We have heard a number of people ask why hand fed babies always cost more than parent raised ones. There are a number of reasons, and we are happy to list some of them here.

When you let the parents raise their chicks, there is much much less direct work involved. Daily you need to check on the chicks, clean the nest box and feed the parents who in turn feed and care for the chicks. When hand feeding however, we are the parents. In addition to changing and washing out the chicks nursery boxes a number of times a day, temperatures need to be constantly monitored and kept at the correct levels.

When hand feeding though your schedule revolves around them, not the other way around. If you have 

a chick that is crying because they are hungry, you have to stop what you are doing and feed them each time they are hungry every day until they are fully weaned.


In addition to the extra work, there are a great deal more expense involved. Hand feeding requires more cages, nursery boxes, hand feeding syringes, spoons and hand feeding formula in addition to all of the pellets, veggies, egg food that every chick requires when parent raised.

As was mentioned above, generally speaking the parents do all of the work that requires the most time with the chicks when parent raised. In addition to the actual feeding you also have the added clean up after each feeding. Budgies chicks might seem little, but they can fling hand feeding formula into places you would never have thought possible!

Depending on how fast or slow each chick eats, it can take on average 5-10 minutes per chick from start to finish each time just for feeding and clean up alone. At the minimum before weaning, that means that on average each chick will take 35 minutes a day to feed and clean up.

Multiply that by a week and you are up to 2 1/2 hours a week, and by the time they are weaned we will have spent on average 12 hours for chick just on clean up and feeding alone by the time they are weaned! Of course some will take less time and some will take more, but you get the general idea that there is a lot of time involved just in feeding.

This is not including the time it takes to prepare fresh formula, cleaning and disinfect all of the hand feeding syringes and spoons after each feeding, preparing a variety of weaning foods and fresh water which need regularly removed and replaced to keep clean, cleaning cages from top to bottom which they constantly do their best to make a mess of. There is also the additional time to play with and snuggle each baby, which is just as essential as hand feeding in making a well rounded and well adjusted and bonded baby.  

We can imagine that considering the things mentioned above, you are starting to get an idea why hand fed babies cost more than parent raised ones. It is not something that many people are willing to do because it does take a great amount of time, money, patience, flexability and effort. In the end though for those who hand feed their little ones for the right reasons, it is more than worth it to raise a sweet and well adjusted baby that will