If you have bought a baby bird just out of the nest, talking will come a lot easier. Start training as early as you can while the baby is still on formula. Birds of this age bond readily to humans and develop the relaxed confidence. Be gentle, kind and patient and these birds will quickly learn to trust and respond to you. They should be comfortable when being handled. Don’t expect a young baby bird to start talking immediately. As long as they are “clucking” for food they will not talk. But exposing them to words and phrases at this early age primes them to talk rapidly when they are old enough. These babies will cock their heads, listen to you intently and recognize words even though they are too young to talk. By the time smaller birds are 4-6 month old and larger parrots are 6-12 months old they will begin repeating words and phrases. If you pick an older bird that is fearful of humans please realize that teaching it to talk will be difficult if not impossible. These birds must first learn to trust people. Many never do. For them, a lengthy period of socialization and calming is required.
Train your bird to talk every morning before you take off the cage cover. Repeat a word or phrase over and over again and make it a ritual. Your bird will be able to concentrate on the sounds in the dark and will try to respond to you with the same sound it hears. Do this also at different times of the day and especially during feeding time or when giving it its favourite tid bit slang. When the bird gets used to this, it will use the same sounds to get your attention while you are out sight when it is hungry or needs attention. When you hear this, reply back with the same words as affirmations, but do not approach the cage. When the bird tries to make a different expression, add in other words and phrases. This indicates that your bird is ready to learn new words to add into its vocabulary.
You can also use a recording to train your bird to talk or mimic sounds. Make a recording on tape or CD and use words and phrases with clarity. If you do not have a good voice, ask someone you know to do it for you, or purchase a CD from a bird shop. Play the recording at different times of the day as this will surely have a great impact on your bird.
