IndianRingNeck.com

Hi everyone i was just wondering if someone could give me some advice. I am looking into getting an IRN and have been successful in finding someone who has successfully bred them many times before and has a new set of chicks which are approx 4-5 weeks old. They are not hand fed and are still in the nest with their parents so my dilema is that i live 5 hours away from the breeder. I am going past where the breeder lives in a week so im wondering if 5-6 week old chicks are too young to pick up and how hard it is to hand feed them and rear them at such a young age. i have tried researching as much as possible but all i keep reading is they are better to get when they are weaned but having said that i live so far away. is it possible to take on the roll myself without too much fuss and exactly what would i likely to be in for if i do take this gorgeous little baby on? also i have one single black-masked lovebird would there be much conflicting issues between them? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thankyou in advance..... Rachael

I think your best bet here is to talk to the breeder. Make sure they really show you how to hand-feed. Choose an age where the feedings can fit in with your schedule. Be mindful that chicks of that age already know who their parents are and might not want food from you at all.

Personally, I would wait and take a just weaned youngster. They will be just as tame once they're used to you as any hand-fed baby. It might take a little extra time, but the hassle at this age of hand-feeding doesn't seem worth it.

As far as the lovebird, you won't know until they meet one another. Some lovebirds are evil/territorial and will bite toes off other bird's feet, and some IRNs will do that too. It really depends on the birds.

Hi thanks for your reply, i ended up with a 2 week old baby who i have sinced hand reared myself into the most loving member of our family his/her name is Twiggly and is now almost 9 weeks old and doing brilliantly and is one very spoilt little bird.
He/she has not had much to do with my lovebird and i tend to keep them seperate anyway just in case. thanks again for your reply and hope you have a very merry christmas.

derp. That's what I get for being away so long and not checking post dates. I'm happy you're doing so well with Twiggly.