URGENT GUIDANCE NEEDED..!...(is the diet all-right or not)

[A.V.Aravindh]

I recovered 2 abandoned ringneck chicks from a fallen tree (coconut tree in India) almost immediately. the slightly larger one is fine .I suspect this one to be a day older perhaps and is consuming about 7cc of food , every 3 1/2 hours...the food is mostly boiled rice , mashed with a little banana/apple and small amounts of dhal and tomato(for the protein)
the smaller one seems to have got hurt a little during the fall. Yesterday afternoon the was a small(2mm) cut on the skin over the belly..I HAVE NO ACESS TO A VET and cleaned the wound with plain water using a tissue. The chick eats slightly lesser , maybe 6cc and is otherwise fine but for these two signs that worry me
1. the waste is watery compared to the other's
2.about 1/2 inch away from the wound on the belly (to the right hand side) there seems to be a dark reddish patch which i suspect to be a blood-clot...(i also guess the chick could be mildly anemic) ...WHAT SHOULD I DO as i will not be able to go to a VET for the next few days till I move to the city.
KINDLY GUIDE ME ON HAND-FEEDING FREQUENCY AND ALSO LET ME KNOW WHAT THE PHYSICAL CONSISTENCY OF THE FOOD SHOULD BE LIKE AND WHETHER/NOT THE DIET IS FINE!
A.V.Aravindh

[Neokireina]

I really dont know if that diet is fine, Maybe you should at least call the avian vet even if you cant get there.
Most of us dont usually live out of the suburbs so havent really encountered this problem.

I really feel for you and these babies but I just dont know how to help. The food doesnt sound like it would hurt them. So stick with it until you can get them some proper formula.

The consistancy and frequency of the food depend on their age. If you could describe them a bit more it might help. But the runnier the better for younger babies and more frequent, let their crop empty before feeding them again.

[bonjoram]

Hi and welcome to the board.

I'm not a very experienced IRN handfeeder but I have handfed dozens of Congo African Grey parrots. Given your scenario with limited resources, I would feed mashed green vegetables along with your current diet of rice and fruits. If you have access to baby food, that would also be a great alternative. Mix in a spoonful of peanut butter as it is high in protein and unsaturated fats. In my experience, it made my African Grey babies heavier and healthier. IRNs should be no different.

Make sure you mix in the right amount of water so as not to dehydrate the babies and at the same time not too much water where you may end up undernourishing the babies with the thin mixture. The food mixture should not be lumpy but neither should it be very runny.

Watch the temperature. Most handfeeders here feed the food at about 105 degrees Fahrenheit or 40.5 degrees Celsius. No thermometer, no problem. Use the back of your hand. If it is too warm for you, it should be too warm for the birds as well.

[A.V.Aravindh]

thanks bonjoram and neo
i have started adding small amounts of pulses to the old diet and shall try peanut butter too...they seem to consistently put up about 5grams a day...is that fine?
also, the dark patch which i thought to be a blood clot is now getting fainter and slowly disappearing!
what is better...to feed them about 10cc(that's how much they eat now!) every 4 hours or lesser quantities more frequently.

AV.A

[Mazziemom]

You shouldnt let their crops empty fully, very close to it, but not fully. At that age their energy is all used in growing, and lack of food for even a bit can kill them.

Also, make sure your formula (the mix you are giving them) is very watery, they need a LOT of water right now.

Athena

[A.V.Aravindh]

yeah,
i'll take that advise...& try to source peanut butter here
i also spoke to a vet and consulted him on the measures ishould take and he has prescribed a medicine to curb any secondary bacterial infections ,if any!
thanks all for your support & i'll keep you updated
AV.A

[A.V.Aravindh]

hi
i have this strange feeding i'm overfeeding the chicks....the willingly take about 9cc of diet with a little water but how should i know their crop is full enough and i am not overfeeding...?

They weigh about 80grams and 75 grams or so and are maybe 15days old(i guess)...i am right now feeding them every 3 1/2 hrs and by then their crops are almost empty but NOT!

AV.A

[bonjoram]

Hi AV. I'm glad to hear you are having some good progress so far.

I am also handfeeding 4 baby IRNs at the moment (my first time with IRNs) so I know how you feel.

If the 9-10 cc at the birds' crop is being absorbed by their body in 3 1/2 hours, then that should be okay. It means you have to feed them almost every four hours which is close to what most handfeeders do considering the age of your babies. This handfeeding agenda from Melika is a great guideline. I advise you read through it.

http://indianringneck.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=799


This thread from Jeremy will give you an idea on how old your chicks are.

http://www.indianringneck.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=895


I hope you're having as much fun handfeeding as I am. Good luck.

[bonjoram]

Here are pictures of my four babies.

These blues are 19 days old.




This green and cinnamon turquoise are at 5 weeks.

