hand feeding issues :(

sillabub

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Aug 1, 2013
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a while back i got my furst breeding fischeri birds and they procided me with the sweetest chick. now at 4,5 weeks i started handfeeding her and it doesnt work out very well. ive never handfeeded before and its a mess - food all over the place all over me and all over my baby. obviously she doesnt like feeding time (have fed her 3 times now) and i dont think she gets enough food (about 10 cc then she refuses completely.) i feel frustrated because i really want it to work to make her tame but im really scared for her health. is this nowmal that feeding in the beginning is messy or am i doing something very wrong? i just feel like abandoning it alltogether at this point, i feel like a complete animal abuser.
 

ShellyBorg

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Apr 8, 2013
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Jump on Youtube and watch as many videos on how to do it as you can. Make sure the temp is right. You HAVE to have a thermometer! In the beginning it is messy. You both have to work it out to get it down right. Learn as much as you can. Take a deep breath and Good luck!
 

crimson

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Oct 8, 2012
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do you mean 10cc's in one feeding?...or 10'cc's for the entire day?

4.5 weeks is really late to pull a chick and feed it. at that age they are completely fearful of humans, which might be the main issue for the mess.
just make sure you wash it off--literally run her under the tap with warm water, or it will harden like cement and become very difficult to remove later....and it may even bother her to some extent.

10 cc's is plenty in one feeding!...give it about 4 days, she will start to come around.

by this time you really should be introducing millet for starters, then pellets/seed, then veggies, and add a water dish into the cage as well, make sure it is kept clean!
they tend to perch on it and poop in the water. all dishes should be on the floor of the cage at this stage.

within about 3 weeks time she will be eating mostly on her own, so you have that time to start weening her.
 
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sillabub

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Aug 1, 2013
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thank you for your answers! tha latest feed turned out much better she actually wanted to feed quite a bit. it turned out i was pretty much completely off with the warmth of the food so thanks for the help with that :) crim in sweden people generally are pretty anti handfeeding and handfeeding from 3-4 weeks seem pretty standard for many ive talked to. i have handeled her since birth so shes not affraid of me at all. i have seed for her in her nursery. i just really hope this situation with feeding time will ruin our relationship so that she gets affraid of my hands or something like that. i also wonder what the difference in behaviour is from if you handle the bird and let parents feed or if you feed the chick dont they get tame either way?
 

Pajarita

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Jul 11, 2013
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Why don't you try co-parenting? It's what is now recommended for baby birds and I know an excellent breeder in South Africa that has been doing it for years and swears it's a 1000 times better for the development of the baby than just hand-feeding - and they come out just as tame!
 

ShellyBorg

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Apr 8, 2013
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Redding, CA
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TAG Spirit,RLA Danny,Senegal Damon, Parrotlet Opal, B&G Paris
I have read a couple studies about this and would love to try it. The only con was that the parrots did not talk as fast or as soon as hand raised, bit the plues was they where 100% mentally stable and did not "over "bond with owners.
 

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