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Hand Rearing Baby Parrots
Hand rearing baby birds can be a very rewarding experience. However, it is also an extremely time consuming process, so consider carefully whether you really are able to devote the time and commitment to it. If you do decide that you wish to hand rear your own baby parrots, then there are some important principles to follow to ensure that your baby birds grow up happy and healthy.
When to start hand feeding
Types of brooders
Heating the brooder
Brooder temperature
The food
Feeding utensils
Mixing up the formula
Feeding day old chicks
Feeding older chicks
Weaning
Problems during hand rearing
When to start hand feeding
The age that you take the babies away from the parents will generally determine how easy it is to introduce the babies to the hand rearing food. For most parrots, the best time to do this is just as they are beginning to open their eyes – usually at about 2-3 weeks old. It is usually advisable to leave the babies with the parents for the first couple of weeks. This means that the parents do all the difficult initial feeding, including those middle of the night feeds. However, do be careful not to leave the babies too long with the parents, as it makes it extremely hard to get them feeding on the hand rearing formula if they are older. In some case you may need to feed the babies as soon as they hatch. This can be extremely difficult, particularly for smaller species, as the needs of the baby are more complex and should only be tackled in an emergency.
Types of Brooders
There are many different types of brooders that can be used depending on the number and species of baby birds you have. Commercially available brooders are the most suited, but tend to be expensive. An inexpensive option is using a plastic container (such as a large ice cream container or storage container), as these are easy to clean and sterilise. It is also possible to make a simple wooden brooder with a false floor and using a light bulb as a heat source. We can show you examples of this type of brooder.
Remember that as your birds grow, you will need to provide them with more room to move about.
NOTE: we do not recommend the use of cardboard boxes to house your babies as they are difficult keep clean and sterile.
Substrate for the Brooder
What to put on the floor of the brooder will to some extent depend on the type of heating you use. Typically however, you might use some folded up newspaper covered with paper towel. Change this at every feed. The best type of paper towel to use is the highly ridged/variegated variety, as baby birds sometimes find it hard to grip the ‘smoother’ paper towel with their feet resulting in splayed legs.
Alternatively, a cat litter called Max’s Cat Litter is suitable since it is made from rice husks, and will not harm the baby if it swallows some. Max's Cat Litter can be used until it starts to turn powdery, when it needs changing. The disadvantage of this litter over paper towel is that it is much harder to monitor the chick’s droppings. ALL other cat litters that we are aware of are NOT suitable.
Heating the Brooder
There are various ways that you can heat a brooder. Commercially available brooders may already have a thermostatically controllable heating element. If you are using a plastic container, the use of a heat pad covering about half of the bottom of the brooder is the best option. This allows the chicks to get to cooler or warmer areas as needed. If you heat the brooder by this method, be aware that the floor of the brooder can get extremely hot potentially burning the chick’s abdomen, so put thick padding on the floor of the brooder. Another method is to use a desk lamp over part of the brooder, however use a red bulb so as not to disturb the chicks. The use of hot water bottles, whilst popular, should not be used except in extreme emergencies as controlling the temperature is too difficult and fluctuations can be detrimental to your chicks.
Whichever method of heating you use, always have a temperature probe or thermometer in the brooder so that you can monitor the temperature. Ideally, a thermostat attached to the heating source is preferable, as this will prevent temperature fluctuations (such as from day to night), and keep the brooder at a constant temperature
Brooder Temperature
Chicks, depending on their age, will need to be kept between 26oC and 37oC. The younger the chick, the warmer it needs to be. Exact temperatures are dependent on many external factors (such as the species of bird and the number of chicks), however the following temperatures give you a general idea:
An easy check on whether the chick is being kept at the right temperature can be made by placing the very tip of the wing between your lips. It should feel warm. If it is cool or cold, then the brooder temperature will need increasing. For groups of birds, observe how they cluster together – tightly clustered groups may indicate too cool a temperature, whilst panting or standing individually around the brooder is an indication that it is too warm.
It can’t be stressed enough that temperature is critical – if the temperature is too hot the chicks will overheat, often with fatal consequences; if it is too cold, then they will not pass food through their crop leading to digestive problems. Always have a thermometer in with the chicks to monitor the temperature.
