Would like to do this but could use some advice from someone who has done it?

Question

I read that some birds are a bit more tame and calm if they're hand raised by humans. But I could use a few tips from someone who has done this before, just for future usage.

No jokes of wisecracks please. Only answer if you've hand raised birds or if you know of someone who has done it.

Thanks!

Answer 1

I tamed a peached face love bird, now there bite can chew to the bone.When he was born my friend held him everyday, let him fly around inside and a month later was given to me, still cranky and wanting to be a bird, months of persistent handling and loving turned my bird into pretty much a wannabe human! He would sleep in the bed, with the blankets, eat off my plate, shower with me and i could walk him up to the shops sitting on my shoulder. The more you handle them at a young age, the better they will be. Good luck it is hard work, but the rewards are beyond recognition.

Answer 2

cin ann 43 is completely correct.

With that said,
Hand feeding a baby is a tricky business however and you could very easily "Aspirate" the bird...that is, send the food into the lungs rather than down to the crop. It takes a lot of experience to do this right every time and hand feeding babies is exhausting...it's a rough schedule.
If you get a weaned baby, they will still bond with you. If you adopt an adult bird, they will indeed bond with you provided you learn positive reinforcement training techniques.
Adopting a parrot that needs a home can be so satisfying once you educate yourself on how to go about it.
You are best off leaving the hand feeding to the experts. One wrong move and you are in for a nightmare.
Crop burning is a problem.
Too thick formula, or formula that is too thin is a problem.
The issues are endless.
cin ann 43 sounds like she's an old hand at it, and I admire her ability, but it's something I believe you should leave to the experts.

Answer 3

I have raised a Quaker parrot from the time he got his first pin feathers. He is now 19 years old. The best thing I can tell you is never ever yell or make agressive moves towards your pet. Birds do not like fast approaches. Do things in repetition and always use soothing comments like, good bird. If you have the privelege to hand feed your bird that will seal a big bond for life. Your pet will think you are his parent.
Teach your bird early on to 'step up' onto your finger then onto your hand. You need to be very patient to earn it's trust that you wont drop him.
If you have to discipline your bird, let's say for nipping at you, have your bird step up onto your finger or hand, then quickly drop your hand down about 8 inches, this causes your bird to loose footing and relates this to that particular action that is not acceptable. You might reinforce this with words so that eventually your bird wont need the 'drop' treatment but will respond to your word. Such as 'no no', the bird will relate those words to the 'drop' treatment and will stop the negative behavior.
There are several good bird sites that you can learn more from, just google or ask.com.
Good luck from one bird lover to another.

Answer 4

I have hand fed doves and cockatiels. This is very time consuming, and you have to be patient, careful, and available. The food has to be prepared correctly, given at the correct temperature, using a syringe. The crop of the bird has to be filled, and then burped. To do this, rub the bird's crop gently and get the air bubbles out.
There are a myriad of things that can go wrong, like sour crop, and if you're like me, you get attached to the birds. The birds need to be fed every 2 hours when you first take them from the nest.
One of my sisters still hand raises parrots and cockatiels. I gave it up, due to allergies to bird dung.
Hope this helps.
A good pet store can give you assistance. Try Bird Talk magazine online for immediate assistance.

Answer 5

If hand-fed as chicks, cockatiels and other small birds can form strong bonds with their owners. Otherwise quiet birds will frequently make contact calls with their owners, calls that sometimes can be quite loud if the person is out of sight. Their popularity as pets is in part because of their calm and timid temperament, to the
I prefer to let the parents raise the chicks for as long as possible. Hand feeding them from babies is really hard work and I've had to wake up all through the night for feeding. I personally wait until they're fully feathered or even just after they come out of the nesting box. You have to spend a fair bit of time handling them, but its heaps easier than hand feeding... well I think so anyway
When you decide to hand feed baby birds, you are taking on a major responsibility. The lives of these little babies are dependent on your actions. The commitment involved is enormous and time consuming. However, it is also very rewarding to see these helpless little creatures become happy, healthy adults.
Before you begin, make sure that all of the utensils are sterile. This includes the container holding the formula, measuring device, the syringe, the container holding the "float water", and the surface on which he will be fed. I use an insulated cup to hold the "float water" (115 degrees) in order to maintain the formula at the proper temperature.

