# when will i know if chick is weaned?



## Amyy (Apr 23, 2011)

my 42 day old chick eats millet sprays and nothing else ...i am handfeeding him ,but lately he has been only having a little ml of the formula..i used to feed him 15 ml of the formula earlier but he only has 10ml now!
he refuses the rest..
when will i know whether he is fully weaned...???


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## JaimeS (Nov 28, 2011)

I am no expert in this area but I seem to recall that they are considered weaned after completely refusing four feedings in a row. So keep offering the formula as long as the baby is eating some. Someone else will be able to confirm if this is right. Sounds like you are making great progress!


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Yes..a chick is considered weaned after refusing the eat formula 4 times in a row. However, you need to offer stuff other than millet spray. Give him loose seed, pellets, and veggies to try. Millet cannot be a food for sustaining body weight. 

I also say they've been weaned (or weaned well) when they can keep their body weight up eating on their own..so use your gram scale frequently.


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## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

Also 6 weeks is a bit young to be weaned..so don't push him. The normal weaning age is between 8-12 weeks. So take your time.


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## Amyy (Apr 23, 2011)

thankyou everybody!
i guess ill continue with the feedings....
and he doesnt even look at the veggies and seed bowls...
he loves the millets a lot


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

Why are you feeding 15 cc? 10 cc is the most you should feed at once, 1 cc for every 10 grams of body weight, stopping at 10. If he's still eating 10 cc then he's not weaned, he may be trying to lose weight for flight. Too much food at once can cause problems down the line for your bird. At 6 weeks the bird should still be on 2-3 feedings a day, try feeding 10% of it's weight twice a day and see if it will eat it.


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## Debbie05 (Feb 9, 2010)

You could try sprinkling some millet over the vegs. He may try some that way. I also crush some pellets and sprinkle the powder over the vegs to.


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## Amyy (Apr 23, 2011)

Mentha said:


> Why are you feeding 15 cc? 10 cc is the most you should feed at once, 1 cc for every 10 grams of body weight, stopping at 10. If he's still eating 10 cc then he's not weaned, he may be trying to lose weight for flight. Too much food at once can cause problems down the line for your bird. At 6 weeks the bird should still be on 2-3 feedings a day, try feeding 10% of it's weight twice a day and see if it will eat it.


i read on a website that they can be fed 10-15cc's per feeding at this age...
but now he only has 3cc's of food!!!he rejects the syringe after 3 cc's!
and yes he is flying around the room too....


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Yep he's close to weaning but mentha is right, its recommended feeding 10% of the body weight. Try spreading seed on the floor of the cage along with millet so he'll eat both. Sounds like he's getting to be a big boy!


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## Amyy (Apr 23, 2011)

he hardly has formula when he is out of his cage...he flies more often!!!infact i think he only comes out out of the cage to fly and not for the formula


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