JuJu Bean
Hatchling
JuJu Bean was born April 20, 2015
Posts: 1 
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Post by JuJu Bean on May 28, 2015 15:48:36 GMT -5
Hello everyone! I am new to the forum. On Memorial Day I came home with a 5 week old Quaker from a home (not breeder). The family has raised parrots for years and they do sell their babies. The parents are beautiful, the babies are robust and healthy. I know many of you believe that is way too young to sell a baby, and to boot, although I have had young birds (Quaker Milo and Leo the Lovebird; 2 Budgies as a kid), I have never weaned a baby.
She did spend some time going through care instructions and we did one hand feeding together. I have been ultra careful and on the paranoid side, taking the temperature of her food every 3 seconds, keeping her warm, not too bright, watching pop, etc. I think were doing well. I feed her when her crop is nearly empty but allow for a full empty once a day (overnight) so we seem to be emptying the crop well.
All of that- and now for my actual question...
She is nested in a deep box (18"). But I do take her out. We hand feed on the kitchen counter. I talk to her on the dining table. BUT she is starting to do a lot of stretching and flapping of wings (separate from feeding mechanism). She may be as far as 5.5 weeks.
My fear is that she will take off from the table or counter since you never know when the moment comes..or do you?? OR since I am vigilant, that her first flight might be with me snatching her in the air so she doesn't fall 4 feet to the ground. I know that would be terribly traumatizing.
Any advice/guidelines on how to prepare or how to recognize the signs? And should we always just stay on the ground (both box) and any play time?
Just also want to add that she does face plant after every flapping. She still has tons of down and cant really walk yet, although she does a great job of standing erect and giving good posture.
Thanks to all!
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Post by easttex on May 28, 2015 16:40:05 GMT -5
Hi! Perhaps someone who has actually gone through it will with a baby Quaker will respond, but in the meantime I'll tell you what I've learned from wild birds. Not long before actually fledging, they do increase the flapping and general activity level. They have to, in order to start building their muscles. Birds rarely leave the nest before it is time, as long as they are not unduly startled, or forced out by weather. Some species do actually leave the nest before being able to fly, but the Quaker is not one of them. If your baby is not fully feathered, I would assume she is just exercising at this point. I think six to seven weeks is when you can expect her to fledge. It's probably not too soon to get ready for it. I doubt that counter height will be an issue, but I would probably look for a place without too many sharp corners and really hard surfaces to start feeding her, to be on the safe side. Looking forward to the updates!  |
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Post by ju ju bean on May 29, 2015 11:17:23 GMT -5
Thank you so much Easttex! Truly appreciated. As you may see from her pic she is still quite "downy" (I think) and she is just starting to noble on a millet spray but not cracking seed yet. And she can barely walk... So perhaps i have another week. I did note that you thought the counter might not be an issue. Just wondering in your experience, if those first flights could handle being 3-4 feet above ground or would she fall yo the floor? I read in the wild they initially practice by hopping up to near by branches until they gain confidence.
I have had minimal luck with finding info on that part of the baby process. Lots on food and general care but not much on fledging. If you know of any source I would totally appreciate the recommendation. And thanks again. I have been posts g for days on various sites and you are the first to answer.. So appreciated.
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Post by easttex on May 29, 2015 12:40:50 GMT -5
She's adorable! Is JuJu Bean her name? On the issue of height, the reason I wouldn't worry about it is that I've seen some of their nests in the wild, and they can be quite high. And, I don't know how often they build on tree branches, but they seem to be often on power poles and similar man-made structures that don't have much resembling branches. The birds that I'm aware of that can't fly fairly well right off the bat build open nests on tree branches like the mockingbird, for example. They will leave the nest, hopping, fluttering, etc., to a nearby shrub. In the next few days they will move around some and and get up to speed on flying. In contrast, cavity nesters will fly right out of the box. Not that great, maybe, but they're able to maintain elevation until they get to a nearby tree. I think the Quaker is more like a cavity nester. I'm just theorizing, though, so if you have seen a good source that says otherwise, I'd go with it. I don't know of a great source of info on the fledgling stage. I looked up the Quaker on Cornell's Birds of North America, and it basically says they are fully grown and developed when they leave the nest. Maybe someone with actual experience will join in... |
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Post by msdani1981 on May 29, 2015 13:46:08 GMT -5
Hi! I've personally never raised a baby, but I've been around them. Baby Quakers are quite clumsy. I would put one or two perches In the box so he can practice perching, then once he's closer to fully feathered you can set a cage up with the perches positioned down low. Line the cage bottom/grate with a soft towel. As he gets more coordinated you can move the perches up and then remove the towel. When he takes his first flight, he might crash land. Make sure he has a soft spot to crash; if they do fall onto a hard surface they could crack their keel bone or beak, or the skin over the keel bone could split open. I'm not trying to freak you out, just to let you know what can happen. If his first flights will be in the kitchen, lay blankets on the floor. Good luck!! |
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Post by quakerfriend on Jun 26, 2015 14:47:33 GMT -5
Hey! She's probably already starting to fly but I just thought I'd jump in with a little tip I've figured out.
When my parakeets are exercising their wings and strengthening flapping muscles, they would stand up normally and flap. When they were about to fly, they would hunker down low before jumping off, starting to flap while they're in the air.
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Post by msdani1981 on Jun 27, 2015 20:55:26 GMT -5
How is your baby doing? |
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Post by biteybird on Jun 28, 2015 16:40:13 GMT -5
I only just noticed this thread...
Our quaker, Bonnie, didn't fledge until just over 8 weeks old. I guess by now yours would be flying. I hope he went OK.
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