How much do you feed a 6 week baby macaw?

[Blue's mom]

Hi everyone, I got a baby macaw 2 days ago... I'm new to taking care of a baby bird... the breeder said he's about 6 weeks old... so I'm worried If I'm under feeding him.... I feed him about 30ml a feeding... any info will be helpful

 

[Zara]

Hello, how much does your bird weigh?

(Thread moved to Macaw forum for better visibility amongst macaw owners)

 

[Toy]

This may help: Macaw Pediatrics

 

[Blue's mom]

Hello, how much does your bird weigh?

(Thread moved to Macaw forum for better visibility amongst macaw owners)

Hi, I'm not sure... I don't have a scale to weight him.

 

[tka]

Get a gram scale as soon as possible - you need it to make sure that your baby is gaining weight steadily and to work out how much to feed. Generally you should aim to feed 10% of the body weight at each feeding so if he's 400g, he should be getting 40ml at a feed and so on.

I can't remember who has the excellent tables of baby macaw weights - is it @Macawnutz?

Can you take a photo of him? This will help people work out how old he is.

 

[Blue's mom]

Get a gram scale as soon as possible - you need it to make sure that your baby is gaining weight steadily and to work out how much to feed. Generally you should aim to feed 10% of the body weight at each feeding so if he's 400g, he should be getting 40ml at a feed and so on.

I can't remember who has the excellent tables of baby macaw weights - is it @Macawnutz?

Can you take a photo of him? This will help people work out how old he is.

This is my little Blue I will definitely try and get a scale asap!

 

[Macawnutz]

Looks to be about 6-7 weeks old. Bump it up to 40-50cc and see how he does.

Check your formula temperature and consistency. Just like on the package instructions. Too cold and he will get yeast, too hot and you will burn his crop.

 

[Blue's mom]

Looks to be about 6-7 weeks old. Bump it up to 40-50cc and see how he does.

Check your formula temperature and consistency. Just like on the package instructions. Too cold and he will get yeast, too hot and you will burn his crop.

How do I know what consistency to mix the formula? Also what thermometer does his food needs to be? ... I feed him around 12:30 pm and his crop is still a little full.... he messes alot and he's sleeping alot.. how do I know if he's okay? I'm scared I'm doing something wrong... thank you for replying.

 

[Zara]

How do I know what consistency to mix the formula?

Instructions on the package will tell you. For eg. Kaytee is 1 part powder formula to 1.3 - 2 parts water - It should be a porridge like consistency, that is thick but moves. Link; Formula mixing tips
Other foods are similar, but may be slightly different. If you have lost the instructions, I listed all of them from the manufacturers here;
Some helpful links about hand feeding and weaning:)
(let the link load fully, it should take you to post #5)

Also what thermometer does his food needs to be?

105 F (40.5C) - some brands will allow a couple of degrees less that that, but again, check those manufacturer instructions so you know you are making the formula correctly.

Remember to allow the crop to completely empty once per 24 hours (night time is a good time for this).

 

[Blue's mom]

Instructions on the package will tell you. For eg. Kaytee is 1 part powder formula to 1.3 - 2 parts water - It should be a porridge like consistency, that is thick but moves. Link; Formula mixing tips
Other foods are similar, but may be slightly different. If you have lost the instructions, I listed all of them from the manufacturers here;
Some helpful links about hand feeding and weaning:)
(let the link load fully, it should take you to post #5)


105 F (40.5C) - some brands will allow a couple of degrees less that that, but again, check those manufacturer instructions so you know you are making the formula correctly.

Remember to allow the crop to completely empty once per 24 hours (night time is a good time for this).

Thank you so much! His last feeding was at 12:30pm yesterday and it was still semi full so i didn't feed him again for rest of the evening..I was worried I was hungry... but this info is very helpful

This was his crop size in the evening. So I didn't give him anything until it empties.

 

[Blue's mom]

Also this is the hand feeding food I give him. What do you mean by 1 part is like tsp, tbsp? Thats what confuses me lol.



I don't have a food thermometer so I gotta purchase one for him... is there any other way I can get it to right temperature until i purchase it?



I just have so much anxiety that I'm doing something wrong... I don't want to hurt him.

 

[Zara]

His last feeding was at 12:30pm yesterday and it was still semi full so i didn't feed him again for rest of the evening..

This is not right.
The feeding schedule would have the last feed in the evening, then overnight the crop empties completely, and feed number one of the day will be to a bird with an empty crop.

Also this is the hand feeding food I give him. What do you mean by 1 part is like tsp, tbsp? Thats what confuses me

Ok, so Higgins was on the list in the link I posted above. They say their formula ratio should be 1part powder to 1.5-2water.
So you add one scoop of powder, and 2 scoops of boiled water.
No matter what size scoop you use, for ever one scoop of powder you put in the bowl, you need to put 1.5 to 2 scoops of water.

inTune Hand Feeding — Higgins Premium Pet Foods

www.higginspremium.com

(cilck ¨feeding guidelines¨)

I don't have a food thermometer so I gotta purchase one for him... is there any other way I can get it to right temperature until i purchase it?

Go to the chemist/pharmacy, they usually sell them there in the baby section

I just have so much anxiety that I'm doing something wrong... I don't want to hurt him.

Are you able to get the ¨breeder¨ to take the bird back and wean them for you?

 

[Blue's mom]

This is not right.
The feeding schedule would have the last feed in the evening, then overnight the crop empties completely, and feed number one of the day will be to a bird with an empty crop.

