FEEDING

I use red millet sprays which are fed liberally. I soak a few sprays overnight for the newly fledged youngsters. This helps them to take in some liquid until they are familiar with where the drinkers are, it may also reduce dehydration, I also place a small dish of fresh water in the cage which I change every day. When the youngsters are removed from the parents and put into stock cages I also give some Japanese millet, this is a softer seed and easier for young fledglings to eat.

Softfood

I use Orlux Uni Patee moist soft food, to this I add breedmax, seaweed powder, dehydrated carrot, soaked oats and porridge oats with added bran. I drain the oats just prior to mixing leaving them slightly damp. I do not add any additional water to the mix. Each pair is given two tablespoons per day from pairing up. I use Versa-Laga grit with added aniseed essence, cuttlefish bone and iodine nibbles. I have recently made some mineral type blocks that contain Diatom earth, Seaweed, Salt, and Sugar all held together with plaster of Paris.

When faced with a sick bird, before I give antibiotics I give two or three crop needles of clean water twice a day for two days. In most cases this is enough to sort out the problem, as a sick bird will dehydrate very quickly, only after this I will use an antibiotic. The antibiotic that I prefer is Tricho Plus. It has a good safety margin with regard to dosage and if the bird is treated quickly into the crop the survival rate is very good.

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