[parulidae]

Hi, I'm a first-time owner of a young ringneck hen. I just wanted to informally poll people on how they feed their doves. Some sites I've read recommend meal feeding, that is the birds are given a measured amount of food in the morning and all should be eaten by nighttime. The other feeding philosophy is just to keep lots of food available to the bird at all times. What do you all think about these two approaches? Is there one approach that will make it easier for me to hand-feed her later when I try to tame her?

 

[SandraM]

I've always left food in a dish for my ringnecks 24/7. I change the food out every other day and this has always worked for me.

 

[Jay3]

Same here when I have a bird in a cage.
As far as trying to tame her, try offering her something they really like, as a treat. Most birds love chopped up salt free peanuts. But they don't know that they are food, so by putting some in with her feed, she will eventually try them. Once she does, there are few birds that don't love them. Another is safflower seed. Spend a lot of time around her, talking softly to her so she gets used to you. Eventually, she will come to you for the treat.