Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 1/13/2007

Question
i have a pair of budgies who are known for showing a careless attitude towards babies i had stopped them from breeding but now accidently my female is sittin on eggs and if at all she stops feeding the babies how do i go about feeding them here in india we do not have commercial handfeeding formulas please guide me with a home recipe for a hand feeding for mula this should be easy to make and should consist of readily available products and also please tell me the freqency of the feedind according to the age and also are heating pads required for the birds or are tyhere anyother ways to keep the babies warm.....thanks

Answer
Hi, Ronnie.  Thanks for posting!

I don't have any "homemade" recipes for handfeeding formula.  Baby birds need certain vitamins and minerals and all these are wrapped up in commercial handfeeding formulas.  Even if you don't have these locally, they are available on the internet (you'd have to order from the internet).  You can TEMPORARILY use liquids, such as Ensure Plus, Slim Fast, human infant formula, etc., but this would be only temporary until you can acquire baby parrot handfeeding formula.  Also, these don't have the nutrition baby parrots require.

Baby budgies usually start weaning at about 3 weeks of age.  Therefore, handfeeding should continue until the babies start refusing the handfeedings and/or start pecking at things on their brooder bottoms.  Up until this time, babies should be fed 4 times per day (morning, noon, evening, bedtime) or whenever their crops are empty. Visit my website for information on weaning, handfeeding, etc.:

http://www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html

Baby birds need to be kept at 98 degrees F until they are feathered enough to keep themselves warm.  They need warmth for several reasons, including metabolizing their food.  As they become more feathered, heat can be reduced, but as long as they are still being handfed, you need to keep them on heat.  Heating pads work very well, as you need to keep them warm 24/7.  However, you can also use heating lamps, heating lights, etc., however, these usually can't be used during the night.  Babies need darkness at night in order to sleep best, thus, not using lights during the night (this is where heating pads work best at keeping them warm at night).

Chrys