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This section covers some basic handrearing tips and techniques.

 

While every care is taken that information provided is correct we do not accept any liability in this respect. If in doubt contact an Avian veterinarian for advice.

There are a few basic rules that MUST ABSOLUTELY BE FOLLOWED. These are:
 
1. Cleanliness/Hygiene: Your baby birds must ALWAYS be in clean and dry containers. Do not leave the containers too long between cleans as this can have a serious effect on the health of the baby. Cleaning frequency will depend on the type of bird, the age of the birds, the size of the container and the number of birds housed.
Even more important than keeping the containers clean is keeping feeding utensils absolutely clean. This means boiling them after each use - especially for younger chicks.
 
2. Boil the water: Before feeding any water used to mix food should be boiled to kill bacteria that may be present in the water. Boiled water should be allowed to cool to around 60C before it is added to the hand-rearing mix. 
 
3. Check the temperature of the food: If food is fed too hot you can cause serious injury to your babies. For most birds a temperature around 40C is good. You can use a thermometer to check this exactly or you can test the food temperature like you would a human baby's bottle. Place a small amount of food on the underside of your wrist, if it burns it is too hot...
Cold food will usually not be consumed readily and is also not very good for the body temperature of the babies but rather feed a little too cold than a little too hot.

 

5. Temperature of accommodation: Baby birds do not generate enough warmth to maintain their own temperature because they do not yet have the insulation of feathers. They should be kept warm and dry - more on recommended temperatures in the sections relating to specific ages below.

 

5. No Drafts: Birds do not tolerate drafts. Even adult birds should NEVER be left in a draft as this almost invariably lead to serious illness. 

Some general guidelines for housing and feeding of the chicks of larger parrots like the African Grey, Amazons, Cockatoos and the like. NOTE, not all of these birds wean at the same age so the timeline should not be applied 'blindly'. If you are unsure contact an expert. You should always observe your birds carefully and react to unexpected changes in behaviour, appearance and weight.
1 - 28 days old.

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Best housed in a plastic container. Cover this container with a towel or other breathable material - DO NOT USE A LID THAT SEALS (this will likely lead to suffocation).

We recommend using a soft absorbent liner such as a towel, paper towels or wood shavings:

1-5 days ~ 37C

5-14 days ~33C

14-28 days ~29C

 

These temperatures are a guide only and many variables come into play like the number of chicks per container, whether the baby has been plucked by parents etc. Watch the babies, if they are panting and their wings are sagging they are likely too hot, if they are shivering they are likely too cold.

 

Feeding Frequency:

It is difficult to give set 'rules' for this. You should be guided by the baby. The longer it takes for the crop to empty the longer you can leave them between feeds. IT IS VITAL THAT THE CROP EMPTY'S OVERNIGHT (or whatever time is the longest time between feeds), if not the bird may be ill and veterinary advice should be sought. Slowing of digestion is a useful check for any digestive problems and also for other infections. 

1 day to 3 days: 2 hourly with a break of around 6 hours during the night - the baby's parents cant forage at night either and will run out of food to feed it. Opinions vary on this and many breeders do feed through the night.

4 days to 14 days: 4 hourly = 6 feeds per day reducing to 5 feeds

2 weeks to 4 weeks: 4 times daily reducing to 3 times daily

 

4-8 weeks old.

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Babies can (and should) now be put into cages IN A TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED ROOM. A wire mesh floor with relatively small 'holes' is recommended (6mm or 13mm square welded mesh works well) so that the babies can sit comfortably on the wire whilst droppings and other mess fall through. A perch should be provided but should be placed very near the bottom of the cage so that the babies can easily reach it to practice perching and so that it is not a serious fall when they fail.

It is at this age that you should also provide a dish with adult food in. Seed, Pellets and Soft Food can be provided depending on your preferences. Fruit and veg should also be made available daily so that the babies can start learning to eat by themselves. The more varied the diet the better as this makes life easier when they get older

 

At this age the temperature can be reduced to 28C dropping to as low as 25C by 8 weeks of age (if ourside temperatures are below this). It is not a problem to keep the babies at around 28C for a longer period and even 30C is quite a normal temperature in summer months when most babies are born in most of the range states where parrots breed.

 

Feeding Frequency:

Babies should now be fed twice a day which will encourage them to help themselves to the adult food you provide (you can feed 3 times daily for a while or on alternate days if it seems necessary but it is important they go a little hungry or they have little incentive to eat by themselves).

8-12 Weeks.

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The baby should now be fed only once a day, preferably in the evenings so it goes to sleep with a nice full crop. Perches can be raised a bit in the cage IF the babies are more confident and agile.

 

At about 12 weeks old the baby should be fully self sufficient - this varies from bird to bird so you should keep an eye on the bird checking that it does not lose weight after you stop hand feeding it. It is not uncommon to continue to feed the bird for several more weeks even if not done every day just to assist in maintaining the birds weight as well as keeping it tame. 

Different feeding methods include using a bent spoon to feed into the beak of the birds, using a syringe or squeeze bottle to feed food into the beak of the bird,  or using a 'crop needle' on a syringe to feed directly into the crop of the bird. Each method has it's benefits and problems which are discussed below.
 
General notes on hand feeding:
Depending on the manufacturer each hand-rearing mix is a little different but most mix in essentially the same way. 
1. Use BOILED water which you let cool to mix with the hand-rearing powder in CLEAN containers using CLEAN utensils. The consistency should be somewhat runny but not watery. It is safer to feed food that is a bit too runny than too dry as excess liquid will be excreted but since the birds (especially at the very early stages) do not have access to water fluids cannot be ingested other than from the food.
If you are feeding many babies (thus mixing a lot of food) it may be easier to use a stick blender to mix the food - you don't want any lumps that can get stuck in a syringe or other tube. 
2. It is useful to have a hot water 'bath' available to put the food container into to help maintain the temperature of the food - especially if using the spoon method and/or feeding many babies.
The Spoon Method.

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This is probably the most commonly used method by novices. It is relatively simple and has very little risk to the babies.

Basically you use a spoon with the sides bent in slightly to give a better 'funnel' to feed food into the birds beak. It is useful to support the bird's head when doing this. The baby will eat the food from the spoon at it's own pace so there is very little risk of choking or other problems. It is the most time consuming method. 

The Syringe or Bottle Method.

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This is the most popular method with many breeders. It has a very low risk to the birds and does not really require any experience to do safely. 

After the food is mixed you either suck it into a syringe (depending on the species and age of the birds one may use a small or a large syringe) or pour it into the squeeze bottle. You then place the end of the bottle or syringe into the corner of the birds beak (not down it's throat) and slowly squeeze food into it's beak from where the baby will swallow the food itself. It is useful to support the bird's head when doing this. This is the method we recommend as it is relatively easy, low risk and quick. 

Crop Feeding.

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Crop feeding is the fastest way to feed babies. It is useful when babies are particularly fussy (if they were taken at a late stage from the nest) but it is also by far the most risky and required proper training and skill and should not be attempted by novices. 

This method utilises a steel, plastic or rubber tube attached to the end of a syringe which is put down the bird's throat and directly into the crop. Great care should be taken to avoid the trachea as well as in checking the food temperature as the bird cannot refuse food that is too hot or too cold.

Below is an excerpt from the Avi Zandum Magazine. Some more information and slightly different views on handrearing are presented here.

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Copyright 2023 © Company name. No animals were harmed in the making.

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