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How To Hand Feed a baby

iamwhoiam

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Does it look to you like the crops are filling up? How old are the babies now? What do you mean by 3 that float? Three other birds??
 

JanaBanana

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There's 3 unhatched eggs so I gave them the float test to see if they may be viable. I'm think the two are about 10 days old. I was out of town when they hatched. The crops seem to be bulging when I looked at them.
 

JanaBanana

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Quick question: do the males feed the young? Just Mamma?
 

Clairecanary15

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Yes they do if the cock bird knows what he is doing and in his prime. One of my cock birds us useless..one of my other cock birds is brilliant and a great surrogate father.

The hen feeds for a few days and then the male helps by initially feeding the hen..he then feeds the chicks.
 

JenBirds

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thanks so much I will need this information soon!! I have a clutch of baby Love birds and will hopefully have them to feed soon
 

venuebirds

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In addition to what has already been said, would you recommend an indoor aviary or an outdoor aviary to host him ? Obviously the outdoor cage will be in a safe location , protected from the rain and sun.
 

RinnLord

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It is very important to do this correctly If done wrong you can kill the baby .

This should not be done by an inexperienced person so it is best if your going to own birds of the same species and different genders To learn by a pro how to do it

Even if you have no intentions on breeding what so ever, Housing Males and Females together there is always the chance of them breeding regardless of the preventative measures you take

So be prepared a head of time

Items needed
  • Hand feeding formula
  • Syringes,Plastic spoons, or Tooth pics (depending on size-age of baby)
  • clean container to mix with( I use a small glass candy dish )
  • Paper towels
  • candy thermometer to check the temp of the formula
  • spoon or plastic knife to mix up formula
  • scale that measures in Grams


Mix the formula as per the directions on the container

Check the temp. before feeding it should be between 102-104 degrees And not over 104 degrees

Proceed to feeding

If using a syringe for feeding, begin by placing the baby on the table in front of you and inserting the tip of the syringe gently into the left side of the chick's mouth. (IMPORTANT: when the chick is facing you, his left is YOUR right.) Point the tip toward the right side of the chicks mouth. Carefully with a slow, even pressure on the syringe plunger, begin dripping the formula into the chick's mouth. You want the formula to be fed slowly so that the baby recognizes you are feeding it, and so the formula goes down into the chicks crop and not the windpipe. The amount of formula depends on the age and weight of the baby. If you keep an eye on the chick's crop, you will see it filling as you feed. Make sure you do not fill the crop to the point where the food comes up into the chick's neck; it should also not appear pendulous or over-expanded. It is a good idea to try a little at a time until you determine what is enough

I start with a syringe, but I switch between bites with a plastic disposable spoon I personally like to spoon feed rather then Syringe feed If you spoon feed you can feed them from the front of their beaks,


There are several different types of Formula I use Zupreem Personally .

Make sure you use one syringe/spoon PER baby

and After they're fed make sure to use the paper towels to wipe all the formula off , You don't want it to get hard on their beaks, in their beaks or on their feathers (it does turn into concrete and very hard to get off)

if you're having trouble getting the baby(or babies) all cleaned up a Warm wet paper towel will help, followed by a dry one. You don't want them getting chilled from getting damp while getting cleaned up

there are several schedules online on when to feed them, I don't use a schedule I let them tell me by their static cries

Be sure the crop is completely empty before feeding At least 1 time a day,

but here is one if you would like to use one.

Age of Chick Feeding Times Feeding Amounts

1-4 days Every two hours 1 - 2 cc's

5-7 days Every three hours 2 - 3 cc's

8-14 days 5xs a day Every 4 hrs 4 - 6 cc's

15-24 days 4xs a day Every 5 hrs 7 - 10 cc's

25-34 days 3xs a day 7 Am5 PM,11Pm 11 - 15 cc's

35-44 days (fledging) 2xs 7Am,7Pm 11 - 15 cc's

45 days to weaning 7:00 PM 11 - 15 cc's


Use the scale to weigh the chicks on a empty crop 1st thing in the morning
1st time you do it is the day you put them into the brooder(with an empty crop) so you'll have a "base" weight then weight them at the same time Every few days, as they get older You can weigh them at the same time Every week
Thank you so much for this post! I have just started hand feeding my Cockatiels today and so far have followed this post in what in do.

I only have one question about the formula. How do I keep the formula warm in between feeding different babies? As per someone else's recommendation, I pre-filled all of my syringes, but of course as I'm feeding 1 baby the rest of the surrenders get cold. Then, as I started to feed the rest of the babies, they really didn't want to eat, and I'm assuming it's because it was cold. Is there a better way to feed the babies and keep the formula warm?

Thank you!
 

expressmailtome

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Thank you so much for this post! I have just started hand feeding my Cockatiels today and so far have followed this post in what in do.

I only have one question about the formula. How do I keep the formula warm in between feeding different babies? As per someone else's recommendation, I pre-filled all of my syringes, but of course as I'm feeding 1 baby the rest of the surrenders get cold. Then, as I started to feed the rest of the babies, they really didn't want to eat, and I'm assuming it's because it was cold. Is there a better way to feed the babies and keep the formula warm?

Thank you!
This member has not logged in to the forum in the last seven years. @Zara , @Laurie , or @melissasparrots may be able to help you. They are all knowledgeable and very helpful.
 

melissasparrots

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Thank you so much for this post! I have just started hand feeding my Cockatiels today and so far have followed this post in what in do.

I only have one question about the formula. How do I keep the formula warm in between feeding different babies? As per someone else's recommendation, I pre-filled all of my syringes, but of course as I'm feeding 1 baby the rest of the surrenders get cold. Then, as I started to feed the rest of the babies, they really didn't want to eat, and I'm assuming it's because it was cold. Is there a better way to feed the babies and keep the formula warm?

Thank you!
I have another cup with warm water and a thermometer in it. I prefill syringes and put them all into the warm water cup. I usually have the water temp at about 110 or a little less as that is the high end of safe to feed. This way the formula doesn't get cool. Because each syringe starts out a little warm, by the time a given baby is done with the syringe, its cooler but still appetizing. Sometimes I have to refill the warm water in the cup because it cools before I'm done with the last baby. I also always confirm temp by dripping some formula on the back of my hand. When in doubt, trend a little bit toward the cooler side to avoid crop burn. 110 F is the highest formula should go. 104-108 would be considered more ideal.
 

Laurie

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I have another cup with warm water and a thermometer in it. I prefill syringes and put them all into the warm water cup. I usually have the water temp at about 110 or a little less as that is the high end of safe to feed. This way the formula doesn't get cool. Because each syringe starts out a little warm, by the time a given baby is done with the syringe, its cooler but still appetizing. Sometimes I have to refill the warm water in the cup because it cools before I'm done with the last baby. I also always confirm temp by dripping some formula on the back of my hand. When in doubt, trend a little bit toward the cooler side to avoid crop burn. 110 F is the highest formula should go. 104-108 would be considered more ideal.
@RinnLord I do exactly as Melissasparrots does
 

Laurie

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The only thing that I would disagree with is the amounts on the feeding schedule. It would not be right for cockatiels. I have caiques and it is not correct for them either. This would be for a bird who weighs at least 10-20 grams at hatching. The average amount per bird per feeding is about 10% of the body weight or about 1cc of formula per 10 grams of body weight. It does very by individual bird and the amount that the crop has stretched.
 
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