Pchela Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 So, I decided to go with the abundance weaning method after doing some research online. Basically, I hand feed the baby when he begs. Problem is, he isn't tapering off or slowing down at all. He wants three hand feedings a day even though he is eating his other foods well. I can't find information anywhere on what to do now? Do I start cutting back on the amount I give him at each feeding? Do I stop one of the feedings? If I do that, it's no longer abundance weaning right? Will he/she naturally stop wanting formula after a while or will he expect it from me forever? I don't know what to do!!! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 You didn't mention how old your grey is...they normally start dropping feedings around 9 weeks give or take. What you need to do is first - drop the afternoon feeding. Your not starving your baby for "force weaning" by doing this. A little before you would normally feed your baby, put some good stuff in with him like apple sause, cut grapes, blueberries, weaning pellots...stuff like that. He should start investigating these foods and start picking at them. Also, have you been putting food with him already? The big issue with weaning is when a baby is not given the chance to get hungry he won't. Most people think letting them get hungry is force weaning and think they are hurting them. Force weaning is when someone weans on a deadline, and for example a grey's weaning age is 12 weeks. A force weaner will have that baby "weaned" at 12 weeks if the baby wants to or not. My Elmo weaned at 16 weeks and it was by his choice. I helped him along when I dropped the afternoon feeding but he decided to drop the rest.<br><br>Post edited by: BMustee, at: 2008/06/09 06:26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pchela Posted June 9, 2008 Author Share Posted June 9, 2008 Well, he/she was hatched February 13 so he's just shy of 16 weeks... is that right? My math sucks. Anyway, he always has food available to him. There is a dish that always has pellets and dried fruits and veggies and seeds etc and a dish that has fresh fruits and veggies every morning and evening. The thing is, when he sees me first thing, he begs. I offer him other food, he doesn't want it. He wants his formula or nothing! Even if I know he's been eating his other food, he will still start begging around the same times every day. So, when I drop the morning feeding how do I do that? He won't take other food... do I just let him cry it out? Try to distract him with playing? Or maybe it's the types of food I'm offering. I'll try applesauce tomorrow. I hate to let him cry even though I know he's not starving I still feel bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 """"Problem is, he isn't tapering off or slowing down at all""""" He's simply doing what he's supposed to do until his body tells him to decrease. He's not making the rules. Why is that a problem? You should be extremely happy that he wants that formula. That will supply basic nutrients that any young chick should always have until the bird's internal system says it's time for less. Let your bird tell you when he wants to cut back on the formula feedings. That's what eventually happens. Either the bird will refuse the feeding or spit it back up when eaten. I never knew that giving a bird all the food it wanted had an actual label (abundance), especially formula. The problem with formula feeding lies with the people/breeders. They decide that they should go by some so called established time line as far as when to decrease a feeding. Some birds will require 3 feedings a day and others will require 2 or 4 etc. Those birds can be the exact same age, can be brothers and sisters and all come from the same clutch. You decided to take up the hand feeding chore, so now it must be done properly. You simply give him all of the other food that he's getting along with his formula until he doesn't want that particular feeding. Then stay with the lesser amount of feedings until he wants to decrease that. By the way, you say that you wait for the bird to beg for formula. Well, formula can't be given to a chick that isn't hungry unless it's force fed. The *begging* you talk about is simply a natural response to having an empty crop. One other thing you should know--a bird that has been allowed to wean naturally with no time rules involved usually winds up being much calmer into adulthood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 hmmm, sounds like he has a bunch of food...does he pick at it at all? The afternoon feeding is the one that is dropped first in most birds...is he still gung-ho and fills up at that feeding or does he just want a little and then start wandering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pchela Posted June 9, 2008 Author Share Posted June 9, 2008 BMustee- he eats his grown up food through out the day and eats most or all of his formula at all feedings. The vet said he was a very good weight which I took to mean that he was a big bird. Dave007- I guess it isn't a problem per se, I just don't know if it's normal. It seems to me that if he's eating his other foods all day that he should have a decreased desire for formula but I don't know much about it. That's why I'm asking. I want to do this correctly. I too have read that an birds allowed to wean naturally are much more calm and stable as adults.. less likely to develop problems such as feather plucking etc. I guess I assumed that he would eventually taper off on his own, but since he shows no signs of doing so, I wondered if I was doing something wrong. He only *begs* from me as well. He never asks my husband for a feeding. Also, the afternoon feedings feel like more a comfort thing for him as I know he is eating before them. When I bought him, the breeder had him down to one feeding but he wanted formula more often so I gave it to him. I hope that wasn't a mistake? I'm perfectly willing to go on hand feeding if it takes a year but I want to make sure I'm not hurting little noname in the meantime. Anyway, I appreciate the advice. I just want to make sure I'm not doing something wrong, like overfeeding him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I would say give him another week and see if he starts to loose interest. If next week he still begs put off the feeding by an hour or so. See if he stops begging after a short time and goes off to play, eat, sleep...something other than begging. If he does stop begging after a short time then concider the feeding dropped. If he is still begging then go ahead and feed him. Did the vet do bloodwork? