At what age should i start introducing seed into a baby budgies diet its about 3 to 4 weeks old now i have taken it out of the breeding box and caged inside hoping to tame it and has as a friend inside i have had luck with baby loorikeet mixture until i can get some egg & biscut this is my first time ever trying to hand rear a baby budgie can someone please give me some tips on feeding techniques please help.

Why do you want to finish weaning him instead of letting the parents do it? Contrary to what you may have read, it will not make him bond any better to you. His parents will continue to feed him for several more weeks. At 3 to 4 weeks, I think he is too young to be seperated. I would put him back in the nest box (if the hen will accept him back in there now) and watch him to make sure he is not getting picked on.

Agree - WAY too early to take out the nest if the parents are feeding the chick - let nature take its course..

 

I start to handle the chicks at about 4 weeks - but only briefly to inspect and look for problems. That is enough to get the chick used to you.

 

When the chick is starting to grip with its foot and has a full covering of down and barbs for all the feathers growing in AND at the time the mother is spending more time out the nest. Then you can handle them a little more - so they get used to you. Keep it very short - a couple of minutes at most - a couple of times a day and put straight back to nest to stay warm.

{hope this picture has worked}this is a picture of the baby Maybe I have taken it out to early but i was told by another breeder that it is "at a good age to take it out and hand rear it so it will be more attatched to me and will be very tame"I THINK IT IS ABOUT 4 WEEKS OLD Can some one please give there opinion on its age cos i am not quite sure of its age and do you think it is old enough for me to start introducing seed into its diet and how would i go by INTRODUCING SEED INTO ITS DIET COULD I TAKE THE HARD SHELL OF THE CRUSH THE SEED THEN WET THE SEED AND FEED IT TO IT COULD SOMEONE PLEASE GIVE ME SOME ADVICE YOUR HELP WILL BE VERY APPRECIATED

Edited March 17, 200520 yr by Ben H

I wish people wouldn't say birds will bond to you better if you hand rear them. There is so much that can go wrong... I have 10 fully flighted birds in my living room, all were parent-reared, and they are all sweet and pretty tame.

 

okay, if you can't put him back in the nest, he obviously will have to eat. If he is taking syringe feedings at least he won't starve, so you can add millet sprays to his diet. That seems to be an easy seed for them to learn to crack. They learn by watching other birds though, so if he is alone it may be harder. You can also try soaking the regular seed so it is slightly softer, or you can crush it yourself so he does not have to hull it right away. You can also begin giving him broccoli or baby spinach leaves, green pepper, something watery and not as hard to eat. They like carrots, but carrots are a hard vegetable, so I'd wait until he seems ready. Vegetables may be a good first food, as they are soft and he can just eat them. Use organic produce if you can, you know pesticides aren't good for people either. If you can't get it, wash them very well first. If you want him to also eat pellets, introduce them now, but soften them first too. Those ideas just came off the top of my head, give me a bit to do some research and if I come across any "official" information I'll post it . Good luck.

 

He is a cutie! He seems to have most of his feathers, so 3-4 weeks is probably about right. Make sure he stays warm! His flights don't seem to be fully grown out, are they still short? Does he have any spots that are still 'downy' and not feathered all the way?

Agree - looks about 4 weeks. okay for quick inspections - but back to nest ASAP to stay warm and leave for the parents to feed. The parents are going to start to leave the nest for longer periods with the chick this big. This is okay - do NOT worry.

 

You will get to recognize the chick's "eek eek eek" for food. It is like a switch on the parents who will return to nest and feed immediately.

 

Later the chick will only tend to "eek" when it hears the parents feeding.

 

Then it will join them (7-8 weeks)

Thankyouse both Now i know i have made a big mistake Ill put him back in the breeding box with his mother he has been out of the box for about 5 days know ill put him back the parents are probaly missing him and when they hear his calls it will probaly be alright,If the mother abandons him ill have to take care myself I know i have made a huge mistake so it wont happen again.

Thanks to your help i have put the baby back in the breeding box and its parents are now caring for it properly

Good for you sup[lly us with more pictures please

I will do my best to get pictures of all the baby budgies that i own and ill post them on this same topic proberly tommorow or monday