# Handfeeding a 3 weeks old baby.



## andreanne1422

Hi guys! So I got a new addition to my zoo. A new friend for Lila! I was supposed to get a weened bird from this lady that had some for sale but when I got there they seemed wild and I didn't want to have to tame such wild birds. I don't think the family spend much time with them. Anyways there was a 3 week old baby and a 1 week old baby. And I decided that I wanted the 3 week old baby and to handraise it.  
He/she is so adorable, it's eating the baby bird formula really well and so far so good. We got him/her yesterday and I've been reading a ton about handfeeding and think I got it down properly. I just wanted to know if you guys could tell me how you do it so I can see if I'm doing anything wrong or if I should be doing something I'm not. Currently I am doing the following:

Got cage/nest box around 85F. 
I'm handfeeding every 4-5 hours except at night (from 12am to 8 am) 
I'm feeding a Kaytee exact handfeeding formula.
And I'm changing the towel I have in the nest box everytime I feed him/her since they're is a poop or two on it. 

Here is picture of the baby:










And here is a picture of the cage/nest box I have arranged:










Thanks in advance,
Andreanne


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## atvchick95

I pull mine at 3 weeks I don't have them on a "schedule" like any certain times It's mainly when they tell me their ready to eat - and it is normally every 6 hours (3xs a day) sometimes they'll want more before bed but not always 

The brooder for ages 15-21 days should be at 86 - 90 Degrees 

I personally use Zupreem Hand feeding - Don't care for any Kaytee Product - but that is me 

but from the looks of it you got everything handled pretty well


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## kimmikefids

what a cute little guy...looks like a pied tho i may be mistaken...its happened just once before  i cant give u any advice on the handfeeding...ive only been top-up feeding my green cheek....sounds like uve been researching well tho...i look forward to hearing more about him/her


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## xxxSpikexxx

Here is a video about handfeeding http://www.kaytee.com/pet-birds/general-care/hand-feeding.htm and an article http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww7eii.htm He is so cute


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## andreanne1422

Thanks guys! He is a cuty pie! I'm really enjoying hand raising him. It's a lot of work but it's only going to get easier (hopefully).


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## andreanne1422

Alright so everything is still going well but I have a question. I was feeding the little one and I noticed that his crop seemed full but he was still begging for more formula. I've read that they will still do that even if it's full and that if I feed some more the formula can come up from the crop and go into his lungs. I don't want that to happen so I took a picture of his crop after one of his feeding and I wanted to know if that's what a full crop looks like in a 3 week ish baby or if I should feed some more.










Thanks!


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## Renae

Yup, looks good.

This is a photo of Theo after I fed her, she was about 3 and a half weeks old in this photo.


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## andreanne1422

aww she looks so cute! Her crop seems a little bigger than mine tho, but that's probably because he/she is younger. I just got an email from the lady I got him/her from and she said that his/her hatch date is September 28th so he/she isn't even 3 weeks old yet! That means that I got him/her when it was 2 1/2 weeks old.


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## Duckie

I pull my chicks at 15 days old...I actually just pulled my first 2 chicks last night and this morning was their first hand-feed. They did excellent. My brooder only gets about 82F, so I have added some cuddly stuffed animals in there for warmth too. I feed mine at 7am, 12pm, 5pm and 11pm. That is how I was taught. When they get to 25 days old, cut out the 12pm feeding. 35 days old, no 5pm, but change to 7am and 7pm. They will start to fledge during this time. At 45 days old, no 7am. At that time they possible will tell you that they no longer want the 7pm feeding either.


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## srtiels

With baby tiels it seems they will beg after being fed. it ususally takes a few minutes for the food in the crop to be delivered into the intestines for nutrient absorption, and then that will trigger them to stop begging.

For that age I prefer to feed 8cc (10cc MAX, nightime/last feeding only) per feeding 3 times a day. Or to be conservative, if you have a grams scales, 10% of body weight per feeding.

The dangers of overfeeding are risks of slow/sour crop, over stretched crop, developing future health problems such as fatty livers, to posibble risk of aspiration. Most aspiration occurs when a baby is picked up with fingers around the crop which causes the food to gush up into the throat. The formula is nutrient dense, thus overfeeding can also contribute to feeding an excess of some nutrients that can also cause problems.


