# About Fledging



## questionare (Jul 9, 2012)

Hi there,

I was reading about fledging, which normally occurs when the babies are 4 weeks; the oldest baby now is 19 days old, however, I do want to be prepared for their fledging 

My question is, if the baby went out of the nest, and stayed on the bottom of the cage, shall I get him back to the nest, or the parents will feed him while he is on the bottom of the cage?


----------



## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Parent birds are sometimes confused by "floor chicks" and can't quite figure out what to do with them. If that happens, you can put the baby back in the nest periodically so they can feed him. The chick will come back out of the nest again whenever it's in the mood.

I also like to put babies back in the nest at bedtime for the first few days after fledging. I'm sure the baby feels safer and more comfortable that way.


----------



## questionare (Jul 9, 2012)

tielfan said:


> Parent birds are sometimes confused by "floor chicks" and can't quite figure out what to do with them. If that happens, you can put the baby back in the nest periodically so they can feed him. The chick will come back out of the nest again whenever it's in the mood.
> 
> I also like to put babies back in the nest at bedtime for the first few days after fledging. I'm sure the baby feels safer and more comfortable that way.


Thanks tielfan,

When the babies fledge, how many meals do they get usually per day?


----------



## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

A hand fed baby would be getting about three meals a day at that age. Parent-fed babies get more than that but I've never actually counted. Buster and Shodu can't figure out how to feed a floor chick so I put the baby back in the nest maybe once every two pr three hours. I also keep some millet spray lying on the cage floor near the baby so it can nibble. It takes a while for a baby to learn to eat from a dish, but they learn to nibble on millet very quickly.

If there is a grate in the bottom of the cage you will need to spread some newspaper on top of it to help the baby move around. Fledglings aren't skillful enough to walk on top of a grate.


----------

