Post by ekkiemum on Dec 19, 2005 21:50:59 GMT 8
Hand-Rearing Eclectus
Chicks can be pulled for hand-rearing at 2, 3 or 4 weeks. When the chicks are pulled from the nest, the hand-feeder should wait until the crop empties completely before starting hand-feeding. I use a commercially produced formula, Roudybush 3, to which Gerber dry cereal is added (one part dry cereal to seven parts commercial formula to provide texture and prevent clumping when the formula is mixed with water). Jar vegetables and fruits for human babies are also added to the formula at about 1 part vegetable to 4 parts liquid formula. Only distilled water is used in preparing formula since too many public water supply systems are contaminated with bacteria and unknown chemicals that are dangerous to the parrot chicks. Formula is fed at the consistency of thick yogurt or cereal when chicks are 2 or 3 weeks old.
Temperature of the formula is measured by a calibrated thermometer and fed at 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Feeding cold formula to chicks chills them. Feeding overly hot formula burns them. Correct temperature can be determined only by an accurate thermometer. Formula should never be heated in the microwave since when the formula is removed from the microwave, it continues to rise in temperature and is prone to developing hot spots. Water heated in a container into which a container of formula is placed is a safer way to control formula temperature. Continuously monitoring formula temperature is advisable if the feeding session is long.
Day 1 Chicks
Day 1 chicks are fed a thin, runny mixture of Pedialyte and Roudybush formula. At each feeding, the formula is mixed slightly thicker. By the second and third day, dry cereal is added to the mix, which is slowly thickened over the next two weeks. Chicks are fed approximately 9 percent of total body weight after the first couple of days. Chicks are fed every two hours or whenever they are empty. The critical element for Day 1 Eclectus chicks is that they be kept in a brooder that is heated to 99 degrees Fahrenheit for the first couple days. By Day 3 the temperature is reduced to 98 degrees and slowly reduced so that by the second week the temperature is about 94 degrees.
However, brooder temperature is always adjusted according to the needs of each clutch, based on their reactions to the temperature. Moving air in the brooder is not allowed to blow on the bare chicks, since it will dehydrate them. Chicks are housed in small tubs lined with clean, disinfected wash cloths with one edge of the cloth folded over the top so the chicks do not get a draft. Paper towel is too harsh and does not provide a comfortable nest for these bare chicks. Small pieces of paper towel can be placed on the bottom of the small tub as a liner to collect feces so that the wash cloth does not have to be changed at each feeding.
Temperature is measured with thermometers that have been calibrated for accuracy against a laboratory-grade thermometer. Otherwise, you cannot be sure about the true temperature of the brooder. Also, temperature must be measured in a cloth-lined tub at the location where chicks are placed, not on the side of the brooder (and not in the same tub with the chicks since it will read their temperature).
Inexpensive, Reliable Brooders
Inexpensive and easy-to-disinfect brooders can be made by using two plastic "small animal environments," which are rectangular plastic containers with lids used for frogs, snakes, mice and other small creatures, and a fish tank heater. These containers and the fish tank heater are available at most pet stores. Place the fish tank heater in one container, add water to cover the heater about 1 to 2 inches, and place the second container into the first; it will rest on the water bath. Depending on the size of the brooder, 25-watt or 50-watt fish tank heaters are selected. These heaters can be turned up or down, increasing or decreasing heat.
Another way to control heat in the brooder is with toweling. For tiny babies, all sides and the bottom must be lined with toweling to keep in heat. The tubs with babies are then placed onto the toweling on the brooder floor. A thick towel is also placed over the top. If the temperature of the room is very cold, toweling can also be placed around the brooder. In warm climates or environments, less toweling is needed. As chicks grow, they are moved to larger brooders. Eventually all toweling is removed and chicks are placed in the brooder on a 1/2-inch wire grid which feces fall through. Throughout their hand-rearing development, Day 1 chicks require more careful temperature management than chicks pulled from the nest.
Chicks can be pulled for hand-rearing at 2, 3 or 4 weeks. When the chicks are pulled from the nest, the hand-feeder should wait until the crop empties completely before starting hand-feeding. I use a commercially produced formula, Roudybush 3, to which Gerber dry cereal is added (one part dry cereal to seven parts commercial formula to provide texture and prevent clumping when the formula is mixed with water). Jar vegetables and fruits for human babies are also added to the formula at about 1 part vegetable to 4 parts liquid formula. Only distilled water is used in preparing formula since too many public water supply systems are contaminated with bacteria and unknown chemicals that are dangerous to the parrot chicks. Formula is fