What age is a good age to bring home baby?

[crystaljoe2003]

[b]Our Greenwing has been hatched and I am wondering when is a good time to bring home our baby. The breeder said he will keep the baby for a while but I am wondering at what age we will be in the CLEAR to take it home. We have had feeding experience but not a whole lot. So I was thinking of waiting until the baby is down to two feedings a day. What do you all think, I would appreciate some feed back! thank you

[Winged_Victory]

I recommend you wait to your bird is weaned unless you have extensive hand feeding experience. You will thank yourself later if you wait!

[macy07]

You should definitely wait until the baby is fully weaned. Our greenwing is 8 months old. She weaned when she was close to 6 1/2 months and the breeder kept her a couple weeks after that to make sure she was eating enough food on her own. We were told by everyone that only very experienced people should hand feed because the slightest mistake could cause the baby harm. I was told 6 to 7 months is the usual wean time for greenwings. Good luck.
Macy07

[RMSacha]

Originally Posted by Winged_Victory

I recommend you wait to your bird is weaned unless you have extensive hand feeding experience. You will thank yourself later if you wait!

I totally agree and allow for a couple of weeks after she/he is weaned to make sure there is no regression... a lot of macaws will want to regress if they have just weaned and are moved to a new environment.

[2horse]

It is safer to wait until the baby is completely weaned. Handfeeding is the easy part weaning has many pitfalls.

[scabz]

My baby macaw was 16 weeks when I brought him home. He is a little over a year old now but sometimes he still acts like a baby wanting me to feed him like a mother bird would.

[Macaaaw]

Waiting is not want you want to hear, but it can be the best solution for your bird.

I brought home "Bucks" at three weeks old. Mostly featherless male Scarlet. We fed him every two hours around the clock. What a chore! We called him chore bird.

In the end, we ended up with a nippy, pushy, spoiled, half feather plucked bird that only wanted us on his terms. That went on for fifteen years!

Let the breeder do all the work. Let the breeder be thought of as the parent. You will come along later as his buddy! It is better that way.

Our current baby is 95% weaned. Once we saw the bird at a bird show, we could not put it down. Our tears were flowing and we were quite a sight. Our Scarlet male had just been killed by an owl, and we were on the rebound. So we have one light hand feeding each day.

One wrong move, and the bird aspirates and dies. I worry every time I feed him.

My advice, wait. Put down a deposit, and get bird books, toys, cages, play areas, and wait. Visit often if possible.

It will be worth it.

[birdlady49]

I agree with everyone's posts. Do not bring the baby home until he is totally weaned, eating on his own, AND maintaining and/or continuing to gain weight. Even at two feedings a day, a bird's growth could be stunted if not fed properly and you'll have serious problems later on in life.

[kat3k]

I have always heard, without exception, to not take a bird before it's weaned. And I think Gary makes a very good point regarding his labor-intensive hand feeding experience - the results were exactly the opposite of what one would expect after all that work, sacrifice, and risk!