# hand rearing



## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

I have been hand rearing my chick now that was 17 grams on sat the 15th (8days old) and he has now on thur 20th got to be 32 grams (13 days old)

ive been feeding every 3 hours based off the 10% of weight before feeds but i wonder do i continue with the 3 hour feeds and if so for how long (do leave the chick from 12am-6am overnight) or should i be doing 4 hour feeds .. im not sure when to ease off on the feeds a little

anyone have any ideas?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

I would switch over to 4 hours between each feeding. The growth rate will also improve too.


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

thanks susanne for your help, he is the one the parents had plucked, he is getting his creat and pin feathers now and is looking strong and healthy, his injured leg has also healed up now


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

ps sorry what times would you do, do i still leave the 6 hours overnight?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

You'll have to set the hours between feeding to suit your time schedules. And yes, leave 6 hours for overnight. In another week or so you can increase it to 7-8 hours for overnight.


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

ok cant quite work out the hours to leave the 6 at night, keep getting 8 hours for the night


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

now at 15 days old


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

awww. so precious.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

What a cute baby raptor! lol


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

I so want a baby now  lol... Your baby is gorgeous


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Caroline...in looking at the pix is the left wing (flight feather section) twisted? If so there is a remedy for it before it becomes permanant.


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## mpayjr (Aug 16, 2010)

roxy culver said:


> What a cute baby raptor! lol


hahaha. They do look like raptors!


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

srtiels said:


> Caroline...in looking at the pix is the left wing (flight feather section) twisted? If so there is a remedy for it before it becomes permanant.


i was just going to ask about that yes it is twisted, i can extend it out and it seems ok then i put it back and he lifts his wing to get it to sit back this way

what can i do to fix this,??
i will do whatever it is to get it fixed so he has no problems later in life

thank goodness you could see that as i was trying all morning to get a picture showing it

also what would have caused it, i hope i have not done it


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Caroline....look in my previous posting. Click on the pix for a larger view, which you can print out. it tells what is going on and how to fix it. It is called: Angel Wing


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

oops sorry just realised i missed that, the other wing seems to be ok but here is a pic just so you can see that side too


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

You can find the paper tape in the bandaging area of any pharmacy. Just cut it into strips, as shown in the illus.

The other wing looks fine, so you'll just have to do the wing on the other side.


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

sorry paper tape, would florist tape be the same?


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

thankyou soooooo much, i will do that as soon as he wakes up, i appreciate all your help


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

The florist tape may also work if it can stick well enough to itself. Florist tape is not as sticky as human grade paper tape.


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

we got out our emergency first aid kit and have found some, do i judt need to do it enough that it hold the position or does it need to be fairly tight on there... ?

ps may i have permission to post your attachment on the other site incase anyone else ever has the same issue so they know how to fix it


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

i hope i have done this right


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes...that looks like it will do  Good job...


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

may i re post your attachment on the how to fix this Susanne? everyone is very curious about it and had not heard of it before
I can already see how his wing is flatter against his body at the shoulder joint so looks like its working great ")


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

Yes...feel free to repost it. I also have geese and have seen the Angel Wing with young gooseling, and the repair is the same.

Angel Wing is very very rare, and almost uncommon with tiels. I'm not really sure the exact causes, but the taping helps take the weight off the joint and allows the muscles to get stronger to hold the wing right. you can check every few days and wrap ot back up of needed. While unwrapped you can apply slight pressure of the joint between your fingertops for a minute or so to several times a day if a chick is notices to have a wing problem. If caught early enough physical therapy of repositining the joint and holding it every few hours can help resolve it too.


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

wow so he is special..lol
funny his big brother is in my avatar and named angel..lol

im glad we found this early though, i was worried that morning as i was about to ask about it when you already had replied, your great and i cant thank you enough!
i wonder if this is because he was seeming to be too small and dehydrated when i pulled him and since feeding has thrived and grown so quickly?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Snowy had angel wing as a baby:










I couldn't take her to the vet for a week because I'd just had major surgery. In the meantime I used physical therapy, tucking the wing into place several times a day. By the time I took her in the wing didn't stick out sideways but still drooped, and she had more feathers. The vet put tape on her:










Unfortunately it turned out that tape wouldn't stick to her for very long (too much natural powder). So I kept up with the physical therapy. Since drooping was the only problem at this point, I touched the bottom of the wing several times a day, which made her pull it up into the proper position. After a while she held it correctly all the time. She's all grown up now and her wing is perfect.


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

oh great to see that snowy has recovered fully now , thankyou for sharing your pics, i hope because i found it quite early in my little one that the tape will do the trick


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

i took off his tape to see today and it looks to be siting normal. can i leave it off now or should i put back on for a few more days just to be certain?


