Feeding and caring for parrot chicks

Increasingly, parrots are bred at home. It has become a kind of hobby for breeders. But along with this, you should study a lot of information on how to care for and what to feed exotic birds. This will help the chicks not only survive, but also become healthy, cheerful parrots.

How to feed and care for a parrot chick?

Offspring from a couple of parrots are born 17-35 days after the start of incubation of eggs. Newly hatched chicks need the help of their parents in everything, and even breeders at home. Regardless of species, they will be helpless and blind.

Often, the female takes care of feeding the offspring. She regularly regurgitates food that has already been processed in her stomach. Thanks to this nutrition, the chicks receive the necessary complex of proteins and enzymes. The offspring will have such a diet for two weeks, the female is nearby almost all the time. Therefore, first of all, you will have to worry about your mother. You need to carefully monitor whether the female has enough food.

How to feed a parrot chick

For some reason, sometimes the female cannot feed the chick. In this case, this responsibility is shifted to the breeder, artificial feeding is practiced.

It is expected in several cases:

• If the female or male dies or is sick.
• If you have to feed sick or abandoned chicks.
• If the parents behave aggressively enough towards the offspring.
• If the offspring is incubated.

You can easily understand if the chicks need to be supplemented. It is worth clinging to the nest box and listening to what sounds come from there. If the chicks squeak for a long time, they may not be getting the required portion of food. And it is worth taking care of artificial feeding.

Feeding parrot chicks: ways

There are several options for feeding parrot chicks:

– directly into the goiter with a syringe;

– using a special pipette or syringe;

– from a spoon.

It is important to remember that any supplementary feeding or full-fledged artificial feeding must be well-composed. It is best to consult with an expert or veterinarian first. It can help to make a diet or decide on a feeding option.

What to feed budgie chicks

Experts recommend preparing egg food for chicks. It should be given daily from the moment they hatch until the birds start eating on their own. It is this food that will become the main food for parrots.

When the chicks can already fly out of the nest, portions of egg feed should be gradually reduced. Instead, you need to accustom parrots to the usual food for these exotic birds.

It should be remembered that the key to good health and cheerful behavior is precisely high-quality food. It should be saturated with vitamins and nutrients. Such a composition will help the chicks develop motor activity and provoke the growth of feathers. If the feed is not of proper quality, the chicks are at risk of growing up with poor health and possible serious diseases.

Food for parrot chicks: types

There are several options for food for chicks:

1. Green top dressing: spinach, clover, dandelions, radish tops. These plants are saturated with vitamins PP, B1, B2 and C.
2. Porridges will be useful for the digestion of a parrot: pea, oatmeal and buckwheat. It should be cooked in water without sugar or salt. Before serving, the porridge must be cooled.
3. Vitamins of groups E and B are present in large quantities in sprouted grains.
4. Manufacturers have prepared many special feeds from several types of grains. They can also be introduced into the diet of chicks. But before purchasing food, be sure to check the expiration date. A spoiled product can harm a still weakened chick’s body.

Demanded mineral supplements and additives for parrots

You can increase the calorie content and the amount of nutrients in the feed with the help of special additives.

• Small stones and sand are very beneficial for the parrot’s digestive system. Sand from rivers and lakes cannot be used, it may contain parasites. These supplements are sold in pet stores.
• Chalk is recommended for exotic birds to strengthen bones. It can be both in the form of a briquette, and in a pounded form. But in no case should you use chalk for rodents or building chalk. It can cause bird poisoning.
• Bone meal is an excellent source of calcium and phosphorus. It is usually mixed with feed.
• Iron, sulfur, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus can be obtained from the parrot eggshell in powder form. Before rubbing the shell must be boiled.
• Charcoal is offered in the same powdered state for parrots. It is a source of beneficial trace elements.

How to care for parrot chicks

Proper feeding is not the only thing that will ensure a healthy future for chicks. Among other things, be sure to check the nest box once a week. Sometimes, females may accidentally maim or crush chicks. Some may need help. If a dead chick is found, it should be removed, and others should be washed with warm water. But without the need to look into the nest and disturb the birds, it is not necessary.

Periodically renew the sawdust in the nest box. There must be order. Cleaning should be done at the moment when the female eats or bathes. If you do not have time to completely remove the old sawdust, you can limit yourself only to adding clean ones.

Monitoring the weight of the chicks

Be sure to monitor how much the weight of the chicks changes. When they have just hatched, they will weigh no more than 1 g. But in the first two days of life, the chicks will quickly gain weight. In this short time, their weight increases by about 200%.

Chicks reach their maximum weight around 23 days after hatching. When they begin to move vigorously, their weight will decrease slightly.

Remember that healthy offspring are the result of the painstaking efforts of both the female and the breeders.