Week 11
The 11 week old babies are already beginning to fly with accuracy and speed. I have begun to trim primary flight feathers to keep them safe as they fly within the confines of the walls of my home. The primary flight feathers are gradual trimmed over several weeks. They develop into such strong fliers as they learn to lift their bodies into the air with fewer primaries. The birds will continue to enjoy "flight time" out of their cage each day for several weeks before enough flight feathers are trimmed to keep them from getting lift .
Allowing our birds to become proficient at flight is a conrnerstone of our hand raising program. A parrot that fully fledges and is allowed to practice the art of flying till he/she has full control and mastery of the skill will develop increased critical thinking skills, problem solving ability, adaptability, emotional security and poise and physical strength and agility. The thinking skills involved in putting together all the physical actions required to lift off the ground and soar through the air, to control the speed, lift and direction of the flight, the act of choosing safe and adequate places to land, all stimulate increased brain function in our companions. It prepares them to be better problem solvers as they take on the role of human companion. It improves their physical health. It gives them a sense of security and a measure of control over their environment that is vital for optimal emotional well being.
We prepare our birds to safely fledge indoors by allowing them plenty of open space and time to strengthen muscles used in flight and internal organs through flapping exercise. Once the birds are perching and flapping well, we take them around our home and "show" them hazards such as windows and mirrors. We also "show" them good perching/landing sites, such as the back of chairs, the playstands, the top of their brooder, etc..
We beleive that it is vital to allow our birds to fly for as long as it takes to fully master the skill. Our years of experience point up how it optimizes the pet potential of our birds. It is not easy to live in a home where a clutch of chicks is free flying, as you may well imagine. Yet we are so strongly convinced of the monumental importance of fledging our birds that it is a small price to pay for the HUGE payoff in pet potential of our birds. It is one of the things that makes OUR Congo babies unique and special and better than the average parrot!
Our chicks will spend 2 to 5 weeks flying around our home, learning to becoming adept at avoiding obstacles, making wise choices in landing sites and controling the speed and direction of their flight. Eventually we will custom trim each bird's primary wing feathers just enough to allow the bird some control in gliding gently to the ground instead of "crashing" like a rock fallen out of the sky. We "gradually" ground our birds by trimming one primary flight feather per wing over a period of a week or two till the bird no longer gets lift with flight, yet can reach the safety of the ground in a controlled glide if he/she happens to leap off a perch or cage top.
We are very proud of the success of our fledging program at Exquisite Exotics Aviary!
Our precious March 2007 babies have enjoyed outing in the travel carriers with us over the past week and into the next few weeks to become patterned to accompanying humans in transit. They will also spend an overnight with my grown up daughter and her husband (who they already know well from their visits with us) to prepare them for the transition to new places and care givers.
The chicks are comfortable with all my children feeding and caring for them. Of course the youngest 2 children are ALWAYS closely supervised when handling and working with the birds. I am so proud of how well the chicks do with all humans who treat them with care and respect! The babies learn from each and every experience they have while in our training program.
Weaning is going very well. The chicks are on still getting 2 large feedings and supplimented with the weaning pellets midday. They are eating more and more "adult" foods each day.
These chicks are exceptionally well adjusted and easy to work with. All have sweet and unique personalities that will endear them to all who meet them.
The babies are beginning to vocalize in the cadance of human speech. Sweetie is the most advanced in this developmental process. She can actually vocalize in a mimic of the cadance of how I say "hello" and does so each time I greet her. True to her name, she is a sweet baby who loves to cuddle. Her favorite landing spot when she is out for flying time is my right shoulder, where she will sit and nuzzle and coo for as long as she is on my shoulder.
Gloria remains our most outgoing explorer. Her boundless curiosity has her leading the clutch in all new activities. This bird loves to play and is very engaging with all the humans she meets. She likes to engage in play with toys when she is out with the family.
Precious Claude is our biggest baby in this average size clutch, but he is truly the gentle giant of the bunch. He is such a pleasant and darling bird, so sweet and easy to work with. He will lay quiet on his back when I am training him in a towel, he loves to snuggle into my lap and watch the household activities with quiet attention.
Below, playing and perching on the playstand in the sunroom, our darling
March 2007 hatch chicks at 11 weeks old!
Left to Right, Claude, Gloria, Sweetie,
exploring the wrought iron cage in our sunrooom
