Hand-Feeding and Weaning

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Afraz
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Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2014 7:57 pm

Re: Hand-Feeding and Weaning

Post by Afraz »

I tried cup feeding my baby IRN, but he absolutely refuses to eat it. Finger feeding doesn't work either. He had gone without food for almost a day so I decided to tube feed him. It feels sad every time I do it, I dunno if he gets distressed when feeding him like that, but he just refuses to eat. I took him to a vet recently, and she told me that it's a natural thing for birds born in captivity. She said I should continue tube feeding.

Does anyone have any alternative methods? Because I don't want to cause unnecessary stress to the baby. :(

Thanks
Melika
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Re: Hand-Feeding and Weaning

Post by Melika »

Oh wow, sorry this got missed. I'm sure you're well beyond this point now!

For others reading in the future: there is a difference between gavage feeding (or tube-feeding) and feeding with a syringe.

Gavage feeding is not necessarily wrong. Most of the problems with gavage feeding are created by the breeder because they use this method in order to feed more quickly (so is sometimes more rough) and therefore spend less time with a bird. This is why buying a hand-fed bird doesn't always make a difference. It all comes down to spending time with the chicks and handling.

Note: You would not want to gavage feed your chick if you have no experience. Imagine someone with no experience putting a tube down your throat that's supposed to go to your stomach instead of your lungs- would you trust them to get it right?
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I've been called 'birdbrained' before, but somehow I don't think this is what they meant. say:hah-nay
Wessel Gordon
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Re: Hand-Feeding and Weaning

Post by Wessel Gordon »

This thread is very informative, thanks Melika

I have a pair of IRN's that hatch their eggs but refuse to feed the babies beyond a certain age. Last year I wasn't aware of this issue so when I noticed something's wrong it was too late to save the two chicks. We checked their nest again this morning and found a starved, dead chick and one barely alive as well as two eggs. The one that's barely alive is at most 3-4 days old. Luckily I have hand-rearing formula so I was able to feed the chick immediately after removing it from the nest...it's crop was completely empty before I intervened. I phoned an experienced breeder and he suggested I keep the bird in the microwave on a towel on top of a warm water bottle to ensure constant heat and avoid drafts (obviously the microwave has been unplugged and switched off to avoid an accident). As is stated in this thread he also recommended two hourly feedings day and night till I get a feel for how often and how much this individual chick needs. I have hand-reared several IRN's before but all of them was at least covered by down when I got them.

My question is: did he or me miss something important?

Wessel
Melika
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Re: Hand-Feeding and Weaning

Post by Melika »

Wessel Gordon wrote:This thread is very informative, thanks Melika

I have a pair of IRN's that hatch their eggs but refuse to feed the babies beyond a certain age. Last year I wasn't aware of this issue so when I noticed something's wrong it was too late to save the two chicks. We checked their nest again this morning and found a starved, dead chick and one barely alive as well as two eggs. The one that's barely alive is at most 3-4 days old. Luckily I have hand-rearing formula so I was able to feed the chick immediately after removing it from the nest...it's crop was completely empty before I intervened. I phoned an experienced breeder and he suggested I keep the bird in the microwave on a towel on top of a warm water bottle to ensure constant heat and avoid drafts (obviously the microwave has been unplugged and switched off to avoid an accident). As is stated in this thread he also recommended two hourly feedings day and night till I get a feel for how often and how much this individual chick needs. I have hand-reared several IRN's before but all of them was at least covered by down when I got them.

My question is: did he or me miss something important?

Wessel
Was this pair hand-raised? Have all their previous clutches been taken away for hand-feeding? Some breeders have told me that these things can sometimes create a situation where the parents won't rear the chicks beyond a certain point. Either because they have no experience from being a chick, or because they've never had to. They don't really know, this is just theory.
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Melika
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Re: Hand-Feeding and Weaning

Post by Melika »

Checked links and added a few more about hand-feeding. Enjoy. :)
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I've been called 'birdbrained' before, but somehow I don't think this is what they meant. say:hah-nay
Tarlo5
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Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2016 12:59 am

Re: Hand-Feeding and Weaning

Post by Tarlo5 »

Question: l have 3 baby ringnecks about 3 weeks old . When is a good time to take them from there mum and dad.
We handle the babies every day , twice a day. We want to hand tame them
Melika
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Re: Hand-Feeding and Weaning

Post by Melika »

Sorry for the extremely delayed response, but to help others with similar questions...

Tarlo5 wrote:Question: l have 3 baby ringnecks about 3 weeks old . When is a good time to take them from there mum and dad.
We handle the babies every day , twice a day. We want to hand tame them
You don't have to take them away at all if you're spending time with them daily like that. They will still be just as good of a pet. :)

If you absolutely want to, you could have easily taken them around 2 weeks. At 3 weeks it might be harder to get them to accept the formula. But you can try (if you're experienced).
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I've been called 'birdbrained' before, but somehow I don't think this is what they meant. say:hah-nay
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