# Advice please - hand rearing



## Carlie400 (May 12, 2012)

Hi all,
I am currently trying to hand rear 2, 3 week old cockatiels. I have never done it before but I did get lots of help and advice from the local pet shop owner who hand rears them herself. I have been feeding them now every 4 hours, 5 times a day with an 8 hour break for us all at night time for the last 4 days. one of them though seems forever hungry and over the last 2 days does not seem to have been emptying the crop/croup, I am concerned. Should I leave the time between feeds longer to get it empty ? she/he is always screaming hungry though and I often can't resist but just giving them a little bit each, maybe 2ml. Any help or advice anyone with hand rearing experience can give me will be greatly appreciated. Cheers!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Our most expert breeder is srtiels, but real life is keeping her too busy to answer very many questions on the forum. But fortunately she has some very useful articles about handfeeding issues on her website. This sticky thread has links to the articles and descriptions of what's in them: http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27514 She has raised thousands of baby cockatiels and her advice is generally very sound. 

She recommends feeding 10% of the baby's weight with empty crop at each feeding, and letting the crop empty between feedings. This is somewhat different than the standard recommendations. You can read more about her recommendations at http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=18189 (mostly post #2 and beyond). I don't know exactly what she recommends for 3-week babies, but at 3.5 to 4 weeks she recommends 3 feedings per day.

The standard recommendations can be viewed at http://www.cockatiel.org/articles/handfeeding.html They call for four feedings per day at this age.


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## Dreamcatchers (Apr 17, 2011)

I too would agree with srtiels recommendations as Tielfan has posted. I have 7 babies now ranging in age from 3 weeks to 4 weeks and we have just cut back to three feedings per day except on the littlest ones. Anyone over 3.5 weeks is down to three feedings per day and 10% of their body weight. Most of my chicks are show birds so they tend to be larger than the average pet cockatiel but at 4 weeks, they have already started tasting millet and leafy greens. If I were to feed them 4 or 5 times a day, their crops would never empty and I would quickly start seeing yeast issues.


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## Carlie400 (May 12, 2012)

Problem found! One of my babies is not emptying his/her crop and I don't know what to do and I'm very worried he/she might not have long for me to figure it out and fix it! I thank you above for your help and I have read a lot of srtiels stuff and I am about to attempt making and fitting a crop bra to my baby that isn't emptying. Any other help for what else I can do if the crop bra doesn't work, or even how long I'm meant to leave the crop bra before I know it is or isn't working. Please help fluffy and I.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

It's my understanding that the crop bra is primarily for overstretched crops, and since the other babies are fine you probably aren't overfeeding and making the crop stretch. I don't think the crop bra will do any harm, but you're probably better off to focus on the slow crop remedies, see http://justcockatiels.weebly.com/sour-and-slow-crop-remedies.html Flush out the crop to get rid of anything in it that's old and nasty, and add a bit of yogurt and spice remedy to the handfeeding formula. 

Here are a couple of old threads where srtiels advised people with slow crop issues - they might be helpful:
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=25383
http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=20266

Here's a sticky thread on making a crop bra:

http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=20958


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## Carlie400 (May 12, 2012)

*Wish us luck*

Thanks again for the advice tielfan. I have had a more detailed look at the slow crop remedies and I have placed an order for the alkaseltzer which should arrive Monday (tomorrow), Tuesday at the latest. I am hoping that will not be too far away for my little boy/girl. Then I will empty and flush the crop as described and start again. Fingers crossed for us. I do hope I am doing the right thing. ~ Carlie


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

It sounds like you are doing good. Til you get the alkaseltzer you can add some (I use about two drops in a small amount of formula, if its a bigger amount of formula I add more) Apple Cider Vinegar to the formula. This should help prevent any yeast issues til you get the other stuff.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

One of the links that I provided earlier talks about using baking soda instead of alka seltzer, and gives the amounts to use. If anyone in your household likes to bake, you may have baking soda in your kitchen already.


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## KikisCockatiels (Aug 16, 2012)

Some Australian breeders give the bubs a bit of pureed apple baby food to speed up a slow crop. Another good thing to do is give them a drop or two of baking soda in warm water and massage the crop gently to break up any food clumps that might be slowing down the works.


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## KikisCockatiels (Aug 16, 2012)

Also I recommend new breeders remove the babies at 5 weeks, as they are much easier to raise, complication wise, and yes they still do tame up very well


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Here we generally recommend two to three weeks as the babies tend to be more frightened and harder to work with at five weeks. Plus with plucking issues, three weeks is usually when that pops up.

Could apple sauce be used instead of the apple pureed baby food? I'd heard of apple sauce being used before.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> Could apple sauce be used instead of the apple pureed baby food? I'd heard of apple sauce being used before.


I think that's probably different names for the same thing.


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