In a perfect world, the male will also feed the hen as she incubates the eggs.  When the babies hatch, he will continue to bring her food, as well as feed the babies.

We need to provide nestling food to the parent birds during their courtship and as the eggs are being incubated to be sure they like it and will eat it themselves.  If they won't touch it, they are not going to feed it to the babies when they hatch.

I've used various mixtures over the years, from prepared "store bought" ones to totally home-made ones, and I advise you to use what works for you. 

A nice Birdy Bread can be made from the Jiffy Cornbread Mix, doubling the number of eggs that the mix requires (and including the shell).  Add good things to the batter before baking it.... like a measure of quick oatmeal, anise seed, poppy seed, bird vitamins, etc.  After it bakes and cools, crumble it or cut into 1" squares.  Freeze the extra in a zip lock bag and take it out as needed.  In breeding season, I make in big batches so I have it on hand.  When I feed it, I whiz boiled eggs in the food processor and add that to the crumbled birdie bread that I also throw into the food processor.  The birds love it, and feed it well.

As the babies are weaned, continue to provide this nestling food fresh daily.  They should also have the seed mix that the parents eat, as they will begin shelling it and eating it as their beaks harden.  Eventually, that seed mix needs to become their main meal, with the nestling food becoming more of a treat food.

Hand Feeding

Some folks believe that 'nature should take its course', and that only the strong survive.  This happens in the wild, but we are not there to witness it like we are in our bird rooms.  Other folks believe that if a parent bird doesn't feed, it's because they 'know' that something is wrong with that infant and are making a choice not to feed it.  I have a tough time with either premise, and my heart will prompt me to do something if I see a problem and can intervene in some way to help.

Mix one measure of the dry formula with two to two and a half measures of hot water.  It is important to let the dry mixture absorb the water, and add a touch more water if the mixture is too thick.  This particular formula takes a couple of minutes to reach its final consistency, but you must wait or you may feed it too soon  You don't want it to thicken in the baby's crop and be too dry to digest correctly.  You certainly don't want it to solidify in the crop and cause the demise of the baby.

Hand Feeding Tools

The consistency you need is about that of mustard.  The younger the baby you are feeding, the more liquid it needs to be. 

I load the syringe by setting it down into a bottle and pouring in the formula.  Holding the syringe this way is like having an extra hand.

Place syringe into bottle to hold while filling

 If you look closely at this photo, you'll see the yellowish formula in this baby's crop. 

The main thing to do here is... small drops, make sure the baby swallows it before you give another drop.  When they are full, they will stop begging for more.

In an Emergency

First, don't panic.  Boil an egg (you should already have some on hand if you are feeding egg food to the parents).  Scoop out a bit of the cooked yolk and mash it up with some drops of water to get the consistency of mustard. 

Use a flat toothpick and scoop the formula onto the large end of the toothpick.  If you don't have a toothpick, find something else - use your imagination and the old saying "necessity is the mother of invention"

Older Babies

I've had a chick or two over the years where the parents stop feeding.  It is especially frustrating when the parents feed other chicks in the nest, but for some reason seem to abandon one.  I've seen a new fledgling run after his parents begging mercilessly, only being ignored by the parents. 

Being too young to eat on their own, they grow weaker and weaker.  That is another situation where I HAVE to step in.  Be prepared to exercise patience, as getting that little one to take a bite is a challenge....but once they realize that you are offering food (they act as if you are wanting to poison them!) they will soon volunteer to open their mouth and will take food from you from that point on until they are eating on their own.

My best method for doing this is to mash boiled egg, stirring in a bit of water for moisture (remember they have as much danger of perishing from dehydration as starvation - so liquid is important).  Once the food is prepared, I catch the little fellow and set him on a surface (desktop or my knee) with my hand gently caging and controlling him.  I scoop up some of the food on a banding tool, which is a small flat piece of metal that has a narrow end.   Use the narrow end to gently open the baby's mouth...he will do his best to keep it clamped tightly shut, so this is where your patience, gentleness, but firm insistence is required. 

Be prepared for him to shake his head and try to throw any food you manage to get into his beak out....just like our human babies will spew out the spoonfuls of peas they don't want.  Keep at it, though, until he stops fighting you and swallows the mixture.  You'll almost see his expression change, and certainly his demeanor, and after a few more bites, he will volunteer to take the food...opening his mouth for you.

After perhaps another feeding with the same resistance, he will begin to peep when he sees you coming, and get so excited when you have him in your hand positioning him to be fed. 

I take youngsters like this and place them in a small cage by themselves, as usually they are weaker than any siblings, and since the parents aren't feeding them it's doing no good to keep them in that environment.  It also makes it easier for me to care for that individual.

Soon, I don't catch the guy to feed him, I just let him stand on a perch in his cage as I bring the food to him.

How much do you feed them at each session?  As much as they will eat.  When he is full, he will stop opening his mouth for you and you will see his crop bulging with food.   Check him every few hours and give him more.

Keep him fed, in a clean environment, with a waterer so he can learn to drink, a feed dish with nestling food so he can pick at it.... and soon he will be on his own and no longer need your intervention.  You can watch him grow strong and sleek, knowing that without you he would have been a goner.