# decided to not hand feed? pro's vs. con's?



## Rzst (Apr 23, 2012)

So I'm very new to breeding tiels actually they don't get greener then me i currently have a single baby and it's my tiels first clutch. After doing a lot of research i decided to not hand feed for 2 reasons first the time commitment and secondly I've read that tiels who are handled daily starting at 10-14 days are just as tame as hand fed babies. Well i guess my real question is should i still hand feed occasionally or just let the parents handle the whole thing, also if anyone has any advice, pro tips or just stuff you think i should know that would be not only helpful but much appreciated.
thanks all!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Its true that the babies can be just as tame but you have to be very consistent with handling them. You could feed once or twice a day (not a whole feeding, just a little bit) this is called co-parenting and also works very well.


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## Renae (Feb 9, 2008)

It is more beneficial for the baby/babies when the parents feed them. 

If you feel like reading, there is tons of great information on this website under breeding: http://www.cockatielcottage.net/


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## jeme (Jan 19, 2010)

I use to breed a clutch or two a year, and I always let the parents feed them. 

But, I kept them in the dining room where there were a lot of people throughout the day, and I handled them often from the time they had feathers and eyes open. Both parents were very, very tame and friendly, and the hen was very bonded to me.

Worked great for us.


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## adellelauren (Jan 14, 2012)

I have a total of three boys and three female tiels. These are my birds for breeding but most importantly my family. I had a lady tell me that they will never be tame if I breed them nor will the babies be if I don't hand feed them. I don't agree with this. All of my birds are tame. Charlie and Vera who have four babies right now are tame. Mom can be a bit more protective during this time but has never bitten me. As you are I also do not have the time to hand feed and I think the babies benefit more health wise with the parents doing the feeding. Of course there are cases where you have to step in and feed but so far I have not had this problem. "Knock on wood". But everyday the four babies are held and spoken to. They love to be rubbed on the head and so forth. They even fall asleep from it. My husband, family, and friends are all helping out to insure that they are use to different people. So in my opinion I believe that they can be tame just as much as a hand fed baby.


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## Rzst (Apr 23, 2012)

Thank you all so much i feel much better about my decision I too had someone tell me that they would not be hand tame if i did this so I'm glad we all agree, also Solace I've been to this website and it was super helpful thanks for the reference also some great pics of some good looking chicks (cockatiels)


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

A lot of time serious breeders pull babies so that their pairs will double clutch and make more money for them, this is very common in larger parrots. They can also get a better price for hand fed babies, but I know of a lot of breeders who do not pull their babies and still have very sweet babies. It all has to do with socialization. I've also known hand fed babies that would rip your head off given half a chance. My male African Gray comes to mind. He was hand fed and handled every day, then one day he turned into a monster and hasn't trusted people since. It has taken me 2 years to be able to touch him without him going nuts. With smaller birds, the price is not much different between hand fed and parent raised, so you see more parent raised birds tamed in the box. It takes a little more work to tame a parent raised bird, but it is fairly easy compared to other species.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> I've also known hand fed babies that would rip your head off given half a chance.


This also has a lot to do with the disposition of the parents, if the parents are sweet the babies most likely will be too. Some breeders breed for disposition as their main point. It showed up in my pairs this year, the two babies I got from Screech are flighty and more skittish, while Fuzzy's baby will step up and likes to be held, and none were handfed, just handled daily.


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

roxy culver said:


> This also has a lot to do with the disposition of the parents,


It also has a lot to do with lack of socialization, some people think hand feeding is enough and do a production line, with little interaction otherwise. This also contributes to nasty birds. If all you get is feed from a hand you get cranky when that hand pokes at you.


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