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pchela Posted June 9, 2008 Author Share Posted June 9, 2008 No blood work. Should he have? It was a new birdie visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Well, at 16 weeks he should be close to weaning but he isn't in the "worried" zone yet. If I was you I would give him the week and see in if looses interest, then try dropping the afternoon feeding. If he still won't drop any feedings by 20 weeks I would do a blood test to check for infections and things like that...that is the leading cause for baby birds to refuse to wean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Ooops...in my first post I put morning feeding...I ment afternoon feeding. The morning feeding it normally the second feeding to drop, and then the night feeding last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I skimmed the reply to Dave before but I just went back and read it and it seems you have a regressed baby on your hands. Now we are in a whole new ball game. When baby birds get stressed they will start to regress. We have a Goffin at my work that regressed...he came to us weaned andnow wants 3 feedings a day along with the younger goffin. How long have you had him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Pchela wrote: Will he/she naturally stop wanting formula after a while or will he expect it from me forever? Thanks! He/She will start slowly down at the time He/She decides to. What if He/She still wants a handfeeding of formula now and then even when he's a year old? It is not a big deal and you don't need to "Force" weaning at all. We continued to feed Dayo Formula until he just got to where he would take it a spoon here or there and then just blurber it out and down his cheeks/throat. Some enjoy a hand feeding by spoon or syringe once in a while all their lives, if you so desire to do so. Hand feeding is a precious time to saviour and enjoy as a special moment each time. Enjoy!!....... :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pchela Posted June 10, 2008 Author Share Posted June 10, 2008 I've had the bird about a month now. The breeder had him down to a nighttime feeding but he was begging for food when he got home so either they force weaned him or he regressed when he got to my house. But it's been a month and he's still wanting 3 feedings per day so I'd guess they force weaned on a schedule. He was less than 12 weeks old when I got him. It is good to hear about your bird Danmcq. I feed mine with a spoon and it's nice to bond with him that way. Like I said, I just want to make sure I'm not hurting him in some way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Well, some greys do wean very early. We have two in the store that weaned late last week and they are only about 11 weeks. We still offer it to them at night to be sure they are really weaned but they only take a small amount. Being down to 1 feeding at 12 weeks is pretty normal, but he may have been rushed if there were other chicks weaning faster than him in the clutch. I talked to my boss Steph at work about your issue and seeing as though he only begs for food from you, and no one else, tells us that it's not that he is hungry but he just wants to be babied by you and knows he will get it. What you should do is when he is begging for food in the afternoon check his crop. If you feel a little bit of food in there then he doesn't need to be fed. To let you know, there will only be a small amount in the crop when a bird eats on it's own so don't think because there is only a thimble full of food in there that he is starving. Something else you could try is take baby food (the stuff in the tiny jars) and mix in a little fruit or veggies and hold him on your lap while he eats it out of a bowl. The point is to get him to feed himself. If he won't eat on his own then just hand feed him a small amount and then put the "big bird" food in front of him. Elmo started eating on his own when I offered him apple sause while I had him out on my desk around feeding time. When your with them while they eat they still feel close to you and your still bonding. Try these tips and see if it does the trick to start the re-weaning process. As for the emotional aspect of hand feeding it's not good to have them being on multiple hand feedings for to long. There is a "weaning window" and if it gets shut before the bird is weaned then it becomes MUCH more difficult to wean them. Hand feeding a bird here and there is a good thing so if there is ever a time when they need oral meds it will be SOOO much easier to give them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pchela Posted June 10, 2008 Author Share Posted June 10, 2008 Thanks for finding all of this out for me BMustee! I appreciate your effort. I think I will pick up some baby food tomorrow and try feeding it instead of formula at the afternoon feeding tomorrow. I will also try giving him the big bird food by hand and see if that helps. If he just wants me to baby him then maybe that will do the trick! Thanks again! I'll keep you updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Good, because now all the girls in the bird department and the fish and reptile guy Frank are following your babies progress and want to know how he's doing after I told them all your prodicament with the regretion feeding.:kiss: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Berna that was kind of you to take the time to seek advice & made intresting reading, karma to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pchela Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 Well, the applesauce was rejected. I gave him/her a spoonful and there was a second of hmmm... what's this? And then, applesauce was flung everywhere! After that, it was just refused. I tried giving veggies with my fingers... nope. He/she wanted formula and that's all. Nothing else would do. This was the afternoon feeding. My husband thinks I'm being manipulated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 If you have seen him eating earlier in the day another thing you can do is just stay out of the room for a few days around feeding time. It seems a bit harsh, I know, but if he only wans food from you then if he doesn't see you then he will just feed himself. You'll still give him the morning and night feeding so your not going to scar him. Before you do that you could also cut down on how much you give him. Just give him a taste and but him back down in front of his big bird food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pchela Posted June 15, 2008 Author Share Posted June 15, 2008 Today was the first day we were able to skip the afternoon feeding! I've tried offering all kinds of other foods and all have been rejected. Well today we've discovered that the grey has a love for frozen carrot bits. Yay! He happily munched on those and skipped right through the feeding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 Here is a link which may help introducing new foods.. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/bird-food/53831-tips-for-getting-your-grey-to-eattry-new-foods.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMustee Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 That is so great to hear! Applesause is what worked for Elmo, but the carrots sound like your ticket to weaning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now