3 week old baby!

[sumzsumz11]

Heyy.. I got a 3 week old baby and its my first time so i need help ASAP..
I keep him in a box with holes on it and with sawdust on the floor. He has got no feathers yet and i feed him 3 times a day. He makes a screaming noise most of the time.. I would like to know anwsers to a few questions..
Can he be handled at this age?
Does he need to be kept very warm?
Is his crying saying that somthing is wrong?
When will he start to grow feathers?
When will i have to start weaning him and how?
Thank you in advance .. Plz include any info that i may need to look after my baby!

 

[MikeyTN]

First of all, it's very bad for a breeder or anyone selling an unweaned baby to a newbie that have absolutely no idea on how to care for a baby! You can easily kill a chick during hand feeding if you don't know what your doing. Also crop infection, impaction, etc. All kinds of things can happen! Plus it is very time consuming so I hope you have lots of time!

Second, we need to know the specie of this baby! And what are you feeding this baby? What's your feeding schedule? And being a naked chick you DO need to keep them warm, you need a brooder, since it sounds like your keeping him in a shoe box of some sort, you need to change that! Get a 10g aquarium for reptiles, the ones with metal screen covering. Get two clamp on lighting such as this one ---> Flashlights & Portable Work Lights | Flashlights-Clamping & Clip On | Bayco® Clamp Light With Aluminum Reflector SL-300PDQ6, Silver | B790687 - GlobalIndustrial.com and use two 60w light bulbs to keep the baby warm. People have also use other methods to keep warm such as electric blanket, I don't like anything electric going into the brooder.

Third, I can answer some of your questions, yes he can be handled at this age but best to just let him be for now since he's still young, he needs his rest to grow.

Keeping him warm is answered above!

Babies will cry constantly rather they're full or not!

I dunno what type of bird you got to tell you when he will start to feather out.

Dunno the weaning until we know the specie, we can go into weaning in detail later on, but we need to take care of what's going on now!

 

[sumzsumz11]

Yes i do have alot of time as i chose to hand raise him myself... He is a indian ringneck .. He is actully 2 weeks old as he has no feathers at all

 

[sumzsumz11]

I am feeding him AV+ phase 2 (i am in South Africa) .. It is a hand rearing mix . I feed him 3 times a day threw a shaped spoon (around 6/7 spoons)

 

[sumzsumz11]

And also what age would he be ready to be in a cage ? And how would he learn to perch?

 

[MikeyTN]

I do hope you know what your doing! At that age you 100% NEED to keep him in a brooder!!! What's the schedule the breeder give you??? You still haven't answered some of my questions yet. What formula are you using? Are you checking temperature of the formula? Be sure to sanitize everything when your finished! You can get that clamp on lighting at walmart even, or any hardware store locally. Get the regular 60w bulbs!

 

[MikeyTN]

At 2 weeks of age you need to do more then 3 times a day! Times such as 7am, 12pm, 7pm, 12 am. Depending on his digestion rate, you may need to do 5 and change the times around a bit.

He won't be ready for a cage or learn how to perch until around 4-5 weeks of age depending on how well he's growing. Feeding 3 times a day wouldn't cut it!

 

[sumzsumz11]

Oh ok so i need to feed him more often .. Yes i planned to do that . So if i do not keep him in a brooder and i keep him in a box (it is very hot here) what will happen to him? Will he not grow properly?

 

[sumzsumz11]

He does not digest so fast which is why the breeder feeds 3 times i think .. But i will increase to 4 times tommorrow

 

[sumzsumz11]

The breeder said that the temp of the formula should be jus how u would feed a baby.. Not hot , not cold jus warm . So i follow that

 

[MikeyTN]

IF he's not digesting that fast I would be a little concerned! I'm sure it is very hot in africa, but don't you guys use AC there? It's not that he won't grow properly, if he gets cold, he can get sick and die. Also can cause slow crop movement!

 

[sumzsumz11]

Nope we ouselves in our house dont use AC .. My room is alwayz warm and i keep him here .. But i will try to get the tank to keep him in ... But for now what could i do to keep him warm and is there anyway to know if he is feeling cold?

 

[MikeyTN]

You can cover him with a light towel for now, you'll know if he's cold, he'll be shaking! IF it's that hot there, monitor the brooder situation. One light kit might be enough and cover the other side with a towel.

 

[sumzsumz11]

Thanks sooo much for helping me!!! Around how many degrees C should they be kept?

 

[sumzsumz11]

Also , how should he be sleeping?

 

[MikeyTN]

I would say around 26 degrees C. He should be sleeping a lot right now since he's growing. They eat and sleep right now while growing.

 

[sumzsumz11]

Oh ok so in South Africa its around 30oC in d day.. So is it hot for him to be out? Yes he sleeps all day and cries d rest of d day

 

[sumzsumz11]

Should he be lying down or standing up? He sleeps against d side of the box with his head down

 

[MikeyTN]

Does it cool off during night time??? Babies usually sleeps against the sides or laying forward. Did you get a brooder or you decided not to since your area is so warm?

 

[sumzsumz11]

Ummm am not sure .. I still hvta ask my dad if he will get it. Yes in the night it goes sllightly cooler but i cover him in the box . In the mornings i know the crop hasto be compleatly empty .. But what exactly is totally empty? And if its not fully, but mostly empty is there a problem and what could be the cause and what can u do?