
|
Greg Sujecki
Experienced flier
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 1650
Location: Australia,Melbourne |
|
|
|
You can buy a feeder(which looks like a plastic syringe from a good bird store.There is also many things to consider when hand rearing, most of all how much time you have.... for with my Ringneck Mylo my friend took the first 3 weeks then i took over for you have to feed him every 4 hours up to 10pm at night and start at 6am until he start's to eat small seed on his own.Make sure the mixture is neutral in temperature when feeding,keep the young in a draft free place(I used a shoe box for mylo,until he stood on a perch on his own),keep to the routine of feeding times and i didn't force any food down his crop for if the bird is hungry he/she will take it(the first feed takes the longest i found birds are quick learners of good and bad habits).That's just to name a few for there are many important changes you have to deal with also as the weeks go by(like i changed from syringe to plastic spoon after 4 weeks) .Time and patience was my main goals and the rest took care of itself through routine then the rewards happened. |
|
Saturday April 2, 2005 1:38 pm |
|
|
danabird
Flier
Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 977
Location: Northwest Fla |
| Oh MY Gosh |
|
|
Oh Greg I hope you do ok with the hand raising of your birds. I would be so scared. I would love to do it, but I would have a hard time if one of the birds died. I'm still tying to get over the gas killing my birds!
The breeder who hand fed my Romeo had I don't know how many birds to feed when I would go visit. He never had time for anything and he couldn't go anywhere because he had to be back at a certain time to feed babies.
I wish I knew how but I'm just to afarid to try it. I have some red rumps that are sitting on eggs but I'll let the parents raise them I wouldn't know how and too afraid to learn... |
|
Tuesday April 19, 2005 6:53 am |
|
|
|
|
Greg Sujecki
Experienced flier
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 1650
Location: Australia,Melbourne |
Hand rearing birds is not something to try unless you are willing to give up most ofl your social time to be with the young, for you have to be the mum when you raise them.Luckily l have a family that understands my passion in birds  |
|
Wednesday April 20, 2005 9:35 am |
|
|
danabird
Flier
Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 977
Location: Northwest Fla |
I asked someone the other day how does she do it when she has to go to work and all and she said she takes them to work with her. I don't think I could do that at the nursing home. Anyway I am just too afarid of killing the poor things by giving them too much food or not enough or something. I think I am bonded now with my birds gosh I can only think of how I would be if I raised them up feeding them from that stage of life! I have no childern and it seems every animal I own becomes a child to me!
Speaking of Im making plans now to drive 3 hours to adopt 5 white ducks who need a home and the people don't want to seperate. I feel so sorry for animals and the things that happen to them in their lives sometimes.
Have a Great day Greg, enjoy reading yours and everyone elses post! Dana |
|
Wednesday April 20, 2005 3:06 pm |
|
|
Greg Sujecki
Experienced flier
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 1650
Location: Australia,Melbourne |
| re:handrearing small birds |
|
|
How we going I R,wondering how's the handrearing if it's happening going,an if it's going well  |
|
Thursday May 12, 2005 12:20 pm |
|
|
|
|
bird freak
Flutterer
Joined: 26 May 2005
Posts: 115
Location: OREGON |
My advise to any one that has never hand fed,is to go on line and look up hand feeding baby parrots,better yet if you know any one that has hand fed before they need to show you.Many things to consider when hand feeding,formula has to be just right or you could be asking for trouble. You have to know when the crop is full,when it is taking to long to empty out and so on.Lots of things to learn. I've been hand feeding for years and still get nervous about it. |
|
Sunday June 12, 2005 5:36 am |
|
|
Greg Sujecki
Experienced flier
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 1650
Location: Australia,Melbourne |
Yeah, hand feeding is a bit like when l bought up my daughter from a newborn every 4 hours up for a feed except with parrots you get to have a break between 10pm and 6am. |
|
Sunday June 12, 2005 12:53 pm |
|
|
|
|
FairySnuff
Flutterer
Joined: 21 May 2005
Posts: 105
Location: USA |
