The best method of learning how to hand-feed a parrot is with an experienced breeder by your side. I also understand that not everyone has that luxury, so here are some of the more important points of the process. The parrot’s body contains something called “the crop.” While it may sound like what your local farmer harvests, in parrots, the crop is a food-storage mechanism that Mother Nature built in to these birds. Birds possess a fast metabolism. If it weren’t for their crop, they would need to eat every few hours. The crop, by the way, is simply a bag of skin surrounded by muscles. As you travel up this bag, about two-thirds of the way you’ll encounter the opening to the stomach, the esophagus. When the stomach is empty and ready for more food, the muscles of the crop contract and pushes the food into the esophagus.
