Help with 4 week old IR chick

[sodakat]

First, congratulations on the adorable chick and welcome to BirdBoard!

I have some input, but it is related to Eclectus, not IR. My pair has successfully hatched and reared 2 clutches of 2 chicks. The youngest clutch is almost 11 weeks old. The parents are still feeding this set of chicks but the chicks are also eating at the food bowls now too. Like you, I was very hesitant to handle the first chicks because I did not know how the parents would react. I have no interest in hand feeding, I should add. So, the only time I picked up the babies was once a week for a general inspection and picture for a development photo log. I did not pick them up for the first month at all. My pair is friendly to me, but they did not want me to handle their chicks. I still have these now 9 month old female Eclectus girls and they are not at all interested in being held, although they will step up in order to come out of their cages (one more willingly than the other). They enjoy being around all of us though.

The younger chicks I treated completely differently. I met two people online who handle their parent-raised chicks. At about a month I began holding the chicks and talking to them for a few minutes a day, eventually for about 20 minutes to a half hour. My female beaked at my hand when I picked up the chicks so I kept my hand between her and the chicks so they chicks would not get hurt both when I took them out and when I replaced them. My male does not go in the nestbox except for a minute or two to feed, after the chicks are about a month old. He "yells" at me though. Very quickly my female got used to me handling the chicks and now will sit on my shoulder grinding her beak in contentment while I am holding the babies.

The difference in this set of chicks from the first two is amazing. They step up already and even scramble to get close to my neck if something startles them.

I am certainly no expert, but in anectdotal experience just from these two clutches of chicks, I can say that you can definitely achieve the "hand-fed-baby" attributes just by holding and touching chicks, without having to feed them.

Kathy

[Slappy]

Hi guys and gals. Thank you for your replies. All this info is very useful and I like to hear about other people experiences :)
I will let you know which technique I use and how it goes and will post pictures. If anyone wants to add more to this thread I'd love that. But I will also look in the ringneck section for more info.

[Patti J]

I breed IRN's and based on my experience you have a better chance of the parents being aggresive towards the chick if you try to co-feed. Esp since your pair aren't terribly tame. If you want to pull the chick to have a tame pet, then it looks like it's at a great stage to do so. The most important things to consider when handrearing are the temp of the chick and the temp of the food. Do you have a brooder ready for the chick? If not there are lots of sites on the net with plans for making one. You are welcome to PM me if you'd like more help! Good luck....

The IRN that I am currently handrearing is pictured below....
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[Slappy]

Hi

I have been taking the Chick out and handling it once everyday for 5mins or so.
I did try and feed it formula but it didn't seem to like that idea.
I have noticed that when I put the chick back in the breeding box the parents scream and then the Chick starts calling and the parents rush to it.

I phoned the Bird shop owner again, and again he said that I don't need a thermometer or special brooder for the chick as its old enough now. He just said use the Tupperware container I have, line the bottom with wood shavings and cover the top with a towel and keep it in a warm room where there is no breeze. Still not sure whether I should separate it now from its parents. Or just handle it and try get a feed in maybe once a day. I am getting a thermometer for the formula tomorrow.

Am I right to say that the Chick once weaned and older should not be kept in the same cage as its parents.

I hate indecision and need to choose an idea and stick to it. I will post another pic at 5 weeks.

[Slappy]

Hi I find that the Chick stays in this position most of the day. I haven't seen it lift its head lately except when I try and feed it. Even then I need to sometimes support its head. Also can I clean out the Breeding box and lay down fresh wood shavings. I admit that I am feeling like a real newbie. Guess that cos I am

Photo-0014.jpg

[Greycloud]

First, the pet store owner is wrong. The chick needs warmth. Set up a 5-10 gallon aquarium or tupper ware container, same size. Put soft bedding in it. Place a heating pad underneath on the outside of the container, set on medium. Place a sticky temp guage on side. Temp should be be between 74-80 degrees. The chick may be getting week because parents might not be caring for it properly. The chick appears splayed legged like rewki said. Place a small tupperware container with a soft napkin in side in the homemade incubator and put the baby in there. This will help the baby to keep its legs together and build muscle tone. The chick will need to be fed at 6-10-2-6-10 at first. Temp of food should be between 104-107 degrees. If you want to leave the chick with the pareents you can change the bedding. Making the bedding thicker may help with the sply leg condition.

[Patti J]

You are correct. The chick will need a cage of it's own because the male could get aggressive once the chick is out of the nest.

[Slappy]

Hi. The chick was not fed by its mother or father the whole of today. Female only went into the breeding box once that I saw. When I tried to feed the chick formula its crop was empty. It only had a few small spoons of formula. Really not enough. I will be taking it to a bird vet later on for a check up. Thanks for info on Brooder.

[Patti J]

I think the parents would have most likely done a better job if you'd just left them to it. Hope the chick is OK.

[Greycloud]

Slappy, I hope you don't wait to long to go to the vet. That little baby will starve or dehydrate! You must try to get some formula in as carefully as you can. Try to locate a breeder in your area. This is an emergency.