How many servings of formula per day?

rnurse

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Mar 2, 2020
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For my 7 week old Green Wing Macaw how many servings of formula should he get per day?
 

GaleriaGila

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May 14, 2016
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Poster, I note now that you have initiated several threads about buying eggs, raising baby birds, and now, delivering formula. Numerous repliers have tried to address your concerns, which to me are confusing. I will consult other moderators to discuss how we can best help you and whatever birds you are considering or dealing with. Meanwhile, please feel free to reply to a moderator privately if you like.
 
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Laurasea

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Aug 2, 2018
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I put a lot of info on your other thread, please read carefully and print out as reference

Baby parrots' hunger and nurturing needs are always changing just like ours. Figuring out when and how much to feed a baby parrot will be easy once you understand the 6 main factors.

A. Age and Weight Guidelines for Formula Amounts
Body weight can be a basic guide for how much to feed the baby. Generally, you will feed most species approximately 12% of their weight at each feeding. Very young babies and those about to wean will receive about 8 - 10%. (Example: A 6-week-old African Grey weighing 400 grams will need approximately 48 cc per feeding.) From approximately three weeks old and until the weaning process begins, most babies will need to be fed three times each day. These feedings do not need to be exactly 8 hours apart. The key factor is an empty crop. Once the crop is empty from the last feeding, you can feed again. A bird in this age range, being fed the correct amount of food, should pass all of the food through the crop in about 5 to 6 hours. This will allow about 2-3 hours for the crop to be empty before the next feeding. Keep in mind that even if the crop is empty, the intestines will still have food passing through. If you begin to see stools without a fecal portion, I.E., only urine and urates, then you may not be feeding enough at each feeding or waiting too long between feedings. The only time you should see this happen is in the morning, which is usually the longest time between feedings.

Feeding frequency is slightly different for each baby and may vary from day to day, you will easily learn the needs of your baby. The breeder and the formula instructions should give you a basic idea of how often your baby has been eating and should be eating for its age.
https://theparrotuniversity.com/arthandfeeding2
 
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rnurse

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Mar 2, 2020
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Hi Laurasea,

Thanks for your reply. I read the posts you did in entirety and found the information very useful. I noticed you said three times daily, but I wasn't sure if I should feed the baby macaw the formula 4 times daily (because he eats 4 times), or feed him formula 2 times, and blended fruit the other two meals.

I wanted to know if this meal schedule is correct. Does everyone else feed formula only, or include fruit meals in between?
 

itzjbean

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Jan 27, 2017
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A 7 week old macaw will likely eat mostly formula with smaller supplements of fruit/veggies as they wean. Green wings and other macaws of the same size wean closer to 5 months so at this stage he's still likely going to go for more formula than trying solids, but should be offered some lightly chopped fruits/veggies as he grows. He may just chew on them at first but eventually over time will come to enjoy the solids more than formula. I would offer formula 3-4 times daily at 10% of their body weight served to them at each serving.
 

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