Hi

 

Our Budgie laid 6 eggs and three hatched 8, 7 and 6 days ago. Two eggs failed to develop and this last one hatched 36 hours ago. Mom refuses to care for it and the other babies are being aggressive. I found it huddled in a corner and Mom kept pushing it out of the nest area. I took it out yesterday and set it up on its own with a light to keep him warm at around 94 F. We raise chickens, ducks and turkeys and I have had to tube some very weak hatchlings but this is way out of my realm of experience. I fed him some warm watery yogurt last night and bought the Kaytee Exact this morning. I followed the directions on the can. I know his chances aren't good but the little guy is eating and pooping. I'm not sure how much to feed him or how often. His crop does empty and he's very active. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thank you

Susan

I can't give you feeding advice, but I agree it will be a long tough road. But also remember the parents often push out chicks/babies when they know something is not right. No saying this is the case but they often know even before we do. Good luck.

Hi

 

Our Budgie laid 6 eggs and three hatched 8, 7 and 6 days ago. Two eggs failed to develop and this last one hatched 36 hours ago. Mom refuses to care for it and the other babies are being aggressive. I found it huddled in a corner and Mom kept pushing it out of the nest area. I took it out yesterday and set it up on its own with a light to keep him warm at around 94 F. We raise chickens, ducks and turkeys and I have had to tube some very weak hatchlings but this is way out of my realm of experience. I fed him some warm watery yogurt last night and bought the Kaytee Exact this morning. I followed the directions on the can. I know his chances aren't good but the little guy is eating and pooping. I'm not sure how much to feed him or how often. His crop does empty and he's very active. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Thank you

Susan

 

 

This sounds a lot like a case I had, where the parents fed the first two chicks fine, and then they ignored each subsequent chick and allowed them to die. The last one they even threw out of the box. I took that one out just like you have done, and raised it myself. I figured that if there was something wrong with it, it would not survive, but she survived just fine and is now 1 1/2 years old. I was advised by a vet (and some here on the forum) that sometimes the parents will limit the number of chicks they raise based on how abundant they think their food supply is, or on how fit/proper breeding condition the parents are, not necessarily due to a defect in the chick. (I had to tweak my food management practices then, and I think they are better now. )

 

 

But back to your questions.

 

I was told to feed such a young chick every half hour at first, which I now believe was overkill, and unnecessary. Every two hours will probably suffice, but keep this up through the night for the first week, or however long you can stand to lose the sleep.

 

The instructions on the can of Kaytee Exact are pretty thorough, so just keep reading them over and over until you have the routine down pat and memorized. It will tell you that for chicks aged 2-5 days old, to make the formula thinner. I fed this to mine using a plastic pipette, since the beak is very small at first. Then we graduated to a plastic syringe as the chick grew, and the formula was made thicker. Eventually they learn to eat from a spoon. I use a half teaspoon measure for that.

 

It doesn't take a lot to fill them up when they are very tiny. As long as you can see that he swallowed some, it's fine. As they grow, the fuller you can make them, the better. They say not to overfill or you can make them regurgitate and risk aspirating into the lungs. But moms in the nest fill their chicks up tight as drums, so I don't worry about overfilling. I am usually more concerned that they get as much nutrition as possible to support their growth. Especially if they swallow air, so that the amount formula they get is not exactly a whole crop full. (Some swallow more air than others, but there's not a whole lot you can do about that. Maybe work on how you hold the syringe. But I never try to squeeze air out, that can be dangerous.)

 

A thermometer is essential for making sure the formula is not too hot or too cold. I have pictures around somewhere of how I measure, mix, and keep the formula warm throughout the feeding. But I tend to go on long winded, so I will only dig those up for you if you want them.

 

Do you have a hygrometer? I believe the humidity of the brooder is meant to be around 50%. Hygrometers can be found in the reptile section of pet stores. (I use a mug with a wet wash cloth in it to supply humidity.)

 

 

One more thing, if you can find a small stuffed animal to put into your brooder, it will substitute for the warm bodies that your baby would be snuggling up to in a regular nest.

 

 

Hope this helps. Good luck.