how long does weaning take?

[mountainstorm]

I've had Coalie for two weeks tomorrow, and when I first got him he seemed able to eat some seeds on his own, but although he pecks at them, he rarely actually swallows them. And even after feeding he seems frantically hungry. How long will it be before he learns how to pick the seeds up himself and swallow them? I have the patience to keep force feeding him, but I'm curious.
Rach

[re lee]

Most often at 30 days of age a bird is weaned. NOW hand fed birds seem at time a little slowere picking the the habit of eating So you may need to assist it until 35 days of age. If you do not know for sure how old it is You can watch under the wing when all the feathers cover the under side the bird is from 27 to 35 days old. Depoends on breed. But close to this age facter.

[lwerden]

You haven't mentioned how old your bird is. However if you are hand feeding him some type of baby bird formula the weaning process will take a little bit of time. It is not an automatic process but more of a gradual process of introducing seed and cutting back on the hand feeding a little bit at a time.

I was originally hand feeding my bird every four to five hours. During each of the feedings at about 3 weeks old I would but a few seeds directly into his beak and he would swallow. Then I put a some seeds in a small dish and pecked at it with my fingers and placed his beak into the dish. Little by little he got the hang of it. I cut back the hand feeding to just morning and night as he was eating seeds on his own during the day. I then cut back to only 1 handfeeding a day ultil one day on his own he refused the formula.

Unfortunately this process takes time and patience.

Hang in there.

Regards,
Louise

[mountainstorm]

Coalie was about three weeks old when I picked him up, maybe four weeks. So five or six weeks now? He had all his feathers except for the top of his head and half of his wing feathers which looked like someone yanked big handfuls out.

The problem is he always refuses formula, sometimes even when I do it the dip-his-beak-in-the-syringe way. He pecks at seeds and occasionally swallows, but he doesn't seem to get the connection or coordination to know that's how to do it all the time.

Rach

[Lovebirds]

Originally Posted by mountainstorm

Coalie was about three weeks old when I picked him up, maybe four weeks. So five or six weeks now? He had all his feathers except for the top of his head and half of his wing feathers which looked like someone yanked big handfuls out.

The problem is he always refuses formula, sometimes even when I do it the dip-his-beak-in-the-syringe way. He pecks at seeds and occasionally swallows, but he doesn't seem to get the connection or coordination to know that's how to do it all the time.

Rach

Usually when my babies are learning to eat seeds, I have to "remind" them to eat. I'd take my finger and swish it around in the seeds and they would eat some. I would have to do the water the same way. If he can pick up one or two seeds and swallow them, he can pick up 4 or 5, or 10 or 12............What's the deal with his feathers? He should be fully feathered by now.

[feralpigeon]

Have you looked inside the birds mouth for any abnormalities in coloring (including the roof of the mouth) or for growths that shouldn't be there?
Might also gently do a hands on exam of crop/neck area to see if there
is symmetry as mostly there should be.

If the feathers on the head aren't growing in, there could be inflamation that
is interfering w/that process. When they don't pick up and swallow seeds
well, it's just good to make sure that there isn't something else going on, and
verify that it is indeed only a transition issue from formula to seeds.

The young birds I see in feral flocks leaving the nest and joining the flock are usually in the
range of 5-6 weeks, this judging from the growth of the tail feathers.

fp

[lwerden]

Can you post a picture of your bird so we can have a look and maybe make a better determination as to the feathers and his overall body & weight appearance?

Also do his poops seem normal? Maybe you can include a picture as well.

[mountainstorm]

Coalie's poops are normal. He WAS baldish, but the head feathers have grown in nicely. The flight feathers are growing in too. We think it was an aggressive sibling stepping on him that caused all the feather damage. I'm moving right now, plus don't have internet access at home, so I will post a pic when I can. If I could email pics to someone, and they could post them?

Thanks.
Rach

PS. The last few days, it's non-stop peeping for like two or three hours. The only thing that makes him quiet down is being in his temporary cage, and I don't like to do that because it's too small for a bird his size. <tears hair out>

[TAWhatley]

Originally Posted by mountainstorm

plus don't have internet access at home, so I will post a pic when I can. If I could email pics to someone, and they could post them?

Thanks.
Rach

You can e-mail the photos to me at TAWhatley@sbcglobal.net or to any of the moderators for posting.

Terry

[mountainstorm]

Coalie has started to eat on his own! Monday night, he ate about half of what he should on his own. Last night, after that frantic search with his beak, he realized that the seeds were right there and that he could eat them, and there he went, gobbling them down. He still bobbed his wings up and down, and in between bites, he peeped, but he's definitely getting it!

Rach and Coalie

[Lovebirds]

Originally Posted by mountainstorm

Coalie has started to eat on his own! Monday night, he ate about half of what he should on his own. Last night, after that frantic search with his beak, he realized that the seeds were right there and that he could eat them, and there he went, gobbling them down. He still bobbed his wings up and down, and in between bites, he peeped, but he's definitely getting it!
Rach and Coalie

Aren't they cute when they do that? Glad he's figured it out finally.