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I have an issue with some hand feeding formula that I thought I had wiped off and it seems it's in a rather hard ball stuck to the side of my baby cockatiels face.

How can I get that off without hurting him?

Dab it with warm water to soften it and then gradually work it off.

I would not pull it off because it will hurt the baby. I've had this same problem so Ive used warm wet face cloth to soften it and then I would try to press it between my nails to break it up. Sometimes if i couldn't get it it would eventually crumble and I would again try to break it up with my nails. After I've fed my babies I would take warm water face clothes and wash their faces and dry it afterwards (like babies!)They would fuss too!

That is my main reason why I hate hand feeding. When you have several birds to feed, you don't always get to the mess right away. I have come to realize that you have to have a bowl of hot water on hand so that you can clean up each baby during and after feeding. It is a major chore, and you are right, once it is dried it can be like concrete and it will rip their little feathers right out. I've not found an easy way to deal with it, although I have considered trying olive oil...lol