quaker parrots due need advice!

[Crookie]

hi, i have some quaker parrots due.. never done this before would rather not hand rear them. i was just wondering as i dont work more than 8 hours a day if there is a possible age where i can take them from parents (couple of weeks old) to rear them so they get really tame and get nice friendly home and i only have to feed every 8 hours before work and when i get home? and how long can i handle them for? literally a step by step would help.. i know the temperature the feed should be just not what consistency.im going to use kaytee exact i think as has good reviews. literally any and all info never done it! thanks

 

[Kiwibird]

What is your plan should the parents not sit on the eggs or reject the chicks and they need hand feeding from day 1? Birds are not always very good parents, especially the first few clutches.

 

[LordTriggs]

yes Kiwi I was going to say. Having a baby parrot is much like having a baby human in you run to their schedule, not the other way around many people who work normal hours and get newborn babies will actually take time off work to feed them and will also take the babies into work with them to feed, if their boss is okay with it. If the parents were to abandon the babies they need feeding every couple hours including at night for a couple weeks before the feeding go down to more manageable times. But even then what if baby bird does go to only needing 2 feedings a day but has decided those times should be 2 hours before work and then 7 hours later? Breeding birds is a full time job which requires knowledge which you aren't going to learn in a week or 2 and it is also expensive as really you need specialist equipment that can set people back well over $1000, that's why birds cost so much. If it was easy then everyone would do it.

 

[Crookie]

hi and thanks ill obviously have to if that happens and let work know before hand that i MAY need a bit of time off, but back to my previous question? because then ill know how to feed.. and how long ill need time off for till they can be fed every 8 hours i assume itll all be the same but on day one you have to cleanse them before feeding. ive got an incubator as ive hatched eggs before.

 

[Crookie]

basically the short is, ill do what i have to do. but then need to get back to work when theyre up to 8 hour feedings. and i have family that can help out but would rather do feedings myself so its done right. any advice would help now you know my situation im sure someones been in this situation before wasnt even expecting eggs thoguht they were bot male! obviously not and im shocked to say the least. i really want to be prepared and give them the best chance.

 

[LordTriggs]

how long is a piece of string?

some birds can go from birth to fully weaned on their own in 8 weeks or so. Other birds can take months to wean. There's no way to tell

 

[itzjbean]

I am also expecting! And I also work 8 hour days 5 days a week. I am planning to pull babies at 2.5-3 weeks and begin handfeeding. By that time they will require feeding 3-4 times a day, 3-4 hours apart. But I am prepared to take them on caring for the babies should the parents reject or abandon them at any moment. All my supplies are ready.

Do you have a brooder on hand? You will need a way to keep 2-3 week old babies warm 24/7 until they grow feathers and can regulate their body temperature. Commercial brooders are around $500, a DIY one (as I have done) still cost me around $200 (digital humidity/temp reader, humidifier, heat lamp, aquarium with topper, extra heat lamp bulb, bedding, cleaning supplies.)

Do you have experience handfeeding and have supplies needed? You will need a food thermometer, syringes, handfeeding formula, and knowledge of proper temperatures and consistency of formula. Do you know proper temps? This is SO IMPORTANT or you can and will kill the babies.

Do you have knowledge of how to wean babies off formula and how to transition them from formula to parrot food? From bedding to perching?

Do you have a certified avian vet at the ready to call should you run into problems or need assistance?

All of these factors are SO important, and as mentioned above a breeder must be prepared should the parents reject the babies or neglect them, YOU must step in to save them with the materials listed above. This actually happened to me in their last clutch, there was a runt baby that was picked on and feathers pulled by mom bird. I had to pull him and handfeed to weaning, or I'm 100% sure the mom would have killed him. If you don't have the supplies listed above to take on raising babies, then don't allow the babies to hatch. Your new babies may end up suffering from your inexperience

Also I don't know where you are getting your information but the babies will starve if you feed once every 8 hours... not sure where you are getting your info but they need much more feedings than that at that age to keep alive. You will likely have to come home for lunch to feed them should you choose that route.

