how much formula do I need?

[laopi]

Hi,

I had 4 GCC baby now, I'd like to try hand feeding, my question is how much formula do I need for these 4 baby totally?

Thanks.

peter

 

[laopi]

BTW:I lived in Toronto, Canada, do I need extra heat for these baby if I'd like to hand feeding?

 

[iamwhoiam]

How old are the babies? Where are the parents? Have you ever handfed before?

 

[laopi]

How old are the babies? Where are the parents? Have you ever handfed before?

The oldest baby one week more, their parents lived with them now, I'd like to try hand feeding because I heard if a GCC not hand fed, it won't be tame, I have no any hands on experience.

 

[iamwhoiam]

If they are with the parents, please leave them be. You have no handfeeding experience and I wouldn't recommend pulling them for handfeeding. A lot can go wrong such as aspiration of formula, burning the crop, sour crop, etc. If mom & dad are taking care of the babies leave them alone. The GCCs can still become socialized even if fed by the parents.

 

[karen256]

If the parents are tame or semi-tame, you can handle the babies while they're in the nest and when they're a little older, you can take them out and cuddle and interact with them and return them to their parents. They may not be quite as tame as handfed babies when they are just weaned, but once they go to their new homes and get more one-on-one attention, they should turn out like any handfed baby.
That said, it would still be a good idea to learn how to handfeed babies, in case there's any problems. An avian vet or breeder in your area might be willing to show you.
Also, it's hard to predict exactly how much formula a baby will go through anyway. The safest way to handfeed babies if you are new, is to spoonfeed them - there's less risk of aspiration, but there will be more mess and spilled formula. Plus babies have their own ideas about how much formula they may want per feeding - and if you make too much, the extra has to get tossed, it doesn't reheat safely.

EDIT: I noticed that you had the baby with a splayed leg. In this case, you probably will have to pull this baby for handfeeding - and maybe one sibling for it to grow up with. Otherwise the parents will probably try to remove the leg brace and might injure the baby's legs in the process. Since the babies are still very young, make sure they have a rough surface to stand on (ie. put some wood shavings or something in the bottom of the nestbox if the bottom of the box is bare) and there's a chance the baby might recover on its own. But if it still has splayed legs by 2 weeks, you'll probably need to pull the baby so you can properly brace the legs. I would take this time to find out as much as you can about handfeeding - find a vet or breeder who can show you if possible. It isn't hard to do once you have experience, but mistakes can be potentially deadly.

 

[laopi]

If the parents are tame or semi-tame, you can handle the babies while they're in the nest and when they're a little older, you can take them out and cuddle and interact with them and return them to their parents. They may not be quite as tame as handfed babies when they are just weaned, but once they go to their new homes and get more one-on-one attention, they should turn out like any handfed baby.
That said, it would still be a good idea to learn how to handfeed babies, in case there's any problems. An avian vet or breeder in your area might be willing to show you.
Also, it's hard to predict exactly how much formula a baby will go through anyway. The safest way to handfeed babies if you are new, is to spoonfeed them - there's less risk of aspiration, but there will be more mess and spilled formula. Plus babies have their own ideas about how much formula they may want per feeding - and if you make too much, the extra has to get tossed, it doesn't reheat safely.

EDIT: I noticed that you had the baby with a splayed leg. In this case, you probably will have to pull this baby for handfeeding - and maybe one sibling for it to grow up with. Otherwise the parents will probably try to remove the leg brace and might injure the baby's legs in the process. Since the babies are still very young, make sure they have a rough surface to stand on (ie. put some wood shavings or something in the bottom of the nestbox if the bottom of the box is bare) and there's a chance the baby might recover on its own. But if it still has splayed legs by 2 weeks, you'll probably need to pull the baby so you can properly brace the legs. I would take this time to find out as much as you can about handfeeding - find a vet or breeder who can show you if possible. It isn't hard to do once you have experience, but mistakes can be potentially deadly.

Thanks you for your quick replay, here is the picture of my four baby, the left bottom corner one seems have a splayed leg, but I'm not quite sure since they are very young, the bottom of nest box is made of plywood, any suggestion?

BTW:I had some dry straw, can I use them for bedding material?

 

[iamwhoiam]

Is that natural straw? You don't want to use straw treated with chemicals. I used to use pine shavings. The babies are very cute, btw.

 

[laopi]

Is that natural straw? You don't want to use straw treated with chemicals. I used to use pine shavings. The babies are very cute, btw.

Yes, I get straw from a farm.

Thanks.

Peter