Hand feeding is one way I tame my birds. Taming makes my birds easier to work with whether simply catching a loose bird or training in a show cage or being comfortable with my "checking" on newborn chicks. (These photos were difficult as I was both the feeder and the photographer!)
One feeding method I used this year I call a feeding station. I attached an empty nest on the outside of the cage, at a comfortable height for me, and then lifted the chick's nest out of the cage and set it on the empty nest on the outside of the cage. Regardless of where the chicks were located, I used the same empty nest to sit their nest on while I fed them. I could easily feed three chicks at once just rotating who got the bite!
At the beginning of a feeding they all want to eat! Should they not, I gently brush upward under their chin to get them started opening up wide. Once one starts the others will usually follow.
As they fill up they are less demanding till they stop eating and at that point, their nest is placed back in their cage. If I have the time or recruit Pat to help me, I hand feed them every two hours if the hen is feeding poorly or twice a day other wise.
Full, the chicks are ready to return home.
The chicks pictured in this post are German Rollers and very special to me as Mario is their father!
My favorite hand feeding formula this year is a mixture of Kaytee Exact and Scenic brands hand feeding formulas.
1 comment:
You managed to take a great photo of your German Rollers at your feeding station...what are you using, as a tool, to feed them?
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