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Lynzi Marie
Flying tumbler
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
Posts: 2052
Location: Utah |
| new baby birds and preparing for just in case. |
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well...I don't remember if I told everyone or not, but a friend of mine just got 'Tiels and they layed eggs almost a week after he had them!! well...now there are 6 babies! and this is there first clutch, so I'm preparing myself just in case I need to relieve the parents a little....especially with them having so many babies their first time. I have a brooder, 2 syringes per baby, digital thermometers, a gram scale, hand feeding formula, and separate notebooks for each baby. even different colored pens for each of them! lol
I just have a few questions about some stuff.
About how much SHOULD the babies weigh? they are 2-4 wks old.
what are everyone's opinions on measuring the food versus abundance feeding (feeding them until they won't eat anymore)?
I personally like the idea of measuring the amount I give...so I can know when they're starting to wean. |
Friday April 20, 2007 10:13 pm |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7405
Location: Canada, Toronto |
Why would you need to relieve the parents?  They live to raise their young, and parrots are actually one of the bird species who actively allocate food to their young based on which chick is smallest and most in need of food, so that all chicks have a high survival rate. Statistically they do not abandon or neglect their chics. Some other bird species, herons for example, have domince heirarchies between siblings, and weakest chic doesn't usually survive, but this is not the case for parrots. I really don't think it's necessary for you to intervene with the feeding. Just let them enjoy parenthood. Taking the nestlings away from the parents just so you could experience hand feeding will only stress the parents out. |
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Saturday April 21, 2007 1:05 am |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7405
Location: Canada, Toronto |
I'd also just like to remind you that more and more evidence points towards the fact that hand-fed parrots do not make the best quality of pet, and they are more likely to wind up with behaviour problems, insecurites, and plucking. Parent raised parrots do a lot better as adults than hand-fed ones. |
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Saturday April 21, 2007 1:11 am |
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Lynzi Marie
Flying tumbler
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
Posts: 2052
Location: Utah |
I didn't know that parrots don't do what herons do.....I got all the stuff just in case they couldn't do it....there are a lot of cases where first clutches do not make it...I did not want that to happen.
I'm not going to pull the babies just because I want to....just in case I need to...
there also some cases where other chicks or even one of the parents will pick on the younger ones.
I'm preparing for
just in case
purposes....
I don't want to nor do I plan on pulling the chicks unless it is necesary.
....I knew asking here was a bad idea.  |
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Saturday April 21, 2007 3:11 am |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7405
Location: Canada, Toronto |
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Ok that's good to hear  It's fine to prepare just in case, I just wanted to make sure you know that it's not necessary for you to pull the chics just because you think the clutch size might be too big for the parents. But in case the parents aren't doing well with the hatchlings then it's fine for you to step in.
As far as parrots sometimes picking on the younger chics, if this happens in captivity then it's another example of why parrots don't do well in captivity. It's probably because the parents themselves have been hand-raised, thus didn't have the oppurtunity to learn essential parenting skills that only their natural parents can teach them. In the wild this does not happen with parrots. In the wild parrots actually favor the younger nestling and attend to him more so that survivability is high.
I'm sure someone will be along soon to give you advice on the how-tos of hand-feeding. In the mean time, this is a good page to read also http://www.fluffies.org/en/flu......php?id=11
Good luck |
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Saturday April 21, 2007 3:36 am |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7972
Location: Australia |
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Lynzi,
I think it's great that you're prepared to take the babies in just in case. my friend who is a budgie breeder, she has had to swapped chicks around because some budgies are just bad breeders/parents. Because she has the luxury of forstering to another pair, since she has lots breeding at the same time, so she just do that, no need to hand feed... however in your friends case, it is different.
I truely believe in the abundance feeding and weaning process... babies should be getting as much as they want, as they are in the process of growing, so they should get all the food in the world that they want.. hehe.. so in my opinion, i think measuring food won't help them in anyway.. I only believe in measuring food if they have to loose weight. hehe.
Good luck with the little babies.. I hope the parents don't abandone any of them. It sounds like they will be taking good care of them now since they haven't abandoned them yet. The only thing that I see might happen is if the parents want to have second clutch, and they want the nestbox back, but by then the babies should be old enough... who knows, they might still need feeding help though..
