How to Raise a Hwamei: Feeding Methods and Precautions

The hwamei has a loud voice and a melodious, pleasant song, making it a fairly well-known cage bird that many bird lovers like to keep.How do you raise a hwamei well?

1. How to Raise a Hwamei

1. Prepare a suitable cage; males are aggressive, so generally one bird per cage to avoid rivalry over mates. The cage bottom should have a droppings tray.

2. For everyday feeding of the hwamei, you can choose egg millet or egg rice, at a ratio of 8 eggs per kilogram of grain; in addition, it should be fed with some flour worms, locusts, or minced fresh beef and mutton, fruit, and so on. Animal feeds such as flour worms and locusts need only be fed a few per day. Fruit can be cut into large slices and placed in the cage for the bird to peck at freely.

3. Clean the cage every 3-5 days, scrub the food and water containers before each feeding every day, and strictly prohibit feeding moldy feed.

4. Hwameis are prone to uropygial gland inflammation, which easily occurs when they are startled, catch a cold, suffer heatstroke, or when the feed is high in fat or water is lacking. Prevention and treatment: when a new bird is placed in the cage, promptly put on a cloth cover and place it in a quiet place to prevent startling. Once uropygial gland inflammation is found, spread the bird's tail feathers apart, disinfect the uropygial gland area with alcohol or iodine, then use a sterilized needle to prick the tip of the uropygial gland.

5. Place the cage in a place with a suitable temperature, do not expose it to direct sunlight, and take the bird out for walks regularly.

2. How to Choose a Hwamei

1. Choose a hwamei about 20 days after hatching; birds at this time are the easiest to train.

2. Choose a bird with a strong physique, not too wild in temperament, and with a loud call.

3. Choose a bird whose feathers lie close to the body, whose tail is in a tapered shape, whose eyes are bright, that hops about lively, and that has a strong appetite.

The hwamei is playful and cute, lively in temperament, and relatively easy to keep.