# Parent Raise with some assist feedings question



## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Ok I've allowed my WF pair to raise this clutch & they're doing amazing (I assist feed just alittle formula 2 x's a day) and parents are doing great!! Now my question is, my little WF Cinnamon Pied hen keeps peeking out of the nesting box (She's 25 days old today) at what age should I pull them and feed them millet, seeds, veggies, etc) and shall I move them to a seperate cage because the cage mom & dad is in is about 5ft Tall  she's BIG like her momma already weighing in about 112 grams roughly . What I've noticed just bye observing with this clutch is that the babies are bigger when being left in the nest to be raised by momma & daddy VS pulling at 2-3 weeks to handfeed. I certainly don't want the babies to get hurt coming out of the nest box. Once I pull them do I continue assist feeding them. (They don't cry for me to feed them)

Including pictures of my 2 adorable babies!! Also pictures of the parents  

WF Lutino Pearl sex unknown & Wf Cinnamon Pied (hen)


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## Dreamcatchers (Apr 17, 2011)

I don't know about anyone elses experience but for me, I would leave them with the parents as long as possible if you are letting the parents raise them. Can you lower the nextbox to the lowest point of the cage? I would do that and wait for them to come out on their own rather than taking them out. Since the parents have done such a good job so far, they can teach the babies to eat the seeds and other foods you offer. With my parent raised birds, I put the nestbox low and the babies will come and go from the nestbox on their own for a few days to a week or so. The babies don't get too adventurous at first so they don't usually climb the cage and accidentally fall. Even my hand fed babies will stay in the bottom of the weaning cage for a good while until they are brave enough and strong enough to handling climbing. Just add a small perch about an inch off the cage bottom for the babies to get accustom to perching on.

By the way, I have to say that the little cinnamon pied is really looking good. I know everyone ooohhhs and aaahhhhhs over the WFL but I just love a nicely marked pied.


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Thank you very much for this information.. the way the cage is set up I'm not sure if the nest box can be lowered any  I'm going to check because I definitley DON'T want the babies getting hurt & since the parents are doing so well I will keep them with them I just need to figure something out without interupting them to much


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## Dreamcatchers (Apr 17, 2011)

One thing I have done in awkward cages in the past was offer a tupperwear or plastic bowl full of nesting material at the bottom of the cage for the babies to nest in if I felt that the box height might pose a problem. That way you can leave them in the cage with mom and dad but not have them in the nestbox up too high. My boys especially will continue to feed babies in this manner just keep an eye on them to make sure they do not abandon the babies and you will want to remove the nest box so they don't double clutch.


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Dreamcatchers said:


> One thing I have done in awkward cages in the past was offer a tupperwear or plastic bowl full of nesting material at the bottom of the cage for the babies to nest in if I felt that the box height might pose a problem. That way you can leave them in the cage with mom and dad but not have them in the nestbox up too high. My boys especially will continue to feed babies in this manner just keep an eye on them to make sure they do not abandon the babies and you will want to remove the nest box so they don't double clutch.


Thank you I actually thought of doing that!! I defintley don't want them to double clutch it's break time for them But question would they see the Tupperware dish as a nesting spot to lay?


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## WendyBeoBuddy (Dec 12, 2011)

The hens usually only lay in inclosed areas. therefore the tupperware will likely NOT be a potential laying sight for her. Not good enough to raise a clutch in at the very least


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## Dreamcatchers (Apr 17, 2011)

They will see it as a place to lay if the babies are not in it.  Buttercup will lay in ANYTHING that has nesting material in it. LOL - With mine, as long as the babies are still sleeping at night in the nest, they parents are too busy to think about laying again. It is when they really start pushing the babies out, aggressivly plucking and such, that you will need to remove anything resembling a nestbox.


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## 4birdsNC (Dec 4, 2010)

The babies usually wont come out until they have learned to perch. If you Pull them you will have to take over feeding completely. Moving the nest box is not the best idea either, I have had parents abandon babies because I took the nest box off the outside of the cage to move it to a different room, and put it right back up.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The babies are peeking out of the nest because they're getting ready to fledge. Personally I think it's desirable to let them fledge naturally. They will most likely leave the nest by losing their balance in the doorway and falling out, but as long as the way down is fairly unobstructed they aren't likely to get hurt. They will instinctively flap their wings as they fall, which slows their descent and gives them a fairly soft landing. Be sure there's newspaper or something else that's kind of cushiony in the bottom of the cage, on top of the grate if there's a grate in the bottom. Baby birds don't have the skill to walk around on a grate. 

