Handfeeding

The biggest reason for handfeeding your lovebirds is to raise friendly, loveable pets. The handfeeding process bonds them to you. It is virtually impossible to tame a bird once it has been raised by its parents.

A second reason one might handfeed is in a case where the chicks have been abandoned, or underfed, or mistreated by the parents.

Ideally, you should start handfeeding when your chicks are abo

ut two weeks old. I have successfully handfed babies beginning at 4 weeks, however, the older they are, the more likely that they will have trouble learning how to eat from a syringe.

I use Kaytee Exact handfeeding formula. If there is no formula available in your area, you can actually use Gerber's baby cereal. (My first chick was raised on Gerbers alone and turned out great!) Mix the formula with very warm water (105-108 degrees F.) about the temperature of a warm jacuzzi.

I put the warm formula in a small container and float it in a bowl of hot water to help keep the formula from cooling.

If the formula is too hot it will burn the babies' crops. If it is too cold they will not eat it - or not eat enough.

I prefer to use syringes with rubber o-rings (because they work much more smoothly) and curved tips (because they seem to fit more naturally into the birds' mouths, and can be trimmed to get the desired flow of formula.)

As you feed the baby, you will see the crop getting full. It forms a bubble-like bulge below their "throat." On smaller chicks, you can see the actual bubbles on either side of their necks (between my middle and ring fingers in the picture.)

The babies will usually bob up and down as the eat the formula from the syringe.

After feeding, I always give the birds a drink of warm water. This nelps to avoid dehydration as well as clean out the bird's mouth to help prevent infection.

For an article on how much an how often to feed your babies,click here.

 

Available Babies