Expert: Kyle Lohr - 4/3/2009

Question
If i take a parakeet baby out at 2 weeks about how often do i feed it?
I bred and they are a month old....my birds are double clutching i candeled the egga dn the hearth is beating so summer is coming and when it comes the babies should be about 2 weeks old....i got the formula but how every often do i feed it? do i feed it at night to?

Answer
Hello Alex!


First, if you do decide to handraise them (not that you need to), you need more supplies than handfeeding formula and a syringe...

Here's a small list of items that you should have on hand to handraise...

Proper Breeding Cage or a Large (flight) Cage
Pipettes
Syringes
Handfeeding Formula
Wooden Nestbox
SAFE Nesting Material
Incubator
Brooder
Scale
Thermostat and hygrometer
Thermometer for checking how hot food is
Heating Pad
Heating Bulb (i.e. Ceramic Heating Lamp)
Paper Towels
Humidifier

If you don't or can't get these supplies, or the experience needed to handraise babies, then you should have a few avian vets and breeders on hand/call in case of an emergency and chicks need to be handraised. To give you an idea, newly hatched chicks need to be fed around the clock every 2 hours, and as they get older the time between feedings increases... however it doesn't stop until they are 5-8 weeks old, sometimes older. Basically going from 12 feedings in a 24 hour, to maybe 9 with a bit rest at night, to six, later on to only 3 feedings a day, then only 1 until weaned.

So yes, it would be expected to feed at night. Consider letting the parents do it, unless you REALLY want tame babies.

Hope I Helped. Good Luck!