Starting weaning

[lilibet]

My Alex is now somewhere between 6 and 7 weeks old. After antibiotics and various yeast medications he's been back to the vet who found nothing at all wrong with him. This despite the fact that he still has no feeding response and is continuing to vomit. I'm having to deal with the vomiting by giving him more frequent, smaller meals. Other than his food issues he seems to be fine. He's nodding off in my lap at the moment - he got tired of playing with his clothes peg and came over for a snuggle.

He's showing a lot of interest in solids, especially pellets and puffed corn balls, and I'm pretty sure that some of it is even making it into his crop. The galah, who is the same age, has also started weaning and is down to 3 feeds a day (that is, me attempting to feed him 3 times a day and him taking 2 spoonfuls then clamping his beak shut). The problem I face is whether to also reduce the Alex's feeds. Because he has no feeding response I've got no cues from him about when and how much he needs. I'm nervous about decreasing his formula feeds but I don't want to fill him up when he would otherwise be eating, and delay his progress unnecessarily. There's no sign of vomiting when he's eating solids so he seems to tolerate real food much better than formula.

What would be a safe way to approach weaning with him, that will allow him to increase his solids intake without jeopardising his nutrition?

 

[MikeyTN]

What formula are you using??? They shouldn't be vomiting their formula out like that unless over fed or going down the wrong pipe. Or formula is too hot! Perhaps you need to re-evaluate how your feeding them and the way your making your formula and such. How many feedings a day are you giving the Alex? By breaking it up in smaller feeding is a good idea! When birds are ready to fledge or during fledge, they would not eat as much as they did before to cut down weight and ready for take off to fly.

 

[lilibet]

He's on Vetafarm Neocare. It goes into the syringe at 41 degrees C, and I've checked the consistency with the vet (not that I had any doubt - I've raised quite a few birds without any problems). The crop needle is definitely going into his crop. Everything is sterilised by boiling, including the water I use to make the formula.

On a good day, with little or no vomiting, he gets 4 x 20ml feeds at 5 hour intervals. On bad days I feed him every 3 to 4 hours, depending on how much he's tolerating. Sometimes he'll even vomit after a 10ml feed. His crop has always been tight but it shouldn't be that tight! It's possible that it's behavioural, or that he's developed an overly sensitive oesophagus/crop. The vet couldn't find any yeast but I'm continuing to give him Nilstat at her suggestion.

I expect both the babies will fledge in the next few days. I know they do cut back on the food in the leadup to fledging but he doesn't really have any weight to lose! I don't mind feeding him more frequently but I do worry about him.

 

[MikeyTN]

80ml per feeding at 5hr interval???? I highly doubt a Alex baby can stuff that much formula and that many times per day at 5 hr interval. Like I've said, rethink how your feeding, amounts, time interval, etc. Because of what you've said is telling me you don't really know even though you said you've done it before. I've raised many chicks throughout the years and I'm sure other breeders would agree.

 

[lilibet]

80ml!!! Um no, 20ml four times per day. He weighs 215g so he should be getting 21.5ml, but 20ml seems to be his limit. Sorry if you didn't get the "4 x 20ml" - that's a daily total.

 

[MikeyTN]

That makes more sense! Cut one of the feeding out! Extend the hours to every 7 hrs.