Welcome to the Maryland Budgerigar Society
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Welcome to the Maryland Budgerigar Society
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Hand feeding English Budgerigars
Hand feeding budgies is not for the faint of heart, but the rewards are BIG!! Hand fed budgies are wonderful pets. They have big personalities, are affectionate, clownish and good talkers. They have everything to offer as do the larger parrots, except that they aren't loud, don't require a huge, expensive cage, have rather small inoffensive poops, and they can't send anyone to the hospital if they decide to give you a nip. Another endearing quality about parakeets is that they love everyone, even dogs! (Our pet budgie tries to jump on and ride our golden retriever) WARNING: Do not attempt to hand feed budgies for the first time without the assistance of an experienced mentor. Once you pull a chick from the parents and start feeding it, it's all yours! There is no turning back! Being a parent to a budgie chick is a huge responsibility and hand feeding budgies will give you a new appreciation for how hard budgies work raising their young. We like to pull chicks from the parents at two weeks of age. If they are pulled much after two weeks of age, it is difficult to get them to get them to accept the hand feeding process. (Not impossible, but very trying!) Young chicks need to be fed every three hours. Fortunately, by two weeks of age, they are able to go through the night without a feeding. When hand feeding chicks, they go everywhere with us. Once, we even took chicks on a skiing trip! (Don’t worry, we didn't take them on the slopes--they stayed in the ski lodge). If you don't have a very understanding boss, bringing your chicks to work can be a problem. Because hand feeding budgies is a very demanding proposition, we now only take on this responsibility during the summer, when Caroline is off from school and can be home to feed the babies. Always pull more than one chick to hand feed so they can keep each other warm. For the first few days, we keep our babies in a small, Oscar sized cooler. In the bottom of the cooler, place a heating pad (on low), placing several towels on the heating pad--so that the chicks are quite far up from the heating pad. Place the babies on paper towels, snuggled together on top of the regular towels. I only use the heating pads for the first few days, as I worry about overheating chicks. After the first few days, the chicks should have enough pin feathers to be able to keep warm without the heating pad. Keep the lid on the cooler slightly open so that the chicks can get plenty of air, yet retain their warmth. Once they start feathering up, place them in an aquarium with pine shavings. The aquarium prevents them from getting a draft and retains some heat. Put a little hut in the aquarium--the kind used to prevent parents from attacking chicks when they first leave the nest box--so the chicks can huddle together in it.
Using a syringe We use hand feeding formulas produced by either Harrison's or Abba. Both seem to work well and are easy to use. These formulas are mixed with water. Tap water is fine and no additives are needed. When hand feeding chicks, be careful to ensure that the mixture is not too thick. If it's too thick, the chicks can choke. If the mixture is too thin, the chicks will be hungry well before the next feeding. Heat the mixture in the microwave for a few seconds. Budgie chicks will not accept the formula if it is not warm. Test the formula on your wrist or just under your lower lip (it’s a very heat sensitive place!). The formula needs to be warm, not hot. Be careful not to give the formula to the chick when it is hot, or the crop can become burned. We prefer to use a syringe to feed the chicks. These syringes (without the needle, of course) can be purchased from bird supply stores online or in pet shops. When feeding the chick, steady the chick's head between your fingers and insert the syringe filled with formula from the right side of the bird's beak and angle it towards the left over the tongue. The chick's windpipe is behind the tongue on the right side of the bird as you face it (the chick's left). This closes when the bird eats and swallows. The chick is slowly fed the formula through the syringe a few drops at a time. After a couple of drops are given to the chick, withdraw the syringe and let the chick swallow and breathe. With very young chicks, the feeding process is quite time consuming. Reheating the formula may be necessary. Repeat until the chick's crop is about 2/3rds full. Do not overfill the chick's crop or they may suffocate. Food is digested from the top of the crop, so make sure that the chick's crop empties completely at least once a day so that the bottom of the crop has a chance to empty out, avoiding sour crop. A full Crop
In young chicks, the crop is very visible on the front of the chick. As the chick grows, the crop begins to become less prominent. The older the chick becomes, the less feedings it will require. This can be judged by looking at, or feeling the crop. By the time the budgies are three weeks old they will be quite eager to be fed by their new parent; you. They can get a bit crazed at feeding time. They will nip excitedly at your hand and become quite boisterous. While this can be a bit annoying, they are just letting you know that you are doing a good job and that they are nice and healthy. Keep in mind; this is what your breeding pairs have to put up with!! By four weeks of age, place plenty of millet spray in your aquarium so the chicks can practice nibbling on it. Make sure the millet spray is purchased from a reliable source, or it may be necessary to soak the spray in sani-clens to eliminate dirt, bacteria or mold. It is not necessary to go to extraordinary lengths regarding hygiene. Simply wash your hands before handling the chicks. Mix fresh formula daily, covering it with saran wrap and storing it in the fridge. Carefully clean the chicks up after each feeding and rinse the syringe well between feedings. Special care and extra observation must be taken during the weaning period. Most chicks usually wean themselves between 6 to 8 weeks. However, each chick varies regarding the time it takes them to become weaned. They must be eating and drinking well before the hand feeding can be stopped. When they are ready to be weaned, they will start to refuse food from you; throw-up food fed to them; and they will stop the nipping. Provide plenty of seed and feel the crops to ensure they are feeding themselves well. Once the chicks are weaned they are ready to go to their new homes. We have found it enormously fulfilling to be able to offer hand fed budges. While budgies can be hand tamed as pets when they are young, they just aren't quite as fearless and bonded to their owners as the hand fed birds. New owners are always astounded by their sweet nature and friendliness. We make sure to educate new owners on budgie care and we always send them home with a back issue of the ABS magazine and encourage them to get involved in the hobby. It is wonderful hearing from people who have received birds from us to tell us how much joy their budgies bring to their lives.
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