# is it too early?



## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

my 6 week old is refusing hand feeding formula for a week now....
his crop is looking like the adults he /she eats seeds/pellets all day
but down right fights/kicks not to have to eat formula now
i force feed him/her one feeding a night when he fights during daytime i let it seed/pellets only.
is this too early for it to be weaned at 6 wks old?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Every bird is different, it all depends on the bird. I would keep an eye on his weight, but if he doesn't want to be fed and doesn't lose any weight then I would say yes he's weaned.


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## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

whats every ones average age their birds weaned at aprox....
mine was between 7 -8 weeks but one was 11 weeks before he stop that last 1 feed at night
just wondering the average ages


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## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

i am watching his weight no drastic losses in weight yet


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## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

whats your average ages you give weaned chicks at?


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## Debbie05 (Feb 9, 2010)

My 2 chics are 6 and half weeks and 1 is 6 weeks. The oldest is starting to refuse a feeding and the youngest still has a full feeding at night. He lost a little weight tonight so well weigh him in the morning and feed him a bit. He is only 70 g well the oldest was 80 g.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Try feeding him formula from a spoon instead of a syringe - just a regular spoon, not one that's bent for feeding babies. My chicks reach a stage where they DO NOT WANT to eat from the syringe but they're quite happy to eat from a spoon. You might have to shove the spoon of formula into their beaks at first to get them to taste it, but once they figure out that it's food they should start chowing down.


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## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

he/she doesn't wanna eat any formula period......
doesn't matter bent spoon flat spoon syringe or eye dropper tried it all.
it wants to be weaned.....but is it really too early for that at just 6 weeks old
the more people who answer this question the better idea everyone else who reads this too will have an aprox age for normal weaning ages


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## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

got a new question is it too early for a 2 week old to be out of a nestbox in a cage bottom.i found him 3 days in a row at least twice a day hes out of the nestbox on the cage floor in a corner snuggled up to wall.
this morning at 11am i put him back in nestbox only to find him again just now out again.
so with his parents history of having clutch after clutch (4 in a row feeding)
im wondering if i should just remove the nestbox now as baby keeps being pushed out/falls out consistantly now.and even when baby wasn't in the nestbox now
Cloud's protecting it still.im not seeing if baby is being pushed out or falling out
so if its being pushed out to make room for a new clutch should i just remove nest box to prevent them from mating/laying more eggs.they need a rest now!!!4 in a row is too much babies with no rest...
also should i just handfeed lil one now instead?and remove him and nest box to prevent more eggs? im experienced in handfeeding so thats no problem for me to do that again with this 1 chick.
whats your girls/guys thoughts on this?


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## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

see im conflicted on if i should just remove nestbox/baby and hand feed baby
and place parents in 2 different cages side/side to prevent mating

or just remove nestbox and leave baby with parents and see if they continue to feed
it outside of the nest too.

but if i leave the parents together i know they will mate again which i don't want them to do for their own health(4 in a row is too much babies)
so i feel im only left with doing option 1 remove everything/one and hand feed baby
while parents go on long nights treatments in seperate cages to prevent mating
as when they are together alone without babies in their cage the mate and start all over again with babies.i must rest them for at least 6mths now.

hmmm what to do?:wacko:


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## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

i just inspected the chick and its being plucked
now i have to hand feed the chick...and remove nestbox from the cage too.
baby has been placed in the baby cage with aspen shavings on cage floor.
parents will be seperated into each their own cages but...
what would you do now with the parents?
with a plucked chick and parents who won't stop mating/producing fertile eggs?
long night treatments don't work..so seperate cages might have to happen.
but during the daytime can the parents be put in flight cage together ?or will they mate still?
or should they be put in flight cage seperately at 1st until their hormones reduce/stop.
whats your experience in hormonal birds who won't stop mating/producing eggs,and what did you do to stop them?
oh boy
thanks all


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

Separating the birds will not prevent her from laying eggs if she is still hormonal. Search the forum for long night treatment. I'd also remove the box if they have had 4 clutches, any more is not good for the hen. Let them rest for a few months at least. Good luck


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## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

long night treatments don't work....i had them covered up to 14hrs a day it didnt work
they still mated anyways in the darkness of being covered
they will have to be seperated so no fertile eggs are laid i think
shes not a chronic egg layer she/he discovered the joy of mating after being in same cage for 2yrs with no mating to non stop mating which produces fertile clutches of eggs every time they mate
they need to be rested


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

I don't think a two week old chick is physically capable of leaving the nest by itself if this is a normal nestbox. The parents must have been pushing it out somehow, and you did the right thing by removing the baby.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

You're going to have to keep them separated, its all there is since long nights isn't working for them. And letting them out together during the day, they'll still mate so you have to wait until their hormones are reduced.


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## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

well parents are seperated...each in own cage but still side/side
baby is doing fine with handfeedings so far he in in own baby cage too.
will keep updated


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## Debbie05 (Feb 9, 2010)

My pairs are all in separate cages when breeding and after the second clutch I pull the chicks and remove the nestbox. I put the 3 pairs I have in one large flight cage together and change the location of the cage. I find they don't like the change and everyhing is new so they are less likely to breed again. If I find a egg at the bottom of the cage I leave it tell they don't both with it. Change things around on them. See if that helps.


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## mitch2006 (Jan 15, 2011)

the only thing i haven't tried was seperating them side/side
we will see how this goes .....more so for Nana/Cloud to have their much needed break from feeding chicks...
this way will stop them from having any more fertile eggs this season.
she was never an chronic egg layer before these 4 clutches..
fingers crossed she doesn't start to be one:wacko:
so far so good.... tonight is night 2 being seperated from same cage and no nesting/mating behaviours seen.

also baby is doing great


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