9 WEEKS UPDATE
Honestly, I cannot believe how quickly all has changed - and also how confusing the weaning stage is. This really is a period that is not well covered in literature. There's this silence that leads us to believe that bird babies go from eating formula to miraculously eating stuff out of bowls on a schedule of 'feed formula twice a day for 2 weeks, then once a day until refused.' Provide food and water in low bowls throughout the day - seems so 'simple'.
Looking at posts from people who are buying babies at this age - guys, it really isn't that simple at all!
If we apply some common sense to this, a bird who is useless at flying can't keep up with the flock to forage effectively. In a cage, logically the food is right there, but the baby instinct is deeply programmed - "I cannot fly, so the food must be brought to me!" - that is what it knows in nature, and with good reason. If it eats everything it sees, it will die, either from poisoning or from bacteria.
Simply put, baby birds are not confident about the stuff in the bowl.
So about Pickles -
LAST Saturday she stopped eating porridge and I had a tough time for 3 days, she lost 30g then settled into 2 feeds a day and gained 15g.That lasted 3 days and then she stopped eating formula again.
She is not really eating from the bowls either. She can quite convincingly 'look' like she's eating, food is picked up, crunched, moved, messed, but the crop stays empty. On one day I reluctantly allowed her to go to sleep after hardly eating the whole day. Then I woke her up at midnight and she allowed me to feed her very runny formula - I was very worried that day. The poop became smaller than a pea. It was scary! Fortunately since then, she is doing a lot better, hungrier every day.
Each day is different. Today she likes crackers, tomorrow won't touch them. Peas and corn with soaked split lentils mushed with formula gulped down one day, next day not interested - its been an adventure indeed!
The flying seems to be restricted to my sons bedroom. That is where she spends the most time out her cage, and he is telling me she flies to her cage every day now, and is flapping and running in circles on the bed.
When fledgling, baby birds are more interested in learning to fly than learning to eat. They will stop eating until they can get into the air. Babies, if clipped before they fledged, can refuse to eat because they can't get into the air. Eventually they resign themselves to the idea that they were unable to learn how to fly, leaving a bird that is less confident. I find that terribly sad
.
If I were a capitalist trying to get rid of one clutch of chicks so I can work on a new clutch, I can see how there's an opportunity to tell people on the internet that the bird feeds itself and flies and is good to re-home, and then after the sale to say the baby has regressed. Personally, I don't think 9 weeknold chicks should be re-homed.
On the lighter side - one day Pickles didn't want to eat, and I was hungry so I sat eating at the feeding tray. I put something in my mouth and it disappeared in front of her eyes - oh my, the look of horror, she screamed at me, as if saying "what have you done". Too cute. At least she realized this is a done thing, and ever since she hasn't chewed every morsel to shreds, she now swallowing all the corn, peas, berries, whole. She has become really hungry, and I am delighted that she enjoys the little oat balls I baked early on in this thread (they are stored in the freezer). It is also useful to dry seeds from pumpkin, squashes, melons and papaya, when dry I can put them in my food whiz and use the seed sprinkle on many other meals I fix for her. I have also seen these being used for sprouts, and will give that a try next week too.
Pickles still isn't too fond of fruits other than berries and granadilla (passion fruit).
