As the number of parrots increases, more and more parrots are bred at home. Because it is a pet, everyone will first consider how to make the parrot more familiar, so hand breeding appeared.

The so-called hand raising means that the chicks are separated from their parent birds after hatching from the egg shell, and fed artificially. That is to say, the original dependence between the bird and the parent bird is cut off, and the dependence between the bird and the human being is established.

With the exchange of experiences and familiarity with the process, more and more people are doing hand-raising, even 0-day hand-raising.

But is it really appropriate to raise a child in hand for 0 days?

In order to cultivate the familiarity between chicks and humans, what are the consequences of choosing artificial feeding?

What are the benefits of parent bird feeding for the growth of parrots?

01

First, let’s talk about the role of parent bird feeding for parrots.

Parental feeding involves feeding semi-digested food in the crop to the chicks by regurgitating it.

Here’s the key, the semi-digested food in the crop of the parent bird not only contains the food itself, but also the mucus and bacteria in the crop

—these two Very important for nestlings.

|Mucus

The crops of some birds have mucus glands, which release mucus to help mix food, prevent food from clumping, and prevent nestlings from accumulating food.

"Milk powder" produced specifically for birds will also take this into consideration, but the effect may not be as good as the mechanism provided by parent birds.

Current research is unclear as to which species of birds have mucous glands. Some speculate that Psittacidae may not possess mucous glands.

But in any case, preventing nestlings from accumulating food is also an important issue. Artificial feeding may cause the chicks to accumulate food due to the preparation of milk powder, temperature control, and the quality of the milk powder itself. More advantageous to a certain extent.

| Bacteria

The crop of birds is an organ that temporarily stores food. Bacteria are present in the crop, forming the same flora as in the gut. The main job of these bacteria is to break down food, lower the pH in the crop, and prevent bad bacteria from multiplying.

Parental bird feeding is the transfer of bacteria in the crop to the chicks through rumination.

Manual intervention will affect the occurrence of this mechanism.

When the flora in the chick's body is unbalanced, it may be unable to effectively resist the invasion of infectious bacteria.

02

After talking about the role of feeding birds, let’s talk directly about the relationship between 0-day hand-raising and the birds’ relatives.

First of all, we must have a correct concept:

The intimate relationship between birds and humans is not accomplished by artificial feeding of the chicks during the feeding period.

Don’t have the wrong idea that “after 0 days of hand-raising, the bird will belong to your loved ones”!

Birds will continue to receive information from the outside world after they are born. Appropriate intervention in the early stages of the bird's growth will help the bird become familiar with humans.

When the chicks are born, let the parent bird feed them first. When the bird's body function is stable, when the chick is still in the ignorant stage and is familiar with the surrounding environment, people can intervene. This can establish a relationship between the bird and the human being. of intimacy!

Don’t just think that you must start from day 0!

As long as the bird is not fully mature, birds that have frequent contact with humans during their fledgling stage will establish a familiar relationship with humans.

In fact, the cases of many relatives of birds also prove this.

If you want a parrot that is close to you, it doesn't mean that everything will be fine if you feed it artificially in just 0 days!

Really wanting birds to get close to people is a continuous process!

Choose the right time to interact with the bird during the fledgling stage, and continue to give as it grows. Both are indispensable!

Okay, I hope this is the end of today’s article!

I hope I can dispel some myths and provide you with useful information!