Vote For Us

        

             Vote For Us

           

                 Being A Hen  

---

·        Hand rearing birds is a long and tiring job, that’s why I only do it as a last resort. If a chick is lagging behind in growth to its fellow siblings, I normally give it a helping hand with the occasional feed. That’s all well and good, but if you have to take over the Mothers duties fulltime, that’s when the fun starts.

·        It is very important to keep the chick warm and my method of doing this is by using a heat pad. There are several types of these, but the one I use is easy to clean by just rubbing it over with a warm damp cloth, you can imagine the mess it gets in.

 

                              

 

·        I feed the chicks every 2/3 hours using a size 8 crop needle, a syringe and a good quality hand rearing mix ( Vetafarm ). The mix should be warmed and then drawn up into the syringe, the crop needle is then attached and you’re ready for action. Using a crop needle can be VERY tricky, so I don’t advise it until an experienced breeder has properly showed you. I could explain how to use the above paraphernalia, but really there is no substitute for hands on experience.

·        Hand rearing is extremely time consuming and I don’t recommend it to anyone who’s not a stayer. Having said that though, the feeling you get when that wee bird starts feeding itself for the first time is MAGIC............

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  Click Here to Visit The Ultimate Top Parrot Sites