My Grandpa got me a present....

[KDK241]

I know, it's going to be so hard but I'm going to try my best. They are actually doing pretty good though. The oldest one just suddenly started pecking at ants on the ground today....he didn't catch any but he tried, lol. I went and dug up more worms for them and started feeding them those and when I bring them out tomorrow I am going to start putting some in a dish on the ground and hope for the best. I felt really bad though, there was a robin hopping around the yard today and one of the babies tried to follow it, crying for food the whole time. The robin actually started going to it but then I think it realized "Hey, this is NOT my kid!" and took off.

[Ashling]

WOW! You are doing such a good job! You must a huge amount of patience! I thought 3 hourly feedings were irksome!? I'm glad they are parasite free, growing and developing well. Don't feel bad about him chasing a wild bird, it was instinct. My Raven used to hang out with the local magpies every few days!
I taught her to eat her own food by leaving out mealworms and "pecking" at them with my own finger, or something black and shiny (like a Raven beak) she caught on very quickly (she was a Raven after all ;) and once she was living outside in the front garden, she could forage herself. I found a cockroach once and threw it on the ground near her, and she watched it hide under foliage, dug it out, bit it in half and ate it. She would also hide half the food I fed her, then ask for her fill, then go back when she was hungry again and eat the rest. When she went free, I don't know what happened to her. I watched her for 6 gours straight, no food, water or tiolet breaks- and I got sunburnt on the face and a bad neck. In the end, she was at the top of a 30 foot eucalyptus tree so she was quite safe! I hope it all ends well with your babies. I'm sure it will!

[KDK241]

Well, today I made what I thought was an escape proof cage out of a wire dog cage with some nice branches and things in it. It took less then 5 minutes for one of them to learn how to squeeze through the bars. Eventually everyone figured it out so I just let them run around the yard. They are eating worms and things but still haven't figured out that they should look for them on their own. Everything I read says to leave them outside all day and just go out there every 15 min. or so and feed them. That would be great but I live on about 300 acres so finding them would be impossible! So tomorrow it looks like I will be trying to come up with a new cage/pen idea....

[Buggzter]

Buy hardware cloth to put around the dog kennel. Get the 1/2" uncoated wire since you won't be using it long, and then you can cut it off to reuse the kennel properly later! Or, use the 1/2" hardware cloth to make a play pen that they can't squeeze out of but have full access to the ground, and move the pen and babes every 30 minutes or so. Also, make sure they have shade when you do this! Good luck with them.

I think if they see you digging for worms in the ground, they'll have the idea to do it as well. Just a thought...

[Ashling]

300 acres! And you're complaining? lol I'd die for that, but it was easier raising a baby brd outside when the area is 10 x 20 meters!

[KDK241]

Yeah well it's going to be really fun now! They suddenly learned how to fly in a matter of 2 hours, lol. Not very far yet but I know it won't be long. I wasn't able to get anything for them to be in outside yesterday cuz it was raining and today I was busy but tomorrow I am definitely going to have to get something going. I figure I might as well take this opportunity to build the aviary I want for my tiels but just let them use it first.

[KDK241]

Well, one has managed to escape and get lost twice now. Well, not really escape, they started to chase each other off the perch when feeding them and my mom opened the cage to feed the one's on the bottom the other day and one slipped past her and flew to the back yard. I went out and started whistling to him and he chirped back but I didn't have any shoes on and he was on the ground in the woods so my mom went to go get him and he flew away. I didn't see where he flew to so I walked around in the woods and fields for an hour whistling with no response. I was walking up the field road back to the house, still whistling, and suddenly heard "chirp, chirp" from the weeds on the side of the road. There he was, sitting in the middle of a bunch of nettles (burn weed) so I had to stick my hand in there (OUCH!) just to get him out.
Then today, my mom was feeding them again and she opened the cage door and the same one got out and flew into a tree. Sometimes I wonder about her, seriously!! This time he just kept hopping higher and higher until we lost sight of him. A couple hours later I went to go feed the other 3 and whistled while I was feeding them and suddenly this little brown thing flew by and landed on the bush next to me. He had made it into the back yard but came when he heard food! He didn't even try to get away when I caught him, I think he was grateful. I'm pretty sure some other birds probably chased him to the back yard. I know I'm not supposed to name them but this one's name is TROUBLE! Been a troublemaker from the beginning, lol. They have started to peck at worms if I hold them in a tweezer for them but haven't quite made the connection between food and pecking on the ground so we are still working on that. Even if I have to provide food for them forever that is fine but I can't handfeed them for the rest of their lives!
I thought about letting them out since I know that at least one will come back for food but we have some critter (not a cat, probably a raccoon) that is catching birds, ripping off their wings and eating the rest of the bird. I have no idea what it is but I have found 8 sets of bird wings in the yard in the last week. My aviary plans are being put on hold because the weather has been nasty and no one will let me use their truck to go get the lumberbut it will get done this week. I'll have to take pics tomorrow now that they look like birds

[lisark]

So how are the babies doing now? They must be all hopping around and getting so big!!! Got any more pics?