IndianRingNeck.com

I have a question

I have read at a page, ( cant remember which) that if you want hand feed a little baby you should take them from parrents when they are about 14 days. And they are finsihed weaning when they are beween 10 - 15 weeks.

But i see many here that have got new birds at teh age og 3 weeks or 6 weeks . Does that mean you get them home before they are fully weaned off , and finish the job your self or how can you get them that young?

*Bump!*
What age do ringnecks wean when they are handraised?

Average is 12 weeks. Sometimes they hate giving up that last night feed, but by 12 weeks they don't need it anymore.

For the OP...there are a lot of breeders that will let you take home an unweaned baby and finish handfeeding yourself. It depends on where you live. I know in certain places, like Australia, the babies have to be fully weaned before going home. Hope that helps

Thanks, Mel.

Skyes_crew wrote:
I know in certain places, like Australia, the babies have to be fully weaned before going home. Hope that helps

In Au, each state is governed by different laws- in QLD for example, it is illegal to sell un weaned birds to an inexperienced care giver, but you can hand them over to an experienced hand raiser, and in NSW it's perfectly legal to sell birds that aren't totally self sufficient.

I stand corrected...thanks shey

Lol Melissa. Wish it were illegal in all states- though not that that stopped anybody before *sigh*

It never does. I don't mind people wanting to learn hand feeding. I just wish they wouldn't remove chicks from the nest so young for no reason. Much easier and safer to hand feed a 6 week old chick vs. a 2 week old chick. Too many "accidents"

so much work to remove them early! lol I'd rather leave the parents to do it.. mine are perfect example that you can pull them late and still they'll make great pets- personally speaking from my clutch anytime after 4 and before 6 weeks.

and yes, you're right, so many accidents can happen. I could never get my head around people getting chicks and knowing NOTHING about how to feed and care for them and the people that sell them to them...

sheyd wrote:so much work to remove them early! lol I'd rather leave the parents to do it.. mine are perfect example that you can pull them late and still they'll make great pets- personally speaking from my clutch anytime after 4 and before 6 weeks.

and yes, you're right, so many accidents can happen. I could never get my head around people getting chicks and knowing NOTHING about how to feed and care for them and the people that sell them to them...

I hate that bull ... myth that says you have to personally hand raise chicks yourself to build a bond with them! I don't know why people don't stop to think about it.
Whether it is legal or not shouldn't even be relevant, breeders should take responsibility and never sell unweaned parrots to the inexperienced buyers who haven't researched the subject of handraising extensively!

InTheAir wrote:

sheyd wrote:so much work to remove them early! lol I'd rather leave the parents to do it.. mine are perfect example that you can pull them late and still they'll make great pets- personally speaking from my clutch anytime after 4 and before 6 weeks.

and yes, you're right, so many accidents can happen. I could never get my head around people getting chicks and knowing NOTHING about how to feed and care for them and the people that sell them to them...

I hate that bull ... myth that says you have to personally hand raise chicks yourself to build a bond with them! I don't know why people don't stop to think about it.
Whether it is legal or not shouldn't even be relevant, breeders should take responsibility and never sell unweaned parrots to the inexperienced buyers who haven't researched the subject of handraising extensively!

I couldn't agree more. don't get me started on this topic- I could rant on and on about people and what they're doing with their animals (namely for the sake if money) ...drive me to an early grave it will.

I'm sure it's illegal to sell unweened birds in South Australia also, but some guy sold my sister an unweened galah that she bought for me. She only knew how to feed it because she watched me do it. The galah was raised beautifully, and the funny thing was, it didn't like her and liked me, yet she raised it. So getting a better bond by raising it yourself is bull dust according to my galah.

The thing that annoys me, is the guy that sold her the chick, was part of a birdkeepers club. So you think they would know better.

I want to join my local birdkeepers club, but they are all old people. Also the finches I bought from a member of the club, are so aggressive! I have never seen such aggressive little birds! They must of been housed in a small or crowded aviary, because all they do is fight. I have one little guy that has a purple ring around his leg, he got caught up in a branch and now he can't use that leg. I had bought him inside to make sure he could move well enough with his bung leg, so her wouldn't keep on the ground and the ants won't eat him. As I held him, he was trying to bite me! I have never had finches try to bite. Anyway, that's a bit off topic.

I think people are more worried about breeding for money, and not worrying about the birds welfare after they sell it. It's sad to see young birds being sold and dying not long after. Like people buying rainbow lorikeets and feeding them only seed... Infuriating...

I won't join my local 'bird breeders club' two of their members have sold me dodgy birds- why would I want to be a part of that? No code of ethics- no thank you.

I agree, I think the same about mine.

My sister suggested I make my own club, lol.

I'm not sure you can blame the whole club for a couple of its members? I find our local club is extremely knowledgeable, however they are mostly the opposite gender to me and most are a fair bit older than me... and I'm not interested in breeding birds, I'm only interested in companion parrots, of which most of them have no interest. They just stare at me blankly and think I'm interested in hand feeding birds. So, to that end, I am planning to start a companion parrot club in our local area.

On the "bonding to the person who handfeeds it" issue, I have an untested theory. When you handfeed a bird it bonds to you as it does its parent. Therefore as it gets towards weaning stage it naturally feels a need to distance itself from you, which I would think are the hormone changes that can cause "bluffing". Therefore, if you do handraise your bird, you have to transition the bond to being something more like a flock-mate if you are going to have a good relationship with your bird. If you start with a bird that has been weaned then you are starting off building a flock-mate bond rather than a parent-chick bond.

Ellie.

I never said that I blame the whole club- I just refuse to be a part of it

Where I am, the bird community is a small community - everyone knows everyone and unfortunately lots of bitchyness happens behind turned backs- I hear and see a lot things... I choose to stay out of it.

This club does not action members- I won't go into details, but you would be surprised at some of the things that some members get up to :/

Needless to say, I try and buy my birds elsewhere

Fair enough - I guess I was just wondering if it's worth trying to change it from the inside - although admittedly that's no easy task!


Ellie.

Thank you so much for all your reply , i am glad to hear thje answer that hey should stay with parents as long as possible.
I can now say i have reserved a blue IRN, and i will get it fully weaned in begining of November. whe its fully finished. I cant wait. !!!

ellieelectrons wrote:
On the "bonding to the person who handfeeds it" issue, I have an untested theory. When you handfeed a bird it bonds to you as it does its parent. Therefore as it gets towards weaning stage it naturally feels a need to distance itself from you, which I would think are the hormone changes that can cause "bluffing". Therefore, if you do handraise your bird, you have to transition the bond to being something more like a flock-mate if you are going to have a good relationship with your bird. If you start with a bird that has been weaned then you are starting off building a flock-mate bond rather than a parent-chick bond.

Ellie.

I have read about that idea and it strikes me as quite logical.

My local club is a prime example shey. It was an absolute mess when I joined. Still is somewhat. It's headed up by a woman who took over for her husband when he passed away. She has no knowledge of birds. Only what she "borrows" from overheard conversations. I could have easily gone out and gathered up fresh faces and stolen half of the club members and started a new club. But some of the older generation members can be an invaluable source of information. And they'll stay with her out of loyalty to her deceased husband. It's all politics. So instead of beating them, I joined them. I Gently manipulate the bends and curves of the club through my "friendship" with her. She's asks for my advice and the advice of a couple of others that are working hard to restore the clubs former glory. So instead of putting a divided line down the middle of the bird community we've actually brought everyone closer, both companion owners and breeders alike. Of course it's still a major work in progress lol

Skyes_crew wrote:It's all politics.

That about sums it up perfectly.