 

[Crookie]

hi, thanks for reply. yes i have a brooder heating plate that i used once for my chickens and worked really well! obviously going to sterilise it before uyse..

i know a bit about hand feeding but havent actually done it ive seen videos but i know it needs to be at 105 degrees farenheit. and when babies are younger consistency needs to be more watery that normal so its easier to digest never wants to be clumpy..thats all i know i havent ever done this before so its a bit forign i dont know how to wean parrots off. that is actually a good idea about an avian vet thankyou..yes i didnt mean i want to feed them when theyre really young evry 8 hours im not an absolute novice or a fool lol... i mean when theyre like 6 weeks or something.its obvious a bird of that size uses alot oif energy and has a high metabolism moreso when born to about a month old.

 

[itzjbean]

hi, thanks for reply. yes i have a brooder heating plate that i used once for my chickens and worked really well! obviously going to sterilise it before uyse..

i know a bit about hand feeding but havent actually done it ive seen videos but i know it needs to be at 105 degrees farenheit. and when babies are younger consistency needs to be more watery that normal so its easier to digest never wants to be clumpy..thats all i know i havent ever done this before so its a bit forign i dont know how to wean parrots off. that is actually a good idea about an avian vet thankyou..yes i didnt mean i want to feed them when theyre really young evry 8 hours im not an absolute novice or a fool lol... i mean when theyre like 6 weeks or something.its obvious a bird of that size uses alot oif energy and has a high metabolism moreso when born to about a month old.

Thanks for the reply. Baby parrots are much more sensitive than chickens. They need a consistent temperature in the brooder to thrive without much fluctuation. Newborns will need around 98-99 degrees and then it lowers to around 85-90 degrees at 2-3 weeks. They also need humidity of 50-70% or they will get too dry.

With the information you have given I would advise you to reconsider pulling chicks, as you don't have a proper brooder, knowledge of handfeeding or know how to wean. It is such a complex process that it should not be attempted by those without the right equipment or knowledge.

 

[Crookie]

i guess ill just have to go get help from a local breeder down the roadi have a large hanging heat lamp and by the sound of it thge bbrooder is the same as for chickens just more humidity ill just need to be shown how to hand feed and wean, thanks anyway

 

[LordTriggs]

why is it you want to breed them as a general question? Have they actually laid eggs or are they just mating? Have you also had them DNA tested? You could very well have 2 males or 2 females on your hand, homosexuality isn't really a hang up in the animal world so if you're just seeing thm mating it doesn't necessarily mean babies will happen.

Also an important point that has been forgotten. How old are your birds? If they're just becoming sexually mature then letting them breed is in short the worst idea ever. It's like having a 12 year old have a baby.

I would seriously reconsider letting them breed, even if they are the right age to breed you need to do a lot more research on it which I can assure you it takes longer than a couple weeks to learn the ins and outs of. If they do lay eggs you can swap them out with fake eggs and they can sit on those until they get bored, then if you want to breed them you can wait a year where you can research and learn everything then let them have some eggs then.

 

[Crookie]

theyve already had eggs thats why i was asking and saying theyre due and ive only had them 5 months so unless they are older and i didnt know.. im surprised and so lucky there was ni egg binding in the female.. i think ill just go down the road and have a chat with a bloke and see if he can help out just incase need them rearing his wife usually does his so can probably work out a deal.but the female is sitting on them theyve had 7 eggs. thanks

 

[Crookie]

and no havent had them dna tested i got them from baytree garden centre and never saw the need to really didnt plan on this but now the eggs have been laid i want to keep them lol so ill ask someone i know tomorrow if not i just wont be able to have them which is a shame really.

 

[susan10575]

