# Feed call



## newbie001 (Aug 22, 2011)

I bought a pair of fantails whom I used to feed twice a day. However they laid eggs and now have a pair of young birds. I made food accessible for them at all times. 

As soon as the young birds are weaned, I will be going back to feeding twice a day. I will whistle when I feed them. 

I will buy a large homing net, and allow them out. I'll then call them by whistling to get them to respond to me similar to trap training except I don't have a trap door. 

The only issue is I've been whistling at them nearly all the time I see them. Have I defeated the purpose, in that they may no longer associate the whistling with their feed? 

Any help is welcome!


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

Did you use the whistle to get them to come to you before?

If so, you can try it and make sure they are good and hungry when you want to trap them. Hunger is a great motivator.

If that doesn't work, you can use another signal to come to you, like a can with little seed in it and shake that.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

It needs to be something that they only recognize as meaning that they will be fed. If you whistle to them all the time, it won't have any meaning for them. I shake a can with corn in it. They know that means "COME AND GET IT!"


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## BFG (Mar 6, 2012)

I have an alarm set on my mobile phone for feeding time in the evenings. The birds have learnt the sound of the alarm! I never have to look for them or call them, when that alarm goes, even indoors, they come right home. I let it go for a while now before turning it off.

The alarm is nice because there's nothing else that sounds like it, so they won't confuse it with anything else.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Hope your phone never dies. LOL.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

BFG said:


> I have an alarm set on my mobile phone for feeding time in the evenings. The birds have learnt the sound of the alarm! I never have to look for them or call them, when that alarm goes, even indoors, they come right home. I let it go for a while now before turning it off.
> 
> The alarm is nice because there's nothing else that sounds like it, so they won't confuse it with anything else.


Get a back-up phone...just in case.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

newbie001 said:


> I bought a pair of fantails whom I used to feed twice a day. However they laid eggs and now have a pair of young birds. I made food accessible for them at all times.
> 
> As soon as the young birds are weaned, I will be going back to feeding twice a day. I will whistle when I feed them.
> 
> ...


you're instincts are right.. you should only use one call to mean come to eat, and do not use it other times.


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## Shadowringneck23 (Jul 5, 2012)

*Feed Whistle*

I would recommend using the "feed call" to only represent feeding. Use it to often and they will no longer associate it with food.


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