Are you considering hand feeding your baby budgies? And even if you are planning on letting your pair raise them, are you prepared to step in and hand feed their chicks should something happen? Here is a guide on some of the basics that you will need to have on hand before beginning this time consuming but rewarding adventure.
We have also included is a basic care and feeding schedule that you will need to keep the babies on, and some other helpful information for along the way.
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It is important to choose a good formula that will provide all of the nutrients for your growing chicks!.
We have used a number of brands including Kaytee Exact, Zupreme Embrace and Roudybush. We were personally very unhappy with Kaytee exact. Not only did it not mix well but it is lacking in probiotics which we had to add after it was mixed, and the chicks seemed to always be hungry on it indicating a lack of the nutrients they needed. |
The spoons pictured to the right are an example. They are bent spoons which are designed to attach to a lour lock syringe, and can easily be removed to clean and disinfect after each use. Using these provides the ease and safety of feeding with a spoon, with the added benefit of
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A good scale will be needed to weigh your chicks daily. By doing this you will be able to keep an eye out for potential problems which often start showing in weight loss, and you can make sure each chick is getting the amount of food they individually need.
An average scale we use for weighing ourselves will not work. You will need a scale that can measure down to the gram given the small size of the babies, and you can easily find a number of inexpensive examples that will do the job in the kitchen section of your local store, or online. These are usually made for measuring food portions. |
Your chicks will need a safe and easy to clean place to stay before they are fully feathered and ready to move into a cage. For this we use what we call "nursery boxes". These are just small plastic boxes which are a similar size and shape to a nest box. We keep a light towel over 3 sides of each nursery box to hold in added heat as well.
It is important that they are not too large if your home stays at a normal temperature and you are not planning on adding an additional heat source
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After the chicks are fully feathered and are becoming more active they will need a safe cage to move to. The "weaning cage" as we like to call them are best if they are shorter and wider in size so that if the chicks fall while learning how to climb and fly they will not hurt themselves.
It will need perches of different heights and sizes so they can learn to perch and climb, as well as toys so they can explore and learn how to play while they are not out. |
Most breeders prefer to begin hand feeding at 2 or 3 weeks of age, and this is mostly a matter of personal preference. Some say that pulling at 2 weeks will make them tamer or more bonded. At 3 weeks you have the added advantage of not needing an added heat source, where as if you decide to begin at 2 weeks supplemental heat can be needed.
You can not start any later than 3 weeks though if you want the process to go smoothly, and for the chicks to take to hand feeding the easiest. |
Hand feeding formula needs to be at the correct temperature. Too cold and you will have the problems mentioned above, too hot and you will burn the chicks mouth and crop leading to a whole other set of problems.
Depending on what method you are using, the ideal temperature for the formula will be 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit 40-45 degrees Celsius. If you are using a spoon it is best to have it a few degrees warmer than when using a syringe, since once the formula hits the air it will start to cool and will end up being a few degrees cooler. |
When you first pull the chicks at 2-3 weeks they will need fed every 3-4 hours. Once the chicks are 4 weeks old you can begin feeding them every 5 hours, and this is the schedule you will want to keep until they wean themselves. The only break you will want to make in this routine is 8 hours or so at night for the crop to completely empty. It is essential that their crop completely empties at least once every 24 hours.
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It is very important to know when to stop feeding because you can not trust that the chick will always stop when they should. While feeding gently feel the chicks crop. When it is at just the right amount the crop should be slightly firm but still have pleanty of give to it. When it is too full it will get harder and will have little to no give.
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At 2-3 weeks of age the chicks will start becoming more active, exploring their limited enviornment as much as they can. It is during this time that you can start introducing things for the chicks to experement with progressivly, depending on their age and whether they are in the nursery boxes or weaning cages.
Be very careful when putting any food source in a nestbox or nursery box. Keeping the box
clean and any food fresh and dropping free is very important to keep the chicks from eating spoiled food. |
Most babies usually will wean around the 6 weeks of age, but each baby is an
individual and it is important not to be unrealistic in weaning expectations. There will always be those few ornery little ones that have not read the "average budgie weaning" guide, and follow it as we might expect. These little ones have their own idea of what they would like to do, and are content to keep having us feed them 3 times a day longer than |
After weaning it is important that they have at least a couple of weeks after this to spend time with their siblings.
It is during this time that is also important to continue working on basic training like stepping up and how to be gentle with hands to make things easier for their new owners. During these few additional weeks it is essential to to continue working on bonding and trust so as to not loose some of the advantage of hand feeding. It is only after this when they are 8-10 weeks old depending on when they wean that they are ready to go to their new homes. |
For the chicks to stay healthy they need to be kept in a place that is the correct temperature for their age. Too hot or too cold will easily kill a chick if not corrected. You will need to take into consideration your climate, the average temperature of your home and the age of the chicks to decide whether you can use nursery boxes or will need a brooder.
From 2-3 weeks, the chicks need to be kept at at about 80-85 degrees fahrenheit. |
Other than diet, cleanliness is what has the biggest impact on the health of your chicks. Nursery boxes and cages need to be kept clean at all times, because the chicks will constantly be putting in their beak and eating anything and everything on the floor and in food and water dishes.
Pellet and seed mixes need to kept fresh and free of droppings too, and since many chicks tend to enjoy sleeping in their food dishes and playing in them this in itself can be quite the challenge! |
The best way to keep an eye out for potential problems with your chicks is to know what a healthy, happy chick should look like. With this in mind you can keep an eye out for any unusual behavior or symptoms.
A healthy chick should have bright and clear eyes. They will have a clean well shaped beak with the top neatly fitting into the bottom. By a few weeks they should have a nice amount of down and pin feathers that gradually come out of the sheaths. |
There is no specific number of grams for every chick at any given age. Each baby in a clutch can, and often will, weigh different daily even being raised on the same diet. Genetics plays the biggest roll in determining how much a baby will weigh, as will having a good diet so they to reach their full potential of course.
For example, what will be considered a normal baby weight at 3 weeks for a wild type budgie chick will be completely different than for a english budgie chick of the same |
Here are some common (but not all) warning signs to look for that indicate something wrong with a chick. All of these signs are serious, and most will require an avian vets expertise and hands on experience to properly diagnose and treat if needed. If you notice any of these signs, please make an appointment as soon as possible for a check up to see the cause and what can be done to treat the problem.
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