Hand feeding and Weaning

[Lady Jane]

He is trying to fly. That is how a bird exercises the wings also. Back when I had a baby grey she was weined but her first food from me after leaving the breeder was a combo of baby food, cooked mashed sweet taters and fine sprinkled corn bread on top. This leads to what we call mash. Mashes are served warm also. What country are in in?

 

[Carmina]

I am in the United States. Is there something that I need to do when he is flapping his wings. Put him out of his cage or put him on the ground where he won't get hurt?

 

[Macawnutz]

They flap a lto when learning. He should be fine. Just give him enough room around him and let him flap his heart out! Lift off will be right around the corner.

 

[CheekyBeaks]

Flapping wings is what babies to do develop and strengthen their flight muscles and reduce a little body weight so they can fledge. There is nothing you need to do except make sure he always has room to fully flap his wings without touching anything and that includes his cage.
You will probably find he is reducing the amount of formula he is taking this is normal but he may very well increase the amount of formula taken again after he has fully fledged for a while before fully weaning.

 

[Carmina]

How long does it usually take for them to fledge? Yes he has reduce the amount of formula each feeding. Although, I have seen him eat a bit more of dry food and he loves his veggies

 

[Carmina]

Lio has been super active this last week or so. He will not cuddle as much He has been doing a bit of flying. His eating has really diminished. He has been eating very little formula and I don't see him eating much solid food. I try to feed him when I notice he has an empty crop but he will usually only eat half of the formula that I prepare. I have an appointment for him in two weeks and I am planning on having the dr clip his wings. Although got to thinking that by then he will be doing it bit more flying and not sure what effect it will have on him if any when they are clipped. If you have any information I would sure love to hear it.

 

[Cara]

I would not have his wings clipped. I haven't handfed a Grey, but I think all babies do better if they are allowed to learn to fly. Greys in particular are known to be clumsy, and learning to fly will give him muscle tone and confidence. If having a flighted bird doesn't work in your house, you can have him clipped at a later day. Some people are very against clipping wings (and others are very against flighted birds). I think you have to do what works best in your situation. But I would let Lio learn to fly and gain some confidence.

 

[David Hull]

Probably useful information in this link. I hope that you are weighing daily? I also hope that you have an avian vet. Fledging is important for the bird in the long term. I have no experience with this but am worried when I hear of people who don't have experience weaning parrots trying to do so.
Breeding Parrots

 

[GlassOnion]

Why are you clipping your grey's wings so soon? At fledging age, they need to learn how to fly properly, maneuver safely around windows, master landings, etc while their instincts are screaming at them to do so. If you consider clipping, it should not happen until your grey is a fluid, confident flier. I have read that because greys tend to he clumsy/heavy bodied, clipping should not happen until at about a year of age.

Remember that clipping too early prevents proper brain development as movement is a HUGE, HUGE factor in that. Personally, I wouldn't clip at all as flight is the essence of a bird. Greys are especially so intelligent, I would hate to deprive one of its flight, it'd be like binding a bright, curious child to a wheelchair.

I'll tag some folks who may chime in as well.. @Greycloud @petiteoiseau

 

[Greycloud]

Everything you describe is normal for a fledging African Grey. They cut back on food intake, lose some weight and try out those wings. Keep offering him food. DO NOT CLIP HIM! This is extremely important! Grey babies tend to be somewhat clumsy, however, they are extremely smart. Learning to fly is part of their mental and physical development. It builds muscle, coordination, mental stimulation and their toddler minds are hard at work learning how to manipulate their surroundings. Fledging gives them confidence to conquer future experiences.

 

[Carmina]

Thank you for responding to my question. My concern is that my house is not that big. He is usually crashing into the wall up high and fall all the way down. I don't want him to get hurt.

 

[Carmina]

Hello, so I took Lio to the Vet. Lab work came out good and the dr said he is doing great. She suggested that I go down to two feedings a day. I have not done that yet since I was waiting for the results to come back and make sure he was a healthy baby before I cut on hand feeding him. I am still going home at lunch time to check on him and he has been asking to be fed when I get there. His crop also seems empty. Any suggestions? Also, it has been difficult to feed him formula since he is now flying. I set him on the counter and he will fly to my shoulder. I have not found an affordable table perch and after visiting the vet I probably won't be able to buy one for a while. If you have been through this and have any feed back I would sure appreciate if you would share. Thank you!!

 

[Macawnutz]

They do get hard to feed when they are flying. Sometimes they wean themselves at this stage. Keep offering and keep other foods available for him. Pellets and some fresh food. Any pictures?

@Greycloud

 

[Greycloud]

I would offer him some veggies and fruits at your home visit. The morning will be the next feeding to go and finally the night feed will go last. He may start to eat a bit more when you take the lunch HF away. It can be fun and frustrating trying to get them to stay put when you feed! Just put him back on a towel covered table so he can grip better and offer the food that way.

 

[Carmina]

Here is a picture of him messing with our remote. Kept changing the channel...

 

[Carmina]

I have been giving him either fruits or veggies in the morning and then some at lunch time. I tried sitting with him and giving him pellets when he seemed hungry and he ate a few but not very much. I'm not sure if the pellets are to hard for him. He seems to struggle to break them. I mentioned this to the vet but she said he would figure out how to eat them. I'm considering trying different pellets and see if we will start to eat more on his own. I am giving him the Zupreem fruit blend and I think they sent me the wrong size. Do you know of any other better weaning pellets that he would be more inclined to eating? Thanks Macawnuts & Greycould!

 

[petiteoiseau]

Try cooking whole grains (kamut, wheat, oats, barley, brown rice, quinoa, etc) and mixing them with cooked and diced veggies (corn, peas, carrots, broccoli). My grays love it and it's so much healthier than the fruit blend (one of the worst pellets you can feed, BTW).

Hello, so I took Lio to the Vet. Lab work came out good and the dr said he is doing great. She suggested that I go down to two feedings a day. I have not done that yet since I was waiting for the results to come back and make sure he was a healthy baby before I cut on hand feeding him. I am still going home at lunch time to check on him and he has been asking to be fed when I get there. His crop also seems empty. Any suggestions? Also, it has been difficult to feed him formula since he is now flying. I set him on the counter and he will fly to my shoulder. I have not found an affordable table perch and after visiting the vet I probably won't be able to buy one for a while. If you have been through this and have any feed back I would sure appreciate if you would share. Thank you!!

You don't need a table perch, make him perch on the back of a chair.

 

[Carmina]

So Lio turned out to be a female. My boys have decided to name her Chica.. I have not been able to drop her down to two feedings. I am still giving her veggies and fruit. I also offered her some oats. My concern is that she might not be eating while we are away. She does not seem to be that hungry when I get home either during lunch or after work but her crop seems empty. Should I offer her some formula or should I wait until she wants to be fed. I have also noticed that although her crop seems empty her dropping are not all liquid. Not sure if that means that she is eating some on her own. Again any help would be much appreciated.

 

[jmfleish]

I am NOT a hand feeder but wanted to pipe in and say she's PRECIOUS! You're doing a great job! I'm loving following your progress. More pictures please! Also, if you wanted to make a table top perch for her, you could just get some wood from your local Home Depot and drill holes in two pieces and put a dowel in the middle of them and fasten it with some Elmer's glue. Owning a parrot will turn you into a DIY diva!

 

[Carmina]

Thanks. I will post more pictures soon. petiteoiseau had suggested that I perch her on the back of a chair which worked for a few days but now she is back to her old tricks and flying to my shoulder. I have been checking out perches online and saw one that seem easy to built. That will be my husband's project for the weekend