Once they're out of the nest they're likely to stay on the cage bottom for a couple of days, and parent birds sometimes can't figure out how to feed "floor chicks". If you put the baby back in the nest periodically the parents will feed it in there, and the baby will come back out whenever it wants to explore the world some more. It's helpful to put the baby in the nest at bedtime so it will have a safe, comfortable place to sleep.


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## Mentha (Jul 11, 2010)

You could always put a few ladders up to the nest box so the babies can get in and out without hurting themselves.


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Thank you everyone I defintley want to continue allowing the parents raise these babies they're doing such a great time and I want them to do what is natural to them. I will put newspaper down on the bottom as I'm
Sure my little hen is first to explore she's the oldest bye 8 days and double the size and almost completely feathered


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Dreamcatchers said:


> I don't know about anyone elses experience but for me, I would leave them with the parents as long as possible if you are letting the parents raise them. Can you lower the nextbox to the lowest point of the cage? I would do that and wait for them to come out on their own rather than taking them out. Since the parents have done such a good job so far, they can teach the babies to eat the seeds and other foods you offer. With my parent raised birds, I put the nestbox low and the babies will come and go from the nestbox on their own for a few days to a week or so. The babies don't get too adventurous at first so they don't usually climb the cage and accidentally fall. Even my hand fed babies will stay in the bottom of the weaning cage for a good while until they are brave enough and strong enough to handling climbing. Just add a small perch about an inch off the cage bottom for the babies to get accustom to perching on.
> 
> I will also be adding small perches thank you!!
> 
> By the way, I have to say that the little cinnamon pied is really looking good. I know everyone ooohhhs and aaahhhhhs over the WFL but I just love a nicely marked pied.


Thank you I honestly have gotten a lot more compliments on my WF CP....


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

*More Photos Babies*

Oldest Whiteface Cinnamon Pied (Notice a single cinnamon feather in the photo where her white is) 26 days old 
WF Lutino Pearl is 19 days old


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

*More Photos & parents too *

More Pictures To Enjoy


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

*And the Lucky Parents*

Found Aphrodite & Spike like this when I got home...


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Also will my WF Lutino Pearl stay bald poor thing LOL!!


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

The pics I took of the parents are of today now my question it appears my female is trying hard to get spikes attention with them raising the babies is long night treatment s out of the way to prevent double clutching ?


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Double clutching is hard to prevent. You can try the long nights treatment but you have to be careful with it. You don't want to apply it so forcefully that the parents lose interest in taking care of their current babies, and there's no way to know where the boundary is between too little and too much.


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Thank you I want to allow them to continue to raise the babies and defintley don't want to do anything to make them lose interests in current babies


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Just weighed the babies my oldest 27 days empty crop is 113 grams and youngest baby who is my WF lutino is 21 days with full crop 123 grams so I'm guessing roughly about 110 grams paret raised and much bigger then any babies I pull!!


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Parent raised usually are a little bigger than hand fed ones...what little porkers you got!


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

I know right  love them a million times over


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Mom and Dad do it best... that's why I co-parent all my babies instead of pulling them. I'm afraid they'd all die if I was their sole source of food.


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

tielfan said:


> Mom and Dad do it best... that's why I co-parent all my babies instead of pulling them. I'm afraid they'd all die if I was their sole source of food.


I'm defintley going to continue this way!! The babies at this point all weigh more than my 7 week old handfed babies who range from 81g-90g and today babies are 22 & 28 days


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## Cryren8972 (Oct 3, 2007)

The hand fed babies catch up. There is a "pooch" on their bellies that parent fed babies have that are missing in hand fed babies. (I have figured out a way to keep a lot of this "pooch" intact). That's why parent fed babies weigh more...until fledging, and then all babies lose the "pooch" and get down to their flying weight. It's possible too, that the babies you're hand feeding are just smaller.


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Thanks crystal my WF pair is on the larger size I'll post updated photos tomorrow  hoping my little lutino will get some hair on its head poor bald baby


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## angelmommy24 (Nov 20, 2011)

Looks like my WF cinnamon pied hen decided she is a big and bad and I found her sitting at the bottom of the cage- unhurt of course


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