Oh something else... make sure that they only have two clutches a season, no more than that.. they need rest. |
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Saturday April 21, 2007 5:48 am |
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Lynzi Marie
Flying tumbler
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
Posts: 2052
Location: Utah |
Thanks Shirin and Bih!!!
Since I am "breed advisor" lol.....and I've done all kinds of research on it...me and the guy who has them have decided that he will either replace new eggs with wooden ones, or it sounds rude, but boil the eggs and let the parents sit on them until they get bored.
I thought the saaaaame thing! poor little girl has lost sooo much body mass (or so it seems) It would be horrible to let them keep going until she dies.....sooo rude. I hate how people treat parents like "breed machines" and babies like "science experiments"
I won't lie....I'd LOVE to be able to have just one chance to get to experience handfeeding...it seems so rewarding, but I won't pull perfectly healthy babies just because of that....ya know? |
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Sunday April 22, 2007 1:18 am |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7405
Location: Canada, Toronto |
quote:
Originally posted by Lynzi Marie
Since I am "breed advisor" lol.....and I've done all kinds of research on it...me and the guy who has them have decided that he will either replace new eggs with wooden ones, or it sounds rude, but boil the eggs and let the parents sit on them until they get bored.
Lynzi, I use wooden eggs also for my doves. I don't boil their eggs, but I take them out of the nest immediately after it's been layed, before the embryo has begun developing, and I put them in the freezer. If the temperature of the egg drops it won't develop. I guess it's the same as boiling, but less work  |
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Sunday April 22, 2007 1:34 am |
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Lynzi Marie
Flying tumbler
Joined: 23 Aug 2006
Posts: 2052
Location: Utah |
lol....anything with less work! haha |
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Sunday April 22, 2007 1:35 am |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7972
Location: Australia |
Lynzi, the best thing to do regards to eggs is to take the nesting box away as soon as all the babies are fledged, but if they do start laying eggs again, i would just remove the eggs and put fake eggs in, I wont even worry about the eggs in boiling water or freezer, just put it back in the box. but that's me. |
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Sunday April 22, 2007 5:34 am |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7405
Location: Canada, Toronto |
quote:
Originally posted by Cheeta
I wont even worry about the eggs in boiling water or freezer, just put it back in the box. but that's me.
Bih, what do you mean put the eggs back in the box? If the chicks begin developing in the egg, then you would be killing the babies I think I'm misunderstanding what you mean  |
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Sunday April 22, 2007 1:06 pm |
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Sue
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 10102
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| Re: new baby birds and preparing for just in case. |
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Lynzi, I don't know how much the babies should weigh. I guess you might be able to feel their breastbone if it'd be necessary to feed them? (I doubt it)
Some breeders over here breed with tame parrots. They feed a little to the small birds in front of the tame parents.
I'm not sure if that's doable in all species? I wouldn't try though. |
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Sunday April 22, 2007 6:40 pm |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7972
Location: Australia |
quote:
Originally posted by shirin
quote:
Originally posted by Cheeta
I wont even worry about the eggs in boiling water or freezer, just put it back in the box. but that's me.
Bih, what do you mean put the eggs back in the box? If the chicks begin developing in the egg, then you would be killing the babies I think I'm misunderstanding what you mean
Oh oopes, sorry, typos... I didn't even read that after.. hehe.. I meant to say just DON'T put it back in the box.. hehe... |
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Monday April 23, 2007 5:50 pm |
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Cheeta
Moderator
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 7972
Location: Australia |
Lynzi, how are the babies going? Are the parents doing ok with feeding the babies? |
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Monday April 23, 2007 5:51 pm |
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shirin
Moderator
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 7405
Location: Canada, Toronto |
quote:
Originally posted by Cheeta
quote:
Originally posted by shirin
quote:
Originally posted by Cheeta
I wont even worry about the eggs in boiling water or freezer, just put it back in the box. but that's me.
Bih, what do you mean put the eggs back in the box? If the chicks begin developing in the egg, then you would be killing the babies I think I'm misunderstanding what you mean
Oh oopes, sorry, typos... I didn't even read that after.. hehe.. I meant to say just DON'T put it back in the box.. hehe...
Oh ok  , so you just mean that it's not necessary to boil or freeze the eggs, because if the eggs aren't incubated, they won't develop, right? You're right about that, but I still get paranoid |
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Monday April 23, 2007 5:54 pm |
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