I am getting very frustrated trying to feed my crossbeak chick. I have tried several different foods/options, but if it doesn't come in her food dish and look like crumbles she won't touch it. Pellets (that my adult flock will now have to eat since I could only find the pellets in 50# bags), her crumbles wetted and made into a mash, etc. My latest attempt -
I scrambled her up an egg and put it through the food processor to make it into even smaller pieces. First I tried replacing her crumbles with the egg. Wouldn't touch it. Then I tried some egg on top of her crumbles, still wouldn't touch it. Mixed the egg in with the crumbles, her brother/brooder mate really enjoyed the egg but she ate around it.
It breaks my heart to see this chick peck literally for hours just to get a little food in her crop, but I can't feed her something better if she won't touch it.
I'm not sure I'm up to tube feeding her. We intend to trim her beak back more in a few more days. We are letting her recover from a cutting gone bad.
I just don't know what to do to help her.
I scrambled her up an egg and put it through the food processor to make it into even smaller pieces. First I tried replacing her crumbles with the egg. Wouldn't touch it. Then I tried some egg on top of her crumbles, still wouldn't touch it. Mixed the egg in with the crumbles, her brother/brooder mate really enjoyed the egg but she ate around it.
It breaks my heart to see this chick peck literally for hours just to get a little food in her crop, but I can't feed her something better if she won't touch it.
I'm not sure I'm up to tube feeding her. We intend to trim her beak back more in a few more days. We are letting her recover from a cutting gone bad.
I just don't know what to do to help her.