When preparing the formula, it is important to test the temperature of the mixture. The temperature needs to be between 100 degrees and 105 degrees. If it is below 100 degrees, the baby bird will not be able to digest the food properly because his body temperature will be lowered also. Just as in the brooder, the bird should never become chilled. This could lead to a slowing or shuting down of his system or even worse, death. If the temperature of the formula is above 105 degrees, the crop may be burned. I do not like to use the microwave to heat the formula unless it is absolutely necessary, because of the potential uneven distribution of heat. If you do use the microwave, make sure you mix the formula very well to prevent hot and cold spots. I use a thermometer to test the "float water" and a different thermometer to test the formula. Check the temperature of the formula often.

The esophagus leading to the crop down which the food travels is located on the birds right side of the throat. Using the syringe to administer the food, place the syringe against the left side of his beak. If he doesn't readily start eating, gently tap the syringe on the beak; this should start the feeding response. If you do not see the throat moving in a swallowing motion, do not attempt to feed. He could very easily choke or inhale the formula. Once you see the feeding response, in a slow and steady manner, administer the forumula. After several seconds of feeding, remove the syringe from the beak to let the bird take a breath. Pay close attention to the amount of food being given. You do not want to over-fill the crop. The formula could go back up into the throat and into the lungs causing either serious illness, or sudden death.

After feeding the baby, I use a Q-Tip and warm water to clean out the inside of the mouth, outside of the beak, and the (pin) feathers around the beak. By removing the food immediately after feeding, the chances of a crop infection is reduced. If the food is allowed to remain in and around the beak, it will begin to break down allowing for bacterial and/or fungal infections. After the baby is fed, place him back in his warm brooder for a nice long nap.

A feeding schedule should be set up and followed as closely as possible. This is especially important for very young chicks. Chicks who are 1-3 days old should be feed every 1 - 1 1/2 hours around the clock. They should be able to go from midnight to 6 a.m. starting with the 4th night. Since the formula is being mixed at a thicker consistency, the digestion takes a little longer and can sustain them through the 6 hour span. We continue to feed the babies on a 3 - 4 hour schedule during the day until around midnight. The morning feeding time varies due to the emptying rate of the crop. If a baby has not digested all of the formula from the night before, we will give him some warm pedyalite or lactated ringer solution to keep the food from becoming too dry and impacting the crop. Once all of the formula is gone from the crop, we feed the baby his breakfast and begin our schedule for the day

Answer 6

Are you talking about wild birds?? or birds commonly kept as pets like parrots etc? If you are talking about wild birds, I have hand raised American robins, and tamed Chickadees etc... They tend to be more tame when hand raised but even wild birds can be tamed with some effort.... In most cases I dont reccomend hand raising young chicks of any bird because they are very hard to raise as they are so fragile and susceptible to disease, infection and malnutrition. It is probably about the hardest thing in the world to raise a wild baby bird to maturity....

Answer 7

You take the birds from the parents and feed them baby bird formula from a syringe. You have to feed the young babies every two hours around the clock for about a week or until they are a bit bigger. Big committment! It really does make a difference in how the birds react to humans.

GET SOME PROFESSIONAL ADVICE BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT THIS!

Answer 8

I have a Friend that bought a parrot a few years back and they bought it from someone that hand raised it and it was for the same reason so it would be more friendly, so yes it can be done , I would see about more information at your local pet shop

Answer 9

I have a friend that hand raises all her birds. She teaches and tames them and they are fantastic. She is a seller. Yes it is better.

Answer 10

Yes I hand raisied chick is better pet than a parent raised.
There isn't much that I can add to what Cin ann posted.