The Food
birds need very specific nutritional requirements in order to develop and grow properly. This means that a good quality hand rearing mix should be used. There are two hand rearing mix we recommend – Kaytee Exact and Roudybush Formula 3. These have been developed after much research and the best mixes available. Vetafarm is another brand that can give good results, but mixing is a bit more critical than Kaytee and Roudybush. All three hand rearing mixes are suitable for all types of parrots.
When rearing lorikeets, it is preferable to use 50/50 mixture of parrot hand rearing formula and Lorikeet Wet Mix, gradually increasing the amount of Lorikeet Wet Mix as the babies grow.
When rearing parrots, never use foods based on baby cereal or Egg & Biscuit Mix as these will not have the right nutrient levels needed by your chicks. However, high protein baby cereal can be used in an emergency as a short-term food (up to 24 hours) until a proper hand rearing food can be purchased.
Feeding Utensils
There are many different ways to feed baby birds, however the best and safest method for the novice is using a spoon. Turning up the ends of the spoon to form a ‘funnel’ allows the food to pour into the bird’s mouth. Using a spoon also allows the bird to regulate how much it eats at each mouthful. Spoon fed birds are also usually easier to wean.
Syringe feeding is another method frequently used. It is a method that needs to be employed carefully, so as to prevent food from entering the trachea. By putting the syringe in the left side of the bird’s mouth, pointing towards the right side, food is expelled down towards the oesophagus and not the trachea. If using a syringe, be careful not to overfill the bird’s mouth, as food can be inhaled into the air sacs. Be aware that, while rare, some birds can be born with a left side oesophagus. These birds will eat normally, however if using a syringe, the feeding position will need to be reversed.
Feeding with a crop tube is only for the very experienced feeders as serious damage can be done to the birds crop if used incorrectly.
Whichever method of feeding you use, it is very important to sterilise the feeding implements as well as the cup that you mix the food in. In between each feed, soak all feeding utensils in Vetafarm AVI-CARE which is an avian steriliser.
Mixing up the Formula
To mix up the formula, start with boiling water that has been cooled to around 50oC. Never use water straight out of the tap. Add some hand rearing formula to the water and stir to remove all lumps and to make a smooth consistency. The exact consistency will depend on the age of the chicks, but for a 14 day old chick it will have a consistency similar to commercially available thickened cream. Once the food is mixed, wait until the temperature is below 46oC before feeding. Never feed if the food falls below 40oC as it can ferment in the crop causing infection. The use of a thermometer to monitor the temperature is essential.
Feeding Day Old Chicks
For very young chicks, using a small spoon, a 1ml syringe or eye dropper usually works the best. Hydration is very important to day old chicks. If not hydrated properly, then the chick can suffer. Hydration is best achieved using an electrolyte solution, rather than a hand rearing formula. Vetafarm Neocare works well for this. If you cannot obtain Vetafarm Neocare, then use a small amount of Vetafarm Polyaid with some hand rearing formula mixed together to form a very runny mixture. The actual amount to be fed for the first few days can vary from 0.2ml to 1.0ml depending on the species of bird. Fill the crop until you start to see food rising up the oesophagus which runs down the right side of the neck. Feeding should be done every 2-3 hours, except at night where you can leave the chicks for 4 hours (no longer). This feeding regime should last for about 3-4 days, slowly increasing the proportion of hand rearing powder. After this time, drop out the electrolyte solution (if you are using it) and use only the  hand rearing formula instead.
Feeding Older Chicks
As the chick grows, the amount of food fed at each feed will increase. The mixture should now be the consistency of thickened cream and should be fed every 4 hours, depending on how quickly the crop empties. The crop should be stretching to allow for more food to enter. Always be careful not to overstretch the crop - just feed enough so that the crop doesn’t ‘hang down’ and the food can be seen to just begin to return up the oesophagus after the chick swallows.
In general, the crop should be empty when it is time for the next feed, however it is not usually a problem if a small amount of food remains, usually less than 10% full. The crop should empty completely at least once every 24 hours, usually during the night and before the morning feed. (If this does not occur, then see the later section on crop stasis and sour crop.)
As the chick grows, the crop will take longer to empty, allowing for increased time between each feed. As a general rule, chicks will need to be fed four times a day from the age of 3 weeks to the time that they have feathers covering their wings and chest, and then reducing to three feeds a day. However, if their crops are emptying quickly, then more frequent feeds should be given.