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

I would put it back on for a few more days.


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

here he is when i checked taking off the tape today

i did end up re taping it for him


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

he has come a long way from the sad little bald fellow i started with

























and his wing has healed nicely and doesnt show any problems from before

one question though after a feed , he gets dirty and i use warm water and a clothe to try to get any extra food off but i cant seem to get it all till it dries and i can rub it out, is there an easier way??


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Not sure about the food part, but what an adorable baby! He's so cute getting all his feathers in!


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

He is looking very good 

I have found that how you hold the head when handfeeding can make a difference in if food gets on the birds face or not. I'm left-handed so the ILLUS are for left handed...just reverse if right handed.


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## AlbyPepper (Apr 3, 2010)

What a gorgeous little one!


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

oh i will try holding his head and see if this helps it, as he has gotten bigger its becoe more of an issue..

he is doing great last feed he was 87 grams, he is bright strong and happy.. 

and yes he is gorgeous ... <3


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Yes i agree... So cute


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

my friend has done a genetic calculator on my chick and said he is male (as he isnt pearl) but he has pearls under his wing, is that normal in a wf grey? or is it just a case that will moult out?

his dad is a wf grey (we believe was pearled) and his mum a wf cinnamon


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

The "pearling" under his wings is spots that all babies have. There's a way to tell gender from the spots because they're different in boys and girls but I don't know the exact way to tell.


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## Hu511 (Jan 9, 2011)

guess your friend is right if the male is pearl whiteface and the female is cinn whiteface

results from gene calculator:

Mother:Whiteface Cinnamon
Father:Whiteface Pearl

male offspring:
100% Whiteface Split To {X1: Pearl} {X2: Cinnamon}

female offspring:
100% Whiteface Pearl


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

im all grown up now


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

AW he looks like such a big boy!


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

oh he is now, he climbs up and perches on a branch himself, he is rejecting feeds now and eats pellets, seeds and tried some broccoli.... he is also flapping like mad so i expect he will fly any day now


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

did i say anyday now, he was flying tonight, was rather scary...lol


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

YAY for flying! Does he fly too high and hit his head? That was the issue I had when my clutch fledged, they would try to fly higher and hit their heads, but that never stopped them from continuing to fly!


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Think cookie was the scary one when he started to fly as he shot straight up and hit the ceiling, how he didn't knock himself out i don't know


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

well he did fly right up high but bever hit his head, managed to grab onto the wall somehow...lol he is very excited about it too


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If you keep your babies in a fairly small room it will prevent them from building up too much speed when they fly. If they crash into something when they're going relatively slow it's not likely to hurt them much, but a crash at high speed can be dangerous.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Thats why i want them to remain clipped but lucky has got her flight back since her and cookie knocked seed dish on floor and she took off round the room and cookie landed on me  she not bad wasnt fast like last time with the rug


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## Belinda (Oct 9, 2010)

wow he looks so handsome and proud of himself in his grown up picture. What a darling!


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

I agree makes you want more


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

i must say i miss my little bald dependant baby..lol he is a big boy now and doesnt need me as much anymore..lol
might try for some more soon


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Caroline said:


> i must say i miss my little bald dependant baby..lol he is a big boy now and doesnt need me as much anymore..lol
> might try for some more soon


Lol they are like candy as we can never settle with just one


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

well he is a very big boy now, eats some pellets and seed and nibbles on veggies, the problem i have is that he screams when he sees me, it was cute when he was little but a bit annoying now...lol what can i do about this or does he just see me still as doris the lunch lady?


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## P.J (Feb 14, 2011)

You could try putting him in with another cockatiel or 2 even. That could quiet him down.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Try holding him after feeding him and spend time with him when not feeding him. Right now if you aren't holding him that is, this is the only time he gets attention so he thinks that if he cries you'll come spend time with him. If you show him that he'll get attention without food he may quiet down some.


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

thanx i might try with his very tame older brother to see if it helps, the thing is that he doesnt do it with my little 4 year old girl, she ge3ts him out and plays with him and he is fine, its just with me, its the most awful noise (like the static background sound off a tv with no picture..lol)


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

That sounds like his "mommy I want attention so I'm going to act like I'm hungry" noise. We had a bird that we bought for my sister, my hubby liked the cry at first so he encouraged it (big mistake) and she was still doing it at five months old but by then he was tired of it lol. MEN!!!


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## Caroline (Jan 15, 2011)

oh no, hope it doesnt go on forever...lol it drives me nuts!!!!!!


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