Hand feeding baby Hahns

Question
I have a pair of Hahn's Macaws. Every time she hatches an egg she will kill the first born. I'm tired of seeing this happen, so I'm trying to learn more about hand feeding from 1 day old. I rescued a baby from her and have been feeding it for 4 days now. I feed it formula, every 4 to five hours. Sometimes 6 hrs. My concern is the emptying of it's crop. It doesn't seem to be emptying as quickly now and I'm getting concerned about it. I have tried massaging it. Is there anything I can feed this poor little thing, so I can let it survive? Am I doing something wrong? Any advice on hand feeding would be greatly appreciated. This is my first shot at this. Thank you, Janet Zikeli

Answer
Hi, Janet,

Lots of the bigger parrots kill their babies when they hatch out.  If this baby is only 4 days old, you should  be handfeeding more often than just every 4-6 hours.  You should be handfeeding every 2-4 hours.  It doesn't sound to me like this baby is being fed enough.  Also, the handfeeding formula MUST be 102-104 degrees F when FED to the baby.  Not when you mix the formula, when it is FED to the baby.  It has to be the same temperature as their internal body temperature or crop statis can occur.  Also, be sure you are maintaining this baby in a brooder of some type at 98 degrees F 24/7.  The baby must have this warmth for the formula to metabolize in the bird's body. I don't know what formula you are using, but I've had the most success with Kaytee Exact for macaws.  Macaws require more fat in their diet than other parrots...be sure you are providing the proper type of formula.  I like to include human infant strained baby food in the formula I feed my babies.  This has lots of extra vitamins and nutrients.  Be sure you are mixing the handfeeding formula properly, too.  If it's too thick, the baby might not be able to process it correctly in the body.       

Crop problems often occur in baby parrots.  If the above doesn't rectify the problem within a day or so, I recommend you take this baby to a certified avian vet for a medical examination ASAP.  The baby could have a bacterial or yeast or other problem in the crop, which could result in crop statis.    

I wish you the best of luck with this baby.  Mini macaws are a favorite of mine.

Chrys