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The Original All Roller Talk Discussion Board Archive >
Youngbirds slow to eat
Youngbirds slow to eat
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Ally Mac
83 posts
Jan 02, 2006
3:04 AM
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Firstly Happy New Year to everone, very best wishes.
I have just shifted 6 youngsters to the loft floor, approximately 5 weeks old. Three of them are very reluctant to eat, the other three seem fine. I have been dipping all their heads a couple of times a day and also have started sticking peas down the reluctant eaters throats.
It is a young bird mix with a mixture of Peas, Dari, Wheat etc.
Any tips on how to encourage the slow ones, they are bred from birds I have on loan and I dont want to lose any. I didn't have this problem last year with my own birds. In fact they were put on the floor a bit sooner.
All advice appreciated.
Al.
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fhtfire
275 posts
Jan 02, 2006
9:21 AM
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Hey,
Try putting them back with the parents for a couple days. If that does not work...usually time works. They are hardy little bugers and when they get hungry enough they will eat. What I do sometimes is throw a little wheat in the area that the young birds gather. I notice that in my loft the squeekers all hang out on the opposite end of the loft away from the feed tray.....because they are usually scared to go near all the older birds eating and fighting etc....So I take a piece of tin and put it in the area that the squeekers hang out and put some wheat on the tin.....once on squeeker starts pecking around...they all do....then after a day or two of that...they are on there own...and when they get hungry....guess what...they eat.
rock and ROLL
Paul Fullerton
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Alohazona
102 posts
Jan 02, 2006
9:38 AM
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Al,
I'm not sure of your weather situation there?But the main reason I do not like to breed this time of year is, you will get a handfull of weaklings,that require a special program.
First, seperate them,keep plenty of food and water in front of them all day.Keep hand feeding them water soaked grains[keep it fresh],pop a few pellets,2or three only per bird,too many will dehydrate them and a small pinch of health grit.A strawberry flavored meal replacement drink,can be drizzle-dropped into their palate,avoiding the air sac,with a feeding syringe,just enough to coat their throat.Dip their beaks,let them take a couple swigs of water thats it.Don't over do it is key.Three times daily.
The mortality rate for bringing back weak squeakers is pretty high,because something has already got a hold on them and their immunity system isn't close to being developed.Only genetics and some slight intervention from you will help any survive,only time will tell,come what may,the future has already been decided.Hope this helps....Aloha,Todd
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donb
3 posts
Jan 02, 2006
10:04 AM
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Happy New Year All. Al, try putting them in a cage to themselves with an older yb or a hen that is hungry and they usually pick it up right away. works for me everytime. Don Bowen
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Shaun
236 posts
Jan 02, 2006
10:17 AM
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Hi, Al. Initially, I thought great that you kicked out those youngsters from Dave's birds so quickly in the dead of winter. Then I saw what followed and I groaned. When I got my 20 Masons, months ago, one litte fella 'went back over' as George called it. 'It happens', he said. But, that didn't make me feel any better. I should have seen the signs and intervened quicker, but due to inexperience I didn't really notice that out of 20 birds, this one always sat on the bottom perch and didn't really look very interested in food.
What I couldn't do is put this poor little sod - not yet six weeks old - back with the parents - 'cos they weren't there! Graham Dexter told me to forget what people say as to how long before weaning; he would far rather leave them longer if it means they eat and live.
With yours, it may be too late, but if the birds haven't yet 'gone back over', I would shove 'em back in with the parents. That assumes, of course, the parents would be prepared to feed them as, once they seem big and ugly enough to look after themselves, the parents, quite rightly, just ignore squeakers' efforts to feed from the parents.
It may be too late, but fingers crossed for you, mate.
Shaun
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jeo2314
22 posts
Jan 02, 2006
10:28 AM
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Ally,
In the future start putting feed in the nest-boxes. The ybs will learn from the obs. When you see them eating on their own, move them out. Put the same container they recognize where you wean them. Works every time. What works is a 12 oz. can half full of cement, they don't knock em over. Peas are a little harder for them to pick up at first but get more compared to the smaller grains and if fed seperatly in the nest box (peas) less gets thrashed around in the nest box by the obs. A little less mess.
The rave over there by the racing pigeon guys is Hormoform pellets by Harkers. I would look into that and use those in the nest box and feed a percentage to the breeders year around.
Jeff
Last Edited by jeo2314 on Jan 02, 2006 11:07 AM
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ROLLERMAN
15 posts
Jan 02, 2006
2:50 PM
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1st thing how long have the birds been on the floor. i would not put them back with parents. one reason they should be on eggs again and they may not except them back in the nest good chance of breaking eggs. 2nd there parents would still be feeding then on the floor. if they still need to be feed . i take my young out of the nest at 4 weeks old and there parents still feed them on the floor. i do have a spot on one end of loft were they can hide. if an older birds want to bother them. been doing it this way for 60 years never had a problem.
al
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ROLLERMAN
16 posts
Jan 02, 2006
2:50 PM
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1st thing how long have the birds been on the floor. i would not put them back with parents. one reason they should be on eggs again and they may not except them back in the nest good chance of breaking eggs. 2nd there parents would still be feeding then on the floor. if they still need to be feed . i take my young out of the nest at 4 weeks old and there parents still feed them on the floor. i do have a spot on one end of loft were they can hide. if an older birds want to bother them. been doing it this way for 60 years never had a problem.
al
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Bluesman
Pigeon Fancier
618 posts
Jan 03, 2006
2:07 AM
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I put my young on the floor when their tail feathers are approx. 1" long.Like Al said the cocks will feed them untill they can eat on their own.I have several cocks that will feed anything thats hungry.Young that are 5 weeks old should be eating and drinking on their own.If they are to slow to be eating by this time they will most likely be problem birds later on.I think someone else said when they are hungry they will eat if they have food where they can find it easily.If you don,t have old birds on the floor put a tray on the floor with some grain in it.A good mix with several different grains.I use a droppings tray that is 18" x 24" x1" when I move them to the kit box.Which is between 5 & 6 weeks old.I do hold my first couple rounds(this time of year)an extra week before putting them in the kit box due to cold weater.Once I move them out I never put them back with the parents.This works for me.David
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