# Hand feeding



## SueC (Jun 9, 2005)

Hi All,

As mentioned in my other threads, I'm presently hand feeding Beanie, an under-nourished injured pigeon with baby food and blended beans as well as multi vits and neuron med. I'm doing this with the help of my mum. She'll gently open Beanie's beak while I hold her in one hand and syringe the food/meds into her mouth with the other. I would like to do this on my own as my mum is going on vacation soon.

Would appreciate it if any one can 'demonstrate' a way to hand feed her without too much stress. As expected, without anyone holding on to her, she tend to put up a struggle and try to move away when I tried to feed her myself.

Thanks!
Suzanna


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## Pigeonpal2002 (Jul 27, 2002)

Hi Suzanna, 

I think for this situation you'll find that wrapping Beanie in a towel will work. I believe it's called the "burrito method" Take a thin, long towel or sheet and wrap her up in it like a burrito but not too tight so that she can't breath. Just enough to contain her wings from moving and then place her in something to secure her, like a bowl. 

Others will be along to share their more precise details of this method and possibly other ideas altogether


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Yahhhhh...making a 'Burrito-Bird' is my resort also for occasions of Seed-Pop ( popping Seeds, one-at-a-time into their throats ) and for feeding directly into their Crop via a small, thin, short Catheter on a Syringe.


Now, too, useing largish Seeds of course, you could coat them lightly with Olive or Cod LIver Oil right then, do not let them sit long this way, and, coat them lightly with whatever additional powder form of Nutrients you may elect, and Seed-Pop these...


I wrap them starting from their shoulders, and folding the cloth across the front of them while pulling it somewhat 'up' to close gently around their shoulders, in an easy fast maneuver, and, holding it then closed like that, allows me to hold them.

I do a variation of this sometimes for occasions of removeing hair, thread or string from the Feet of various Feral Birds who I catch to do so for, then release.

One may also use tape, and in effect, tape them into a burrito-like result. For which I use the kind called 'Micropore' and do single annular wraps beginning with their primary tips, and spaced an inch or so apart, proceeding on to end at their shoulders.

For some Birds this is a better method in my adventures with them anyway, than the cloth-wrap method of Burrito-making.

Since I too am almost allways working alone in these administrations, I then prop them up between my thighs with an additional padding towell to hold them steady and sure, and as holds them kind of vertical with no pressing on their Crop area, and then to do the Catheter feed.

For Seed-Pops I usually sit and have them (Burrito-them) against my thigh in a kind of vertical pose.

Extra hands are sure the best though!

Have you considered to feed diresctly into their Crop with a soft, short, Catheter on a Syringe?

Do not try untill coached by some of those here who are familiar with it...

But, it is effecient as for getting 20 or 25 or whatever mL in there in a short time, like say ten seconds, and is no more uncomfortable when done well, for the Bird, than the rest of it is...

Watch out though if the food is too liable to be gummy...they need fiber in these kinds of feedings, lest the food assume a sort of clog of solidified goo in their Crops...

Seed-Pops help also as for them having something solid to hydrate in their Crops, and masticate in their gizzards...

Now...refresh my memory please?

Your Bird was only wishing to eat Mung Beans, and then...?

How has it come to this?


Phil
el ve


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## SueC (Jun 9, 2005)

Ha, good advice. Thanks!

Yup, this is the fella who only likes mung beans and nothing else. She's still taking the beans but the quantity is small. Less than 2 tablespoonfuls a day.

She is also losing alot of weight which the vet attributed that it might be due to some neuro problem. Hence she advised that Beanie gets some high protein stuff such as kitty food.

Having considered what was mentioned in an earlier thread, I decided to give her powder for hand feeding birds. The one that I can find here is Kaytree.

As I'm not very sure how to feed directly into her crop, what I did was to syringe the soup into her mouth and allow her to swallow on her own. She don't put up much of a struggle unless we take too long. This seems fine with 2 persons performing the feed but I'm hoping I can continue when my mum's away.

As she's taking the beans on her own, I did not do the seed-pops for her. 

She has become less bitty and more active. Since last weekend, she even ate the bread around her when she was out of the cage - something which she has not done since she came one month ago. 

Meanwhile, thanks for the tip on the burrito-method. I'll give it a try this evening! 

Suzanna


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Suzanna, 


Try Hemp Seeds and or Hemp Meal...if you can...

I posted a link recently, they are very nourishing, hi-protean, and all around good for Pidgeons.

I am feeding mine Goji Berries also, either as cut up sizes for Seed-Pops or ground in the blender with other stuff for their 'Soups'.

If you are going to use the K-T, I will mention that my method is to combine with other tings so it is only a minor ingredient...I mix it with regular Corn Meal and Ground Seeds you do yourself in any old Kitchen Blender.

Just use this mixture of powders then, to make each meal by adding Water...serve "tepid" allways...wrist-temperature ...

Add a dab of powdered Greens and Seaweed also, and maybe whatever else sounds and tastes good. I also add Anise or Fennel seeds now to my Blender-made coarse flowers, for the 'Soups'...

They LOVE it...at all ages, and it tastes very good to me too.

Your Bird, being youngish yet, might even eat from the hollow of a Nipple, ya never know. One of my young adult ( Full size Bird) innured new-arrive ferals decided he wanted to do so last night, so I fed him that way and he was very happy. If yours will eat this way, put small whole Seeds in the Soup also...and a little light grit of some kind.

If you like, make the medium low voice sound, slowly, of "Oooo! - Oooo!" and it may help...play with it, if you hit the right topne, even young adults perk up and feel tempted!

Gotta try things!

See what works...!

Phil
el ve


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## SueC (Jun 9, 2005)

Problem is some of the seeds are not easily available here. I can't find goji berries or safflower seeds. 

Seaweeds - are you referring to the not salted type which we use to make soup? Not the ones that we eat as titbits, right? 

Meanwhile, I'm just blending the baby powder with the pigeon mix which I bot. And I think I've seen hemp seeds somewhere so I'm going to hunt around for some.

Like you say, gotta try!

Suzanna


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

...purple Dulce is nice I think...(Health Food Stores should have it...) sometimes I use some of the sheet-kind the Japanese use to roll rice-things in, Sushi wrapper sheets, I tear off some and put it in the blender with the Seeds...some Greens too, such as "Chlorella" I also use now...comes as a powder, it is a Green Algae from the Sea, no Salt with it...super-nutrient...


Chineese or Asian Markets might have the Goji Berries...might have other good Seeds also. Barley and Oat Groats would be good if you can get them...good as Seed-Pops, good for grinding into meal for Soup-making...


Phil
lasvegas


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