Feeding your chick
I recommend that you get your chick from a breeder at age 6 – 10 weeks old.
It will then still eat hand rearing formula and feeding time is bonding time.
Many people are afraid of feeding a chick, but it is very easy. In fact it is
like feeding porridge to a baby. I recommend spoon feeding, as this is, in my
opinion, closest to nature. Spoon feeding also ensures that you handle the
chick! Other methods of feeding do not necessarily require handling the chick
and it might be difficult for an untrained person to feed.
Important notes
Wash your hands before and after feeding time.
Keep all your utensils hygienically clean. Wash it with warm soapy water and rinse thoroughly after every feeding session.
Clean your chick’s face and breast with a damp kitchen towel after feeding. Dried formula that sticks to it's beak and feathers are very uncomfortable for the chick.
Keep the hand rearing formula in the refrigerator.
Ensure that the temperature of the formula is right before you take the chick out to feed it.
Don’t use the microwave to warm cold formula. Rather make the formula too hot and cool it down a little.
Never use leftovers! Always make fresh formula.
FEED FROM THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR CHICK! Hold the spoon in your right hand and the chick in your left hand to ensure that you feed from the right side.
Place your chick on a towel or something he can hold onto with his feed. We use a wire grid in an old tray.
Feeding - Age 5 - 10 weeks
Formula :Avi-Plus – Hand rearing Phase 2 or Wildon handrearing stage 2.
Amount to feed: About 5 – 7 tablespoons of prepared formula. (One heaped tablespoon of dry formula makes approximately 5 – 7 tablespoons of prepared formula.)
Feeding times: Three times a day, e.g. 07h00, 13h00 & 18h00
Feeding - Age 10 – 12 weeks
Formula:
Avi-Plus – Hand rearing Finisher or Wildon handrearing.
Amount to feed: About 2 – 3 table spoons formula should be enough, providing the chick eats enough solid food. Don’t starve it, if your chick wants more formula, feed it more, but don’t be alarmed if it only eats a little formula.
Feeding times: Twice a day, morning and evening and then from 12 weeks onwards only in the evenings for a week or two. Just make sure you parrot eats enough food to sustain himself! Don't starve your parrot, but don't spoil him either.
Preparing the formula
Mix the required amount of formula with cooled boiled water. It is not advisable to use “raw” water.
Mix to a consistency that looks like a thick soup. The formula must run smoothly off the spoon, but don't make it too watery.
The temperature of the formula should be about 38° to 40° C. Test it against you lip or on your wrist – the same as a baby’s milk bottle.
It is best to feed the formula with a formed spoon. (Take an ordinary spoon and bend it. See photos).
NEVER keep leftovers!!! ALWAYS make fresh formula for each feeding time.
Be calm and patient when you feed your chick. Never force it to eat, rather encourage it by lightly pressing the spoon against its beak.
Reasons why chicks refuse the formula
The formula is too cold.
The formula is too thick.
These are the two most common reasons why the chick will refuse to eat the formula.
Food in it's cage
This you should give from the moment you bring your chick home regardless of it's age. This will form the basis of it's food for the rest of it's life.
A bowl with 1 heaped tablespoon of your Basic Food Mix (see recipe below)
A bowl of Avid-plus Complete Breeder pellets or Avi-plus Maintenance pellets
A bowl of fresh water
A bowl of 'treats'. In this bowl you can give some grated fruit, small pieces of meat, chicken bone, biscuit and any other food that your parrot could learn to eat.
Give fresh food early every morning as well as lunch time. If you are unable to give fresh food lunch time, replace his food immediately when you get home from work!
Note:
Your chick will waste a lot of its food in the beginning as well as mess a lot.
Be prepared for this. It’s part of growing up and getting used to eating ‘adult’
food.
Basic Food Mix
1 Heaped tablespoon cooking mix (cooked)
1 Heaped tablespoon of Avid-plus Complete Breeder pellets or Avi-plus Maintenance pellets
1 Teaspoon Sunflower seed
1 Teaspoon mixed fine seed
Teach your chick to eat solid food
Some chicks just have trouble learning to eat anything other than formula. Try some of the following to help your parrot to cross this important bridge in it's life.
Put it close to you when you eat. Parrots tend to eat when humans eat. I think they like the company! You can even let it eat with you on the table out of your plate or out of it's own bowl.
After feeding it formula, put a little food in it's mouth to get use to the taste and texture.
Try some of the following food to start him off with and then introduce the Basic Food Mix little by little mixed into this.
Cooked gem squash
Rice
Any soft cooked vegetables, mashed
Average weaning age
11 – 12 weeks old
Use this as a guideline. Remember each parrot is an individual and should be
treated as such.