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There's a lot of people who probably do this... the main question is, can you handraise from day one, feeding every 1-2 hours around the clock? Or would you buy chicks that are 10-14 days old and handfeed them from there?

You'd also have to be able to find a breeder who would sell to you unweaned birds as many may refuse to... or you may need to prove to them that you CAN handraise chicks.

I do suggest though to get a hold of this breeder - http://sweetskies.fruitwerks.us/
And ask them about handraising, weaning, etc. They have a unique way of getting birds to eat and wean that I haven't heard of anyone else doing, which may in the end help birds wean quicker and better. Ask them about pros and cons as well.

I did this, but I was the breeder. I would ONLY sell to people I knew through my bird club. I would pull the chicks at 2 weeks so the birds had MY band on them.

Be sure you KNOW the breeder and they are a closed aviary. You don't want some yo, yo that has birds coming/going it's a great way to all kinds of illnesses.

Remember there are NO guarantees on chicks out of the nest. No recourse on dead babies.

Also don’t jack the breeder around saying you will take the clutch and then only want one or back out right at the chick pulling time. My deal was all or nothing.

Also not all species feed out the same way. For example Moustached keets - hens need to be in sepearte incubators with seperate feedings. If you don't do this just before weaning hens tend to revert. Not a big deal if you want breeders. A big problem if you are trying for pets. That means the first thing you do is DNA these chicks.

I would never hand raise from day one. I feel all baby birds should remain with their parents for atleast two weeks. So I wouldn't have to worry about every two hour feedings, and I'm used to the every 4 hour feedings so no problem there. I also am used to the stressful times of weaning, but I did read the site that you gave me, and I've never heard of adding peanut butter, or baby food...that's pretty interesting!

I definitely see that I'd have to make sure the breeder is reputable. No sick babies for me!! I'd also be sure to isolate from my current babies and flock either way. Sounds like you've been through some jacking around before Kerry, I bet that was a pain! That's very interesting info about the moustach keets, so research is definitely a must!

Thank you guys for your input, and I'll be sure to follow your recommendations, if you think of anything else let me know!