Free feeding babies?

[Hookturn]

I just came across an article posted by michaels blog last year regarding weight mangement. I like the premise and have seen many others suggest that free feeding is not a good idea. My question is whether the same holds true for babies. I have a 5 month old Jenday. His diet is a mix of beans grains fruits veggies and pellets. And of course some seeds for treats. I leave his food mix out all day. Is this not a good idea for babies? I'm just worried that since he is recently weened I don't want him hungry.

If the answer is that I should set up a morning and evening feeding schedule as suggested for adult birds, what is the best way to transition to it? Thanks for any input you guys may have.

[Harpmaker]

No one advocates restricting food for babies. Free feed until they are grown. You don't want to either stunt their growth or give them mental health problems.

[Wolf]

Personally I would free feed everything in the mix except for pellets. I don't use pellets, but they are meant to replace a seed mix, which I would only feed for an evening meal. So if you feed pellets reserve them for the evening meal and remove them after the bird goes to sleep.

I feed gloop with added raw veggies and a fruit for breakfast and there is enough for all day long and then I feed a seed mix for an evening meal and remove it when my birds go to sleep. So mime are free fed some foods but also have two meals a day.

[Hookturn]

Pretty much what I figured. Pellets are a very small part of his diet. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing for bit. Of course at his age he is full grown in terms of size (at least I believe he is) when should I start transitioning to two meals a day?

[Pajarita]

When he is one year old. But, in reality, it's not as if you actually only serve two meals because what you give for breakfast stays there for them to pick on during the day. I would not leave a bird without any food whatsoever.

[Wolf]

Right. I leave their breakfast in until I give them dinner, the only time that there is no food is at night after they go to sleep. I am up long before they are and so there is always a little something in their cage for them to nibble on when they wake up until I give them breakfast. Just no protein foods for nibbling on or before dinner.