Hand feeding--Is this enough?

lstyles · Post by **lstyles** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 4:08 pm

I am trying to hand feed some gouldian chicks that dad repeatedly tossed from day one. They are now three days old and hand feeding is going pretty well. I read through all the info on the hand feeding on this forum I think but still don't have a good idea if I am feeding enough, too much or just right. I guess that the fact that they are still alive after two days is a good sign but I thought I would share a photo to show you how much I give them. This is just after completing a feeding so what is in their crops is the max of what is in crop. What I give them is really pretty much determined by what was suggested on this forum...not too much and don't ever force them to eat. Also I think I remember reading that crop shouldnt be bigger than size of head. That hasnt been a problem because they stop begging pretty quick and the crop is never bigger than head. Here is the photo...can you tell me if this sounds like enough:

I am feeding about every 2 hours during the day and about every three hours at night. They look awful pink to me but then they are the product of a BB and /BB pair so it possible that they are BB. What do you think? I can't seem to see the color of the nodules in the corner of the mouth yet so haven't been able to get any clues there.
thanks in advance for help,
Lori

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 4:13 pm

I think they look VERY good re the size of the crops with food and their over all colouration. Well done!!

Simply gradually increase the food a little each day. As the chicks grow, so does the amount their crops can hold. Looks like you have the knack!

debbie276 · Post by **debbie276** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 4:22 pm

Looks good to me. You might want to take a cotton swab and clean off the formula and poop to prevent bacteria exposure.
best of luck

lstyles · Post by **lstyles** » Fri Oct 26, 2012 4:25 pm

Thanks for the quick responses. Great idea with the Q tip...I was having trouble doing it by hand with paper towel. Hazard a guess whether these are BB?
Lori

bugaboo5 · Post by **bugaboo5** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 12:07 pm

They look fine.

Can you get a better picture of them in natural light? If they are pink, they are most likely blue backs. It's easier to compare when you have a normal baby to compare with. The normals appear orange to me and the blues are always this light pink hue. Good luck with the hand-feeding!

Post by **Sally** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:22 pm

They look good. They will eat more and more as they grow, and I don't think it would hurt a bit to give them a little more than you are now, their crops are nowhere near the size of their heads. I always wet a kleenex in hot water and wipe their faces and then their butts every feeding. Though their parents don't always keep a clean nest, etc., I think it is important with these handfeds to keep their nest and bodies as clean as possible.

maru · Post by **maru** » Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:29 pm

They look very cute! I think you are doing it very well! I hope they keep growing as well as they have until now. You said the dad tossed them? I once had a pair that had chicks and when they were like 3 days old, I think, the dad died

; but the hen alone fed them very well, and they were four! Well, I say this in case you want to try to put them in the nest and with the hen only. I don´t know what more experienced people here think, I have very little experience.

lstyles · Post by **lstyles** » Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:36 pm

Here is an update...now 5 days old and hanging in there. I feed them every 2-3 hours during the day and am up to about 5 hours between feedings at night. I feed them with a bent over paper clip (the kind that are coated with plastic) and they seem to like this. I am now holding them at the end of feeding to make sure the get all they can. Not sure I want to do the hand feeding thing again though as it takes a lot of time and scheduling!

Still can't really see a very prominent nodule in middle and if its there its not very yellow. They continue to look pink to me so maybe they are blues....that would be my pay off for all my hard work....that and the cute little chicks they will be when they grow up....crossing my fingers all continues to go well.
Lori

debbie276 · Post by **debbie276** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 4:48 am

They are looking very good Lori. Have you tried a banding tool to feed them, especially as they get older and want more formula it may work better then a paper clip.
keep up the great work!

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 5:53 am

They look wonderful. I am going to guess that they are blues from the picture. I would also think of an alternative to the paper clip soon. It would take a long time to get the amount of food they will need as they get older. Do you have a banding tool? If not, I could send you one....

Martie · Post by **Martie** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 9:10 am

Lori, they look wonderful. Keep up the great work! I also recommend a banding tool and look forward to watching these little babies grow.

Post by **Sally** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 10:02 am

Great job, Lori, and you are right, handfeeding is tough, keeping to a schedule is a job in itself. When I am handfeeding, I am always shocked when it is time to feed again--seems like I just finished a feeding. And every activity revolves around the little ones and their needs.

You have gotten good advice from Debbie and Donna about the banding tool. These little ones will start to eat so much food, it will take too long to do a feeding. They adapt very well to eating off the banding tool. I scoop up some food, then turn the tool upside-down, and they lick the food right off.

lstyles · Post by **lstyles** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 3:39 pm

I posted something last night but it doesn't seem to have gone through. So far the paperclip has worked very well and it doesn't take long to feed them. I have access to some of those plastic pipettes that people have said to use but I think maybe the band tool is more like what they are used to. I don't have a banding tool so may have to see about getting one from Donna! Will keep you updated in a couple of days. Keep crossing those fingers.
Lori

lstyles · Post by **lstyles** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 7:52 pm

Sad news...went home today to find that one of the chicks was dead. It was fine after I fed it but 2 hrs later it was gone. No signs of aspiration when I fed it...wiggled all over the place as usual. The other chick looked a little pale but was begging for food so I fed it some...it died about a minute later. Presumably of aspiration but I had only given it a drop. I figure some kind of infection because I was so careful to avoid aspiration and never fed them except when they were begging and their crops were never bigger than what was in the pictures. Very sad...I was growing very attached to them.
Thanks for all your help with this. Wish it had turned out better. Now I know why people like societies so much...much better at this fostering that we are.
Lori

nelloyello11 · Post by **nelloyello11** » Mon Oct 29, 2012 9:43 pm

Aaaaaaawww Lori, I'm very sorry to hear this! I give you much credit, as you made it quite a bit longer that I did on my first (and so far, only) handfeeding attempt. Both of mine died after only about a day and half. I was so attached to them even by that point; I can only imagine how I would have felt if I got them as far as you did.

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Hand feeding--Is this enough?

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