# Hand fed vs parent fed



## delawaregirl (Dec 2, 2011)

Expecting first chick to hatch possibly next week. Still trying to decide between hand feeding and parent feeding. I was leaning toward parent feeding with spending a lot of time socializing the chicks. I am in Maryland this weekend and had a pet store owner tell me that if I wanted to sell the chicks I needed to hand feed. I am prepared to do that if necessary. I have what I need and have been showed how. I will also do some additional reading and looking at videos.

Due to the 3 deaths (son, husband mother) I have experienced within 7 mos, I am not in the best physical state so I realty thought parent feeding may be better for right now. My energy level is not what it should be, and I worry about schedules.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Hand-fed babies will definitely guarantee sales BUT my tamest cockatiel, Coco, was parent-fed and handled lots by the breeder, and in my opinion he's as snuggly as a hand-fed 'tiel. Granted, he wasn't handled as much as a hand-fed chick would have been, but he is still the sweetest little guy I've ever met and nothing could break our close bond.

If I were you I'd go with parent-fed, you can always hand-feed with your next clutch, if you decide. So sorry to hear about your losses.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

You could always co-parent. This is where you feed twice a day, while the parents do it the rest of the time. Co-parented babies are just as tame as full on hand fed babies. If you plan on giving the babies to a pet store though, a lot will only take them if they're hand fed.


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## delawaregirl (Dec 2, 2011)

I am thinking I will keep one and I am hoping that I will find homes for the others. However, my children are saying no so I may have a problem. My next choice would be a place about 45 mins from me that raises birds and sells them. I have been their many times and they take good care of the birds. 

Carolyn, if I co-parent when would I start that? Could I then say they were hand fed?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

You can start co-parenting around two weeks like you would hand feeding. You could say they were hand fed because technically they were, in a sense.


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## delawaregirl (Dec 2, 2011)

Is there an article I can read on c0-parenting. I assume that I don't take the chicks from the parents and that I choose a specific time to feed each day. Thanks for all your help.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I am so sorry to hear about the losses you have suffered recently.


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## delawaregirl (Dec 2, 2011)

Thank you.


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

Myka is a parent raised tiel and he's one of the tamest tiels I have. I prefer to let the parents raise them, which is what I've been doing with Bear and Snuggles and I've handled them everyday from the day they hatched. Bear wastes no time landing on me when I go out to see them 

But even if the parents raise them it's good to be prepared like you are just in case for some reason you do need to pull a chick.


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## catalinadee (Jan 1, 2011)

I think parent raised is better for birds emotionally and physically. I've noticed that parent raised chicks grow twice as fast and wean very quickly. They also seem to be more stable, less needy etc. They can be equally as hands on


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## delawaregirl (Dec 2, 2011)

I am thinking that I will co-parent, feeding one feeding a day when the chicks are about 3 wks old. Thanks to everyone for your responses.


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