Do think I did something wrong?


Ok, so Higgins was on the list in the link I posted above. They say their formula ratio should be 1part powder to 1.5-2water.
So you add one scoop of powder, and 2 scoops of boiled water.
No matter what size scoop you use, for ever one scoop of powder you put in the bowl, you need to put 1.5 to 2 scoops of water.

inTune Hand Feeding — Higgins Premium Pet Foods

www.higginspremium.com

(cilck ¨feeding guidelines¨)
^^^ okay thank you. I understand now.

Go to the chemist/pharmacy, they usually sell them there in the baby section

Will definitely do that.


Are you able to get the ¨breeder¨ to take the bird back and wean them for you?

Sadly no ...

 

[Zara]

If his crop was not flat/empty completely/no formula inside this morning then there is very likely a problem.
Food prepped incorrectly, served at incorrect temp, and chick being housed at low temp/too low humidity can all contribute to problems.

Where is the baby living currently? (setup?)

Hopefully someone with macaw chick experience will be along soon to help you out. I only know the little, little guys, so I can´t help you with feeding schedule.

 

[Blue's mom]

If his crop was not flat/empty completely/no formula inside this morning then there is very likely a problem.
Food prepped incorrectly, served at incorrect temp, and chick being housed at low temp/too low humidity can all contribute to problems.

Where is the baby living currently? (setup?)

Hopefully someone with macaw chick experience will be along soon to help you out. I only know the little, little guys, so I can´t help you with feeding schedule.

Hi his crop empty out this morning. I have a big box where he stays... I put a cotton cloth for him to keep him warm.


Also when he sees I'm eating, he gets wild like he wants to eat what I'm eating... is that normal?

 

[Fia Baby]

I think he needs some additional warming at his age (he's not fully feathered). Being warmer will help speed his gut transit time. What is the room temp? How many times per day are you feeding him? Does he beg for food? If he's begging for food, he needs to be fed. You mentioned he wants your food. How does he act when you feed him - is he vigorously pumping? Have you fed a chick before? If you see his crop being slow to empty, you can give him a small amount of warm water and massage it very gently. Only give the water if you're confident you can do it without aspiration. What does his poop look like? You could post a picture.

 

[Anna&Aruan]

If he's begging for food, he needs to be fed.

That is corect, however, a lot of times babys will beg for food right after eating or even while eating (happened with my baby tiel way too many times), just be sure not to overfeed him if thats the case, it may look like isnt full yet but you should stick to the 10% of his weight, he will eventually stop crying

Also, be sure that the room is hot enough, im not sure about how warmth a maccaw need at this age, without the proper temperature it can slow its crop down and cause problems, that is also the why the formula cant be too cold, if its too cold it can be prone to slow crop, yeast and fungi. Maybe a heat pad would be good for keeping him warm, just be sure that it's not way too hot.

 

[Blue's mom]

That is corect, however, a lot of times babys will beg for food right after eating or even while eating (happened with my baby tiel way too many times), just be sure not to overfeed him if thats the case, it may look like isnt full yet but you should stick to the 10% of his weight, he will eventually stop crying

Also, be sure that the room is hot enough, im not sure about how warmth a maccaw need at this age, without the proper temperature it can slow its crop down and cause problems, that is also the why the formula cant be too cold, if its too cold it can be prone to slow crop, yeast and fungi. Maybe a heat pad would be good for keeping him warm, just be sure that it's not way too hot.

I got the scale today n I'm feeding him 10% of his weight. He is 667g.

 

[Blue's mom]

I think he needs some additional warming at his age (he's not fully feathered). Being warmer will help speed his gut transit time. What is the room temp? How many times per day are you feeding him? Does he beg for food? If he's begging for food, he needs to be fed. You mentioned he wants your food. How does he act when you feed him - is he vigorously pumping? Have you fed a chick before? If you see his crop being slow to empty, you can give him a small amount of warm water and massage it very gently. Only give the water if you're confident you can do it without aspiration. What does his poop look like? You could post a picture.

Hi I feed him 3 times a day but I try not to over feed him. I weigh him today and he's 667g so I feed him 10% of his weight... no he isn't vigorously pumping.. I posted the pic of his poop.... I give him a lil bit of water everyday...

 

[Itsr2r]

Hi I feed him 3 times a day but I try not to over feed him. I weigh him today and he's 667g so I feed him 10% of his weight... no he isn't vigorously pumping.. I posted the pic of his poop.... I give him a lil bit of water everyday...

Hi.

Glad you got a scale, that it very important. Even more important is to have a thermometer to check the temperature of the formula you are feeding which as already stated should be around 105f/40.5c.

Weight the baby first thing in the morning “when the crop should be empty” and use that as your daily feed guide Of roughly 10% feed. Some babies like a little less and some a little more. The crop should never feel very tense from being over filled or filled so much that the baby vomits it back out immediately after feeding.

As for giving water during the day, well, at this point they get their water in the formula. You don’t see mama birds carrying buckets of water back to the nest so supplemental water is not necessary. That being said, after each feeding, you can offer a couple cc/ml’s of water (even mixed with some ACV) to clean out residual food left in the mouth to reduce any other potential problems with yeast.

At this age you can also start offering pelleted foods, small diced veggies, crumbled nuts and other bird treats but hold back on fruits still. You want to offer stuff the tongue can explore basically.