If you can, it is highly recommended that you weigh the chicks each day and keep a record of their weights. If they start to lose weight through illness or incorrect feeding, this can be picked up quickly and corrected before it becomes a serious problem. Weigh babies first thing in the morning before feeding while their crop is empty.
Weaning
When the feathers have opened out on the wings and the chest, the chicks can be moved into a cage. Put a low perch in so that they can start learning how to perch. Provide a small dish of seed, some millet sprays, pellets of a suitable size for baby birds, and some fresh fruit and vegetables. Sprouted seed is an excellent first food for baby birds. Your chicks will still need feeding 3 or 4 times a day, but will start experimenting with eating different foods. When the chicks start to actually eat some of the food you provide, rather than just mouthing it, provide a dish of water.
Gradually, their enthusiasm for hand rearing mix will diminish, and they will eat less and less at each feed. This process can be as quick as one week or last for four to six weeks depending on the baby. During this time the babies will start to fly. At first they will be rather clumsy and prone to flying into the walls. Keep the window curtains drawn and mirrors covered during this time so as to prevent serious injury from collision with the glass. After a couple of days, the birds will learn to control their flight and to land properly. This is an important time for your bird, as it will learn much of its co-ordination skills at this time. It is also a time where most of the weaning process takes place. Typically, a baby bird will come out of the cage, have a few mouthfuls of food, then fly off in search of something else to do. If you need to clip the wings, only do this after it has completed this learning period and has mastered the art of landing. It is very important to your birds development both physically and psychologically that you do not clip the wings until it has mastered flying and landing.
Once the baby bird can ceased to eat hand rearing mix, it is very important to ensure that it is eating enough fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouted seed and pellets or dried seed to sustain itself. Keep a close eye on its weight to ensure that there is no rapid weight loss (although a small amount of weight loss is normal for weaning birds).
Problems during the hand rearing process
There are unfortunately a few problems that can occur during the hand rearing process. These are just a few of the more common problems that you may encounter.
Aspiration
This is where the food enters the trachea instead of the oesophagus – usually due to human error. It often happens when the chick stops swallowing the food offered, and the hand-feeder doesn’t notice. Food starts to pool in the mouth, eventually blocking the trachea. If a small amount of food is inhaled, the chick may cough or sneeze it up. It may also shake its head or gasp for breath. However, if a large amount of food is inhaled, then the prognosis is poor and advice from an avian veterinarian should be urgently sought. Always keep an eye on the chicks feeding response to prevent aspiration.
Burned crops
This is a potentially fatal problem that is caused by feeding food that is too hot. Usually this will not be apparent immediately, but will develop over the next day or so. It usually shows as a bruise in the crop area, turning into a scab. If this occurs, treatment from an avian veterinarian must be sought immediately. Remember, never feed above 45oC.
Crop stasis
When food fails to exit the crop this is referred to as crop stasis. This can be caused by a number of different reasons. Improper feeding, including feeding food at an incorrect temperature, or too thick a consistency, can cause the crop to fail to empty. An improper brooding temperature or illness can also cause crop stasis. If this occurs, feed a 50/50 mixture of water and Heinz Baby Food (Apple) and raise the brooder temperature by a couple of degrees. Do not feed too much, and gently massage it into the food that is already in the crop. This will usually help to clear the crop. If the crop doesn’t clear within 24 hours, seek avian veterinary attention.
Sour crop
Sour crop occurs when new food is fed while there is still a substantial amount of food in the crop from the previous feed. This causes the old food to ferment, leading to bacterial and fungal infections and crop stasis. If this occurs, treat as for crop stasis. To prevent this problem, ensure that the crop completely empties at least once every 24 hours.
Candida
This is a type of fungal infection that particularly affects cockatiels. Symptoms can include crop stasis, malnutrition, incessant begging for food, lethargy and can result in death. Treatment is by Nilstat, available from chemists. Give about .25 ml to .5 ml to the bird 30 minutes before it is due to be fed, for at least 3 days. This is usually sufficient, however if symptoms persist, see an avian veterinarian, since other problems may also exist.
This information is meant to serve as a basic guide only to hand rearing. For more information there are two excellent books:
Guide to Incubation and Hand Rearing Parrots published by Australian Birdkeeper and Parrots – Hand Feeding and Nursery Management by Howard Voren and Rick Jordan.
If you have any questions about hand rearing baby birds, then please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to help you. Likewise, if you need to see an avian veterinarian, give us a call and we can recommend one in your area.
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