Hi everyone! I just signed up.I'm trying to learn to navigate thru here so please bear with me.
I live in South Florida, my son works for a major company here..they occasionally have to remove a nest for safety reasons. A co-worker said he had 6 baby birds..my son asked if he could take them otherwise they would have been destroyed..so I now am hand feeding and raising them. I have had them for about 8 days now. 2 baby quakers are from one nest and they look to be almost 3 weeks..the other 4 are from the other nest and their eyes are just starting to open a little. I have read everything I can get my hands on..I've got the temp and texture of their food right..I'm using Kaytee (exact) I am feeding them about every hour from 7:30 am til 9:30 pm..sometimes their crop is still full so I wait a bit longer..they seem to poop when I put them back in their box after I feed them. Is that normal?Then they're down for the night except I change their bedding before I go to bed.I'm ocd so I sterilize everything. I give them just a tad of warm water to clear their esophagus I think it is from getting yeast..I've read people for it and against it but it seems logical to me. I'm using paper towels under them, I change it often as they poop alot. I keep them in the laundry room and turn the dryer on occasionally to heat the room. I try to keep it at 95°. I wait about 5 mins after they eat and hold each one..stroke them and talk to them..of course the older one's more..they really have quite the lil personalities. I am absolutely in love!! Of course were only keeping two of them..They seem to be doing really good..growing and thriving.
Can anyone suggest anything else I can do? Or something I'm doing wrong?I keep them in a box for the moment..I keep it dark when I'm not feeding them. The 2 older ones don't go back to sleep after they eat so I put them on paper towels and they try to walk but mostly scoot around and play with each other or me. At what age can they start to have more light? When can I introduce toys? The other 4 are spoken for.. at what age can I let them go to their new homes? I don't want to let anyone have them too early..
I have never raised birds before, I'm getting a crash course though..lol and thank goodness they are a strong breed...it doesn't seem to be a lot of work to me..perhaps it's because I have fallen in love with the lil guys....please tell me if I need to do anything different..
They were all snuggling together to sleep in the begining but now they seem to be pairing off..should I keep the smaller ones in a different box? They all seem to be fine together..that's something I've not seen anything written about..
I'm so glad there is a place I can come and ask questions.
Thank you so much for anything you can help me with!
S.
The 1st picture is a few days..the last I just took..two are sleeping..

Sent from my LGMP450 using Tapatalk

 

[susan10575]

Hi everyone! I just signed up.I'm trying to learn to navigate thru here so please bear with me.
I live in South Florida, my son works for a major company here..they occasionally have to remove a nest for safety reasons. A co-worker said he had 6 baby birds..my son asked if he could take them otherwise they would have been destroyed..so I now am hand feeding and raising them. I have had them for about 8 days now. 2 baby quakers are from one nest and they look to be almost 3 weeks..the other 4 are from the other nest and their eyes are just starting to open a little. I have read everything I can get my hands on..I've got the temp and texture of their food right..I'm using Kaytee (exact) I am feeding them about every hour from 7:30 am til 9:30 pm..sometimes their crop is still full so I wait a bit longer..they seem to poop when I put them back in their box after I feed them. Is that normal?Then they're down for the night except I change their bedding before I go to bed.I'm ocd so I sterilize everything. I give them just a tad of warm water to clear their esophagus I think it is from getting yeast..I've read people for it and against it but it seems logical to me. I'm using paper towels under them, I change it often as they poop alot. I keep them in the laundry room and turn the dryer on occasionally to heat the room. I try to keep it at 95°. I wait about 5 mins after they eat and hold each one..stroke them and talk to them..of course the older one's more..they really have quite the lil personalities. I am absolutely in love!! Of course were only keeping two of them..They seem to be doing really good..growing and thriving.
Can anyone suggest anything else I can do? Or something I'm doing wrong?I keep them in a box for the moment..I keep it dark when I'm not feeding them. The 2 older ones don't go back to sleep after they eat so I put them on paper towels and they try to walk but mostly scoot around and play with each other or me. At what age can they start to have more light? When can I introduce toys? The other 4 are spoken for.. at what age can I let them go to their new homes? I don't want to let anyone have them too early..
I have never raised birds before, I'm getting a crash course though..lol and thank goodness they are a strong breed...it doesn't seem to be a lot of work to me..perhaps it's because I have fallen in love with the lil guys....please tell me if I need to do anything different..
They were all snuggling together to sleep in the begining but now they seem to be pairing off..should I keep the smaller ones in a different box? They all seem to be fine together..that's something I've not seen anything written about..
I'm so glad there is a place I can come and ask questions.
Thank you so much for anything you can help me with!
S.
The 1st picture is a few days..the last I just took..two are sleeping..

Sent from my LGMP450 using Tapatalk

Sent from my LGMP450 using Tapatalk