My first time hand-raising a day-old chick, it's so tiny! Hatching a day-old hand-raised lovebird. | Kasim Birds Farm

From a tiny, downy chick to this—what a journey. Raising this Malayan Crested Fireback male from a baby has been one of those moments that reminds me exactly why I do this. Watching him feather in stage by stage, seeing the iridescence emerge, the posture change, the confidence build… it never gets old. He’s fully colored out now and just about ready to make the move into his big aviary with his lady. That transition always feels special—like watching a youngster step into adulthood. And I have