New Baby Help

[aussie_kris 0]

Hi Everyone,

 

I hunted down a baby yellow budgie for my daughters birthay yesterday. It came out of the nest on Friday. Seems to be going well in the cage.

 

In my hunt, I came across a lady who's father breeds budgies but has been diagnosed with Cancer and she is selling all the birds. Inc a approx 23 day old chick. She is hand raising as the mother died. She has offer it to me.

I am wanting to get it.

 

I do plan on asking her all the questiosn also. But just wanting some tips on what I need to have for it and how I go about hand raising it?

Can they go in the cage together?? Or do I need to keep it separated?? I have a nice biggish flight cage for them (thanks to this forum in my cage selection )

 

Thanks

Edited July 3, 2013 by aussie_kris

[robyn 0]

I think at 23 days the hand reared chick should nearly be cracking seed for itself so you won't have to help feed it for long, if at all. Check with her to see what she has been feeding it. She may even let you have the food she has been using, also could give you a crash course on feeding, if the lady is willing.

 

 

After you get both birds you should still quarantine them to see all is well with them, then they should be fine in the same cage as they are both babies.

[Phoebes 0]

Are the birds you want to put together around the same age? From what I understand one is a 23 day old.

[aussie_kris 0]

Big Baby is 5-6ish weeks (I dont know exactly) the age. It was avairy breed budgie and only came out of its nest a week ago now. I was given bit of buiscut stuff for it as he had jsut started seed but since Ive had it its been fine with just seed and hasnt touched the other stuff. Its in a cage like normal.

 

Little Baby I think would be about 25 days now......I have in a box with a lamp and towel for it to walk on..still doesnt have all its feathers.... Lady gave me Hand raising formula for it. ... I did find good link in here for the hand rearing info and what to do.... Would it be a bit behind being only hand raised without other birds around? .... Lady said to feed it 3 times a day .... introduce some crushed up seed in it next week..... He doesnt really seem interested in anything other then chewing at you.... as soon as it sees you starts crying to be fed....

 

I am a newbie to birds ......I saw in the thread to put with a bigger bird to teach it to eat seed...... I breifly put them together in the box and the little baby just went crazy like wanting my big baby to feed it (even though id just fed him) and chewing at him ... so I quickly took big baby out again.

Maybe its younger that the 25 days for that behaviour?

 

doesnt seem to hard so far just no idea if im doing it right lol..... but it eats the formula off a spoon and then sleeps ... unless it sees you and then cries at you to feed it. Kids love looking at it.

[Phoebes 0]

Wow, you really have your hands full. I take my hat off to you.

 

Actually sometimes babies do feed other babies. The eldest baby of mine started going back into the nest to feed the younger ones when he was only 40 days old. After that I noticed the elder chicks feeding the youngest ones a few times. This was my first clutch. Does the older baby know how to eat seeds? You might be on to something maybe your elder chick could help introduce the younger one to seed for you.

[aussie_kris 0]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152940109335411&set=a.10151410534795411.824251.858365410&type=1&theater

 

Little Baby

 

Thinking he isnt as old as I thought

Going off this website

http://www.coloradobudgies.com/budgiegrowth.htm

[Phoebes 0]

I don't think so either. I have a video of my first clutch of eggs as they hatch. When older brother is out of the nest and cracking seed he returns to feed his siblings.

 

Also seems to me like three times a day is not enough feedings. I am not a breeder and my birds were fed by mom. She did feed them way more often. I hope a breeder gets in on the conversation. You have some very young budgies there. Good luck to you, I wish your babies the best.

[aussie_kris 0]

great video, they are beautiful!

 

Thankyou. I have been feeding him more 4 times a day....They grow so fast dont they?? It has changed so much already.

 

I got a little cage yesterday just to transition it in to and going really well little on the perches down low.

 

The lady I got it off the breeder is her father who just been diagnosed with cancer. So was selling off all his birds.

[Phoebes 0]

They do grow fast and we get attached just as fast. I'm glad it's going well and that you are keeping us posted. Lovely pictures on the facebook.

[amum4children 0]

Hay Phoebes,

That video is soooo.....lovely and the baby budgies blue colour is striking! I can't wait to show my children the video! Thank you.

[Phoebes 0]

Hay Phoebes,

That video is soooo.....lovely and the baby budgies blue colour is striking! I can't wait to show my children the video! Thank you.

Thanks, this was our first time having babies. We feel really blessed that everything went so well.

[robyn 0]

Hi Aussie_Kris, if you have got the little fellow this far you must be doing it right! I have never hand reared, yet. If his crop is full after each feed and it's content to sleep etc until next time it should do well. I don't think it will be any longer with it's development than a parent reared bird.

As to it trying to be fed off older chick, they will do that as long as somebody falls for the trick of feeding it, instead of it feeding itself.

Just hope your sellers Dad does okay. it's a shame he had to sell his birds, glad you could help out.

 

I don't think so either. I have a video of my first clutch of eggs as they hatch. When older brother is out of the nest and cracking seed he returns to feed his siblings.

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Also seems to me like three times a day is not enough feedings. I am not a breeder and my birds were fed by mom. She did feed them way more often. I hope a breeder gets in on the conversation. You have some very young budgies there. Good luck to you, I wish your babies the best.

Beautiful video Phoebes. lot of patience there. Well done.

[Phoebes 0]

You have a good point robyn, if a baby helps feed the smaller one he might deprive himself of food. I think my bird was just contributing a bit because he had mom and dad going in and out with him. Also later all the elder babies fed the two youngest when they were inside the cage. I added booster and the dad seemed to be really happy when he would see corn going into the cage. I had at one point placed a cardboard box with wood at the bottom of the cage. I thought the babies could fall out and hurt themselves. I had to take it out because I observed the dad trying to shred it to feed to babies. I started giving corn every day instead of every two days. I have no idea if this was okay. The babies seemed to get full faster when the parents had access to corn.

[aussie_kris 0]

Thanks everyone! Baby is going great.

You can definately tell even with little baby how usless little tiny cages are hey?...It was only $12 and perfect to keep it in at night with the light on to keep it warm.

 

But through the day I been putting it in with our big baby and going really great. I put a towel down for it to walk on at first and sprinkled some seed around for it to get used to... and i think 2nd day he was starting to eat it. Still feeding it regularly as well but surprising how quickly it learnt the eat the seed like the other one does.

and hops up on the perch and sleeps now.

 

Hopefully it should be easier from here on in Hopefully get some more feathers soon!!

[Phoebes 0]

Great news!