by Kim S » Wed Aug 11, 2010 6:04 am
It is a really difficult thing to do, handfeeding a baby. I am at this moment deciding weather or not to pull some tiels out of the nest. The parents do feed them properly, but they pluck them. their heads and necks are completely naked.
I really dont want to take on the responsibility of feeding them 4 to 5 times a day for the next 4 to 5 weeks. But this is an economic decision as well. I know most of you dont like to hear this, but I do want you to understand how a breeder thinks about this. Let it be clear, I do not breed for the money, but sometimes you need to make difficult decissions.
If I dont pull them from the nest and handfeed them, whey will be plucked till they leave their parents. These young birds will be very difficult to sell with their vulture apearance. I will have to wait till they are completely feathered again before I can even think of advertising them. Be honoust. How many of you will buy a plucked bird?
This means I will have to keep them for at least three of four weeks longer than the other young birds. Four extra weeks of providing food, water and a cage. Four extra weeks of handling them every day to keep them tame. Especially that last part is difficult. I can handle up to 5 young birds to make tame at one time. That is about one nest. Add these two, and I wont be able to give every young bird the attention it will need.
I can also decide to not tame them and sell them as aviary birds. That way they can be placed in my aviary with the rest untill they look ok. Point is, these are not very special colours. One is a whiteface and the other a pearl whiteface. They wont be easy to sell if not tame.
I probably will let them stay with their parents and sell them as aviarybirds. But I just want you to know how difficult it is to do the right thing.
Kika: Senegal Parrot.
Guus: Cockatiel, Yellowcheek, cinnamon, pearl, pied.