Artificial brooding can improve the reproductive ability of caged birds. "It is not easy to raise birds, and it is even harder to raise birds." Although it is difficult to raise young birds, many ornamental birds must be cultivated from young birds in order to obtain good ornamental effects. For example, the famous starling, Hainan quail brother, lark, embroidered bird, lovesick bird, wenbird and hibiscus bird are all artificially bred.
In the process of hatching or brooding, if the parent bird dies or gives up hatching, another pair of birds of the same species or other nanny birds at the same breeding stage with the parent bird can be used to continue hatching or brooding. When parents feed more chicks or abandoned chicks, artificial brooding can be carried out. Artificial brooding is a boring job, because caged birds are late-maturing. They are characterized by small eggs and a small proportion of yolk. When chicks hatch, they are still in the early stage of embryonic development. Their bodies are bare, with no hair or only sparse fluff, so they can't open their eyes, their legs and feet are weak, and their body temperature can't be kept constant. Therefore, heat preservation and patient feeding are very important. If the feeding time, quantity and frequency do not meet the requirements, it will easily lead to the decline of chicks' physique and even death.
Feeding chicks artificially can be made into paste with water such as bean powder, cooked egg yolk, green vegetable leaves, minced meat, cod liver oil and calcium powder, and then picked with bamboo sticks. When chicks open their mouths and beg for food, feed can be quickly delivered to the birds' mouths. Because chickens eat a lot, usually from 6 am to 6: 30 am. First feeding, last feeding at night 19: 00. Feed every l ~ 2 hours at first, and every 3 ~ 4 hours after 7 days. Then you can feed the birds according to their mouths and calls. In the meantime, if the chicks can peck off the residue and eat it, they can put the feed aside and let them eat it themselves.
In addition to rich nutrition, artificial feeding chicks also needs to have some basic knowledge. When raising birds, don't forget to feed them. If you don't feed them all day, it will inevitably lead to starvation of birds. The feeding time of suckling chicks should be dispersed, and remember not to overfeed at one time. There is enough water in the food of suckling chicks, so be careful not to give them extra water. Young birds have poor cold-resistant and warm-keeping ability, lose their parents' love, and are prone to illness and even death. It is necessary to take corresponding warm-keeping measures when raising artificially. Put some feathers or cotton wool under the nest and cover it with a thin layer of cotton wool at night, but pay attention to ventilation. With the abundance of feathers and the increase of temperature, the bedding in the nest will gradually decrease. If the temperature drops significantly, you can hang a 25-40 watt light bulb in the cage and put a layer of black cloth around the light bulb. While keeping warm, we shouldn't let the young birds overheat.