[A.V.Aravindh]

great pics ! bonjoram,
the first link was really really useful & the 2nd is inaccessible...if you've got a copy of that post,kindly fwd it to me

from the pics of the blue chicks...i can say mine are around 15-17 days old
i'll put up posts on this thread asap.
thanks for following up
AV.A

[A.V.Aravindh]

& yes!! I AM HAVING PLENTY OF FUN WITH BOTH OF THEM
i fed them together the last 3 times and i can c they are liking it too...

i changed the last 2 diets to a nutrition mix(mix of pulses, cereals, fruits and vegetables ) that is locally available...something close to the bird formulae but this one is sold for humans...think this should do some good
AV.A

[A.V.Aravindh]

hi all,
i managed to find the ingredients of the diet mix , i'm now feeding my birds
they are badam, barley, cardamom, fried gram, ragi(a cereal), green gram, Jower rice, Maize, Boiled rice, Sago, Sambha wheat,soyabean, groundnut, cashewnut, corn and millet
the whole thing is in powdered form , to which water is supposed to be added and boiled and cooled to feed

what do you'll think? ; this should be fine right!
i'm also mixing very little electrolyte(oral rehyd.) to the water

let me know
AV.A

[Mikaela]

What do I think?

I think you are a great person for what you are doing.

I also think we are very lucky to have such a compassionate person onboard.

Hello and welcome!

[A.V.Aravindh]

thanks mikaela,
the fact is i'm loving it tooo...they are now fun to be with and for the past 3 days , have started willingly accepting their food and i can make out , that they are loving it too
i' dont have a camera now; I'm waiting to show you'll their pics once i go back to the city!
AV.A

[Mikaela]

If you plan to keep them as pets, thats awesome!

Just remember, we have to cage ringnecks seperately if we want them tame. Otherwise they bond together and need nothing from us. So, you'll need two cages with bars NO MORE than .5 inch apart.

It doesnt take a very big space for these buggers to get into trouble. Bars too far apart is an accidental suidice when it comes to an IRN. I cant stress this enough.

[A.V.Aravindh]

got that mikeala

[berrynice]

I've been following your progress from the side and just want to say how impressed I am with the deication that you are showing to these babies. i wish you and the twins all the best. those birds were very lucky you were in the right place for them.

[bonjoram]

hi all,
i managed to find the ingredients of the diet mix , i'm now feeding my birds
they are badam, barley, cardamom, fried gram, ragi(a cereal), green gram, Jower rice, Maize, Boiled rice, Sago, Sambha wheat,soyabean, groundnut, cashewnut, corn and millet
the whole thing is in powdered form , to which water is supposed to be added and boiled and cooled to feed

what do you'll think? ; this should be fine right!
i'm also mixing very little electrolyte(oral rehyd.) to the water

let me know
AV.A

Hi again AV. Some of the names of ingredients I'm not too familiar with but that diet should be as nutritious (if not better) than what mother birds would feed their young in the wild (or even in some aviaries for that matter). Just make sure there are no chocolates or avocados in the human baby food mix, which I doubt anyway but you can never be too cautious when it comes to these fragile babies. Even the pulse diet alone was great. By pulse I hope you meant green peas, beans and lentils.

Some beneficial antibodies should have been given by their parents during their first days being fed by them.

You know what friend, you inspire a lot of us in your dedication to those birds. In my humble opinion, I hope you keep them as pets since their survival in the wild may be a lot slimmer now being hand-fed birds. I'm not sure how fast and efficient their transition would be from tame to feral if released to the wild, but if I was in your situation, I won't take any chances.

[A.V.Aravindh]

thanks bonjoram,
this is one of the locally available nutrition mixes for children , aged and infact, all! It doesn't have avocado or chocolate
the only thing it's not got is lentils and greens...i'm supplementing greeen vegetavbles as juice and mixing the 'mix' with it (instead of water)

are the beaks of small IRNs of this age orange/vermillion or red?
i'm a little curious

AV.A

[julie]

i would say vermillion until they get older then red.sounds like you are doing a great job i would love to live somewhere that irns fly free.we have galahs and cockatoos plus many other species here in australia.

[A.V.Aravindh]

hi all,
my birds got their first feathers today,(i mean; greens have started popping out of the quills)...i'm so happy and today being a week since i got them!

i would like to thank all and espicially Mikaela,Neokireina,Bonjoram, Mazziemom, berrynice&Julie and all their parrots who have taken special interest in my birds

will keep you gus posted

AV.A

[Neokireina]

Thats awesome, I'm excited for you and so happy your doing a great job for these babies. I cant wait till they are all grown up, but then you'll miss those cute little baby faces.

[A.V.Aravindh]

here they are!
their first photos

& i've named them Jade and Emerald...

[bonjoram]

I see neither Jade nor Emerald.

[A.V.Aravindh]

i realized....give me a day!

[bonjoram]

Ok partner, take your time. Everyone who has been following your progress is probably as anxious as I am. Way to go!

[A.V.Aravindh]

VOILA
click this link

http://myparrotsemeraldjade.blogspot.com/
AV.A

[bonjoram]

Looking good.