# Hand feeding help!



## Fran.bath89 (Jun 12, 2016)

So just after some advice! 
I've hand fed wild song birds, crows and an owl in the past but they are very different from cockatiel chicks.
I'm using kaytee exact formula I've got syringes, bent spoon, thermometer and bowls and stuff equipment wise.
I've done loads of reasearch and watch loads of videos online.
I pulled the chicks yesterday to start hand feeding the age range is 17-13 days.
My issue is they don't head bob??? They make the dinosaur noise I put the spoon/syringe (tried both) into their mouths and they gulp/swallow but they don't do what the birds in the videos do?? It's got me confused. Is this because they have just been pulled so might be scared or stressed? 
I'm doing small feeds as I don't want to drown them! 
Birds I've raise previously have been fed before their eyes were open so they always did the hungry bird moves and gaping mouths as they didn't know any different. Other than the no bobbing they chicks are swallowing the formula and crop appears to be working fine, the crop was empty this morning too as I was worried last night thinking oh god what if they get ill! Brooder is a reptile plastic tank with a heat pad under one side filled with kitchen tissue and aspen bedding. I've buried a small plastic pot of water that's got a lid with small holes to add some humidity. And the tank is covered with a towel to make it dark. There is small opening doors on the lid and one at the cold end is open to help air circulate. Temp on the gage shows 28c-30c.


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## Fran.bath89 (Jun 12, 2016)

Here's a picture of the chicks in the brooder


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

I'm not sure. If they are eating fine, then it shouldn't matter if they head bob. They look good in the picture!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

They may not be begging because they haven't figured out what you're doing yet. Being fed by a human is a lot different from being fed by a parent, and their eyes are open so they definitely know you're not their mom. That dinosaur noise you're hearing is probably them telling you to go away lol, but then you give them food and they're willing to take it. 

You'll probably see begging once they've learned that you're their new food source not someone they want to chase off. I don't see much begging with my chicks, but I co-parent them instead of pulling them, and they're usually not completely empty when I start feeding them.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Here's a video of three of my chicks screaming at me to go away. It doesn't sound very different from the food-begging noise, but these babies hadn't ever been handfed and had no idea that I was capable of giving them food. Shortly before I shot the video I had six of them shrieking at me, but the three youngest ones got tired and dropped out by the time I got the camera. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcMKZtr4NeM

As soon as their eyes open, cockatiel chicks are very aware that humans are not something they should be seeing in their nest, and they start making threats. They're not actually capable of doing harm to anything since they don't even know how to bite yet, but in the wild this behavior might possibly scare off something that poked its head into the nest by accident. It's probably not effective against predators who know what they're after and want to have baby birds for lunch.


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## Fran.bath89 (Jun 12, 2016)

Thanks guys. I think it's probably because they think who the **** are you! Where's my parents!? lol I've noticed the youngest head bobbed this afternoon and the two youngest love it when I hold them (probably because it's warm in my hands) they seem more trusting and quicker to learn than the older ones. I get hisses from all 4 it just makes me laugh they are all talk lol


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

How old are they right now? My chicks seem to accept it faster when they're about two weeks old, and it gets harder after that point. If I wait until they're over three weeks old I can forget about it, they're not going to accept it.


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## Fran.bath89 (Jun 12, 2016)

The age between 15 and 19 days I didn't want to pull them when the older ones were two weeks as I was worried about the younger two. But I have had abit more head bobbing this morning. If I put my fingers either side of the beak they start gaping and bobbing lol they seem to be coming out of their shell more now so hopefully they decide they like me! The oldest chick bobs if I leave him in with the others. The youngest one is the best feeder and bobs now and makes his cute chirp noises


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## vampiric_conure (Jul 8, 2012)

Yeah...sounds as if you're getting used to you now  They should start shrieking for you for food in another day or so if they're not already doing it. I'm going to be in the same boat in 2 weeks time LOL


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## ninfatiel (Jul 22, 2016)

I usually introduce handfeeding at 5-7 days (when the baby is still blind). I do it once a day in the morning. Then if you want to pull them at 15 days they will be way easier to switch. But I do leave my chicks with parents untill the end; when they fledge- I stop handfeeding and spend some time with them every day,however some parents dont really feed fledgings and in that case I do handfeed them till they are eating well on their own


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## Jenn1469 (Jan 23, 2018)

Oh my gosh! I was doing a search and came across this thread and watched the video of the angry babies. I was wondering what that sound was my baby was making. It reminded me a steam on the kettle. I thought my baby was too hot or something. How funny. I guess it's not so strange though, my African grey made a very similar noise to strangers.


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