I'm hand feeding a small 21 day old parakeet, and I just got done with her morning feeding! At first it was hard to feed her because she didn't know what the syringe was, she refused to open her sweet little beak! I was patient though, and noticed the spoon worked better,an was easier for me. So now I feed her with a spoon! It's a bit messy, and I end up spilling half of it down her front but I'm getting better, lol. If you have any specific questions you can always ask me, it's my first time too! |
|
Saturday June 25, 2005 3:13 pm |
|
|
FairySnuff
Flutterer
Joined: 21 May 2005
Posts: 105
Location: USA |
oh and since you posted this like...months ago lol how was the hand feeding? I know it can get frustrating in the beginning I was about ready to give up before my baby realized I was her feeder now! |
|
Saturday June 25, 2005 3:19 pm |
|
|
Greg Sujecki
Experienced flier
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 1650
Location: Australia,Melbourne |
thats good to hear FairySnuff .Yes,it will get frustrating to hand rear a parrot,but with patience like you said and a bit of playing around to make your parrot realize your the parent then rewards will come.As far as the mess around the beak, l have alway's wiped the excess with my first two fingers like a claw like action side to side to keep the beak clean and in particular keep the feathers clean from build up around the beak as well.For the build up of mix can get stuck together with the feathers then causing problems later on were you have to cut off skin like looking mix which is only feather.l have seen this in pet shops which can be avoided with proper attention.(Wipe after the parrot like you would do to yourself  ) |
|
Sunday June 26, 2005 9:28 am |
|
|
|
|
FairySnuff
Flutterer
Joined: 21 May 2005
Posts: 105
Location: USA |
Yeah, a couple days ago I got tired of the big dried clump of food on my babies chest and I could tell she was too, lol, so I cut it off. I didn't cut her skin, I just cut the feathers the food was stuck to! she was very good and layed still for me while i worked, I think she knew I was trying to help her. Now she's all clean and I'm trying to wean her, but I'm not quite sure how! She likes spray millet, but I watched her and she just cracks it open and then drops it ALL. This worries me, I tried to get her to eat some lettuce but she did the same thing. She took a bite but then dropped it. How can I get her to eat normally? Her siblings that are still in the aviary are out of the nest box and weaned! I guess I just have to keep offering her food? |
|
Monday July 11, 2005 4:14 pm |
|
|
shells picasso
Flier
Joined: 29 May 2005
Posts: 900
Location: Sydney |
|
|
|
I finished off the hand rearing of my lorikeets when I got them home (they were due to be weaned when I bought them) I used a spoon with the sides bent in tapping them on the beak gently till they opened their beaks for a feed then letting them gulp the food from it at their own pace, I used a comercial handrearing formula made fresh each time and tested the temprature (like with a babies bottle). I was told it is important to make sure it was not too hot or cold, also to put them on a towel when feeding so their legs don't spread out all over the place and to minimise that kind of movement till they are old enough to perch, Hygiene was important as well as nutrition. I cleaned off the spilt food with a warm damp cloth while it was still wet on their feathers which they didn't seem to like too much. Are there any bird or breeders clubs around your area? I put my babies on dry food and pellets softened with warm water in addition to their hand rearing formula twice a day, apart from the sweet foods like grapes and apples which they just licked they just played with everything else, it took them a while to figure out they could eat it too. |
|
Monday July 11, 2005 9:07 pm |
|
|
Greg Sujecki
Experienced flier
Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 1650
Location: Australia,Melbourne |
good to here all the method's in rearing,for there are many and it's just a matter of finding the right one,though what l have read here is what l have done.Avoid lettuce for it runs through the digestive tract like water so it really doesn't have any nutritional value.I would also continue the weaning and have seed handy in the cage once the birds learns to stand on it's feet.Curiosity will better the bird and it will try it in time with practice starting with what you said Fairsnuff just cracking it then dropping,in time your bird will learn to eat it when it's hungry enough in between your feeds.Good luck  |
|
Tuesday July 12, 2005 11:10 am |
|
|
|
|
All times are GMT. The time now is Tuesday May 22, 2012 7:32 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
