I handfed today/ Breeding??? :)

[bird_luver24]

Hey Everyone,
I talked to a breeder near me that is Just Getting Started in Lovebirds today for awhile..She has all kinds of other birds but, I ended up going to her house and HandFeeding a Baby for myself...:D It was Absolutely Wonderful!!
I really Enjoyed it and she explained to me how many times a day she has to do it and all kinds of other things..I also talked to her about buying a pair for myself and "MAYBE" Producing babies later on, every once in awhile anyways..

I do college at home, and I work only a few days a week..and if I ever did have to hand feed them then I would have no problem taking them to work to handfeed since all I do at work is watch one room. And that room has a huge walk in closet that serves as my office, with a lock on it. So, even if I do go back to working ALOT then I can still handfeed them...
Im only saying this because I want to make an Informed decision and Alot of people have started out this way I know. I just really liked the experience of being with the babies and handfeeding the one and being around her other lovebirds/Birds.. I did great with the baby and learned how to pump as it was pumping. If that makes sense.:)

Im just looking for help on a decision as I usually do lol.. :)
I havent really thought everything out till now...
I realize that, this one time feeding that I did was just one and could not compare to feeding day 1 chicks. But, I think I will do perfectly fine ecspecially with all the help I have. and this woman has offered to help me any way she can.
What do you guys think? What other things do I need to consider & think about with making this decision besides time & Money?

[Mummieeva]

JMO. But I would never in 10000000000000 years hand fed unless i have to. Many who have hand-fed agree too. So many things can go wrong. Whisper was born in my home and parent raised. My biggest fear was mom and dad not feeding. I would think long and hard before even getting more then one bird let alone breeding. It is hard and very $$ as the babies need vet checks also. Many breeders I have talked to say they put more money in then they get out of it. I know I sound very down on it. But I once thought of breeding but after being here and talking to others i learned not for me. I would end up with 100000 birds.


Steph

[linda040899]

I agree with Steph regarding handfeeding. I can handfeed from day 1 if necessary but choose to let my parent birds take care of their own babies whenever possible! It's their job and I let them do it, as they are much better than I can ever hope to be in caring for their young. Birds need to know they are birds and those that do seem to make better pets.

As a breeder, I can tell you that I don't turn a profit. Never have, never will. I do it because I love birds and I also breed knowing that all my babies will need good homes or they will end up staying here.

Hope this helps.

[bird_luver24]

Im not looking for a profit and actually love the way my Breeder handfeeds her babies..and if would ever breed then would like to do it this way. She lets the parents feed the babies untill 3-4weeks of age and then pulls them then for handfeeding at 3-4weeks and has them on 4 handfeedings a day. She has been doing this for along time now and has had great success. She said that this way they learn how to be parents but, you also still they have the bonding and handfeeding experience.

[Janie]

Kelly, I'm surprised that she can hand feed them if she waits till they are three to four weeks old to pull them. The breeder that I got my last two from does pull her babies on the 10th or 11th day for hand feeding but I was told that if you wait longer than that, it's very hard to get the chick to accept it.

Personally, I would not hand feed. It's been said here many times, a socialized baby can/will be just as tame as one that was pulled and hand fed. My sweetest and tamest bird is a pet store, parent raised bird. Of the two that were hand fed, one is extremely shy to everyone but me but has never bitten. The other one has bitten me about a 100 times. Both were pulled and hand fed at 10 days.

Since you have not gotten your first lovie yet, I'd wait till you've spent a year or so with that one before deciding that you want to breed. Please consider where the babies will go when they're old enough to be placed in another home. I can't think of anyone (other than some members on this forum) that I'd place a bird with. I feel so strongly about not breeding that I had the last two DNA'd before I bought them. Lovebirds are a dime a dozen and there are way to many already who need a good home.

[bellarains]

Kelly,

I think handfeeding used to be what everyone thought made for a tame bird. That view is changing, as people are realizing that it's not so much the handfeeding, as it is the socialization. There are just so many things that can go wrong, even with experienced handfeeders, and if the parents are feeding well, who else is better to feed than the Mom and Dad?

There are mixed opinions on this issue, but there are very good reasons for letting the parents feed unless necessary. Most importantly to me is, the antibodies that a parent passes to it's young. Handfeeding formula can get close, but it can't match it. You also have the possibility of impacted crop, sour crop, etc...., but like I said, you will find mixed opinions.

I personally have three birds that were handfed from age 2 weeks, and one that was parent raised. My handfed birds tend to be more nippy than my parent raised bird. Why???? I can't say for sure, but that's just my experience, and proof that a parent raised bird can be totally tame. Some of it is likely due to Lacey herself, and her sweet, calm personality also, but for some reason, I do believe it is because she was never hurt, or possibly not force fed also.

To me, handfeeding is a bonding, but it is a bond also that is only formed with the one handfeeding. If you are not going to be the owner of that bird, then the bond that you form with them handfeeding is for naught. If you think about it, taking a baby after it has been parent fed to socialize with teaches them human contact is good, but it also lets them be raised as a bird, and know that it is a bird. This can be very important, especially if you want that bird to bond with another bird in the future, and know how to be a parent. Instinct is built in, but it's also a learned behavior.

Whew, sorry so long, but like I said, it is an issue with mixed opinions, and we've seen so many things go wrong with handfeeding, that it is general opinion here that unless needed, interfering with the natural process is taking a chance that just doesn't need to be taken.

[Kirsty]

Hi Kelly
I think its wonderful to handfeed your birds. I've been hand-feeding mine from 10 days old and are now about 4 weeks old. They have turned out wonderfully, they're the sweetest little birds! :) Except for one which is a peach-faced(biter) as the other two are Fischers. But I suppose maybe it depends on the bird.

[bird_luver24]

Thanks for all the Suggestions on Handfeeding. I am still not for sure at all I will breed, just a thought and want to look at all angles of the situation before even considering. :)

[butterfly1061]

Kelly,

While handfeeding may have been a wonderful thing for you to "experience", it is NOT something I recommend. I've done it before and I would NOT do it again. Handfeeding is not just a 4 feeding a day thing. There's alot more to it than that and I can tell you it's a 24/7 duty. Many things can go wrong and one of the worst & easiest for an inexperienced person, is death to the baby. A breeder I know has about 30 babies right now and is handfeeding all of them. It's not a pleasant job as she's up every 2-4 hours feeding and that's round the clock. You have to go by the baby's schedule not yours. The one bit of advice I can offer is that you should not consider breeding until you've had birds for several years. So, what a while until you make any decision about breeding.