Directions
Prepare Hand Rearing Food by mixing powder with pre-boiled, warm water (approx. 50?C) according to the chart below. Allow mixture to stand for one minute to absorb all the water. Remix, and feed at a temperature of 38-40?C with a spoon, syringe or crop tube. Prepare food fresh each meal and thoroughly clean utensils between feeds.
Feed until the crop is comfortably full. As a general rule, this equates to about 10% of body weight per feed. Let the crop empty completely at least once a day by allowing an overnight fasting period.
Growth
Weigh chicks before feeding each day. On average chicks should gain from 5 -15% of their body weight per day, until they are well-feathered. Failure to gain weight could indicate disease, or mean that chicks are not getting enough food. Healthy chicks that are not gaining sufficient weight may need more frequent feeds, more volume at each feed or a higher proportion of powder in the mix. Feed and growth charts for various species are available under Hand-Rearing.
Weaning
Offer adult-type foods once chicks are fully feathered or start to resist being hand fed. Ideal weaning foods include Parrot Soft Food, Budgie Starter or Egg & Biscuit. Gradually reduce the frequency and volume of hand rearing food to encourage weaning. For long-term health, it is a good practice to wean young birds on to a balanced diet of Parrot Pellets/Crumbles. Initially offer moistened pellets/crumbles and once chicks start eating these, they can be fed dry. Chicks may naturally lose some weight during weaning (up to 15%), so it’s important to monitor food consumption and bird health in this period.