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## andreanne1422

Alright so I have another question/worry. I weigh him/her every morning before the first feeding and he/she was at 87 grams on the 17th, 83 grams on the 18th and 87 grams on the 19th (today). I think he/she lost weight because I had just started handfeeding and I think I didn't feed him/her enough since he/she gained weight today. Or could this be something bad? I'm kinda worried any help would be great.


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## srtiels

The baby is at an age where they may lose approx 5-10% body weight (not sure of exact %) for a few days to a week because this is the age that they would fledge from a nest.


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## srtiels

Also are you weighing the baby when it is totally empty? If it has food or was just fed you can calculate that each CC or ml will equal 1 gram of body weight.


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## andreanne1422

I'm weighing it when it's empty, first thing I do in the morning. Then I feed it. You said that it may loose body weight when it is fledging from the nest. I read that somewhere also, but that was when they are weening isn't it? I got him/her in a nest box currently. At what age should I remove the nestbox and place him in the cage? (They're is a picture of my set up at the beginning of this post.) Or should I be doing this now?


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## atvchick95

I just put mine in the brooder when I pull them I don't use a nest box - I pull at 21 days(which is 3 weeks) I noticed with any tiel of mine that was parent raised it was out of the nest and eating on its own most of the time at 4 weeks old but still being fed by the parents for a while afterward 

Usually within 1 1/2 - 2 weeks or so of pulling mine they're attempting to fly away instead of eat alot of the times around 4 weeks or so that is when mine start taking less food as well they still eat 3 times a day just not as much as when I first pull them


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## andreanne1422

Alright so I thought I'd update you guys on how the little one is doing! So far we've set up our routine and things seem to be doing well. He's starting to flap his wings and shake his tail feathers it's really cute.  Since we started flapping his wings I decided to remove the nest box and just leave him in the cage with some towels (which I change at each feeding), and he seems to be doing well in that set up. I placed a little dish of pellet food in the cage with a little bowl of water so that he can investigate those. 

Today I brought Lila (my other cockatiel) out with the little one on my bed to see how they would react. Lila seemed to ignore him except for trying to pick at his tail feathers once but gave up when he turned to look at her. He's been hissing a lot, and I'm thinking it's just a phase since there is so much stuff going on around him. Although he'll stop hissing when I pet him or if I start talking to him.

I can't wait until I bring him to the vet for his first check up and a DNA test to find out whether he's a girl or a boy. Then I'll come up with a name for him since I don't want to have to rename him if it turns out to be a girl. I was thinking I'd bring him to the vet when he's 8 weeks old. Is that too young? 

Also here's some pictures taken yesterday of him:


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## xxxSpikexxx

So cute  He is growing so fast


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## Renae

8 weeks should be OK - s/he sure has grown quickly!


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## andreanne1422

Ya, I myself can't believe how fast he is growing. Some pictures I got of 3 week old babies still have their pin feathers. He just turned 21 days on monday! He's getting to be just a sweetheart! I'm really glad I chose him and am handfeeding him, it's worth all the time it takes.


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## srtiels

He looks like he is doing great.

Here is a link that shows growing from hatch size. Pix's are at the bottom: http://justcockatiels.weebly.com/watch-me-grow.html


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## andreanne1422

Thanks srtiels! That's a really cool story and the pictures helped out at the bottom. Mine looks like when the baby on the pictures is 22 days old, except the weight of mine today is 92 grams and yours was 116 grams. So I guess he's not that big. I was starting to think the lady I got him from got the hatch date mixed up. Do you think mine is under weight? Mine is now 24 days old and weighs 92 grams with no food.


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## srtiels

No...your weight is very good. If you look all mine had some food in the crop. The pix's show the weight gain every day, and when it slows down.


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## andreanne1422

Oh I see! Thank you so much! I was getting a little scared there. I have another question, what age do you start introducing new foods?


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## srtiels

When I start to see them nibble on things I will place out some millet, a small bowl of pellets, seed, and a leafy green in the AM. All bowls are on the cage/container flooe. As long as the baby is being handfed I do not put out water because they get fluids from the formula. Once the baby is down to 1 feeding a day (ususally the last one) then I'll intriduce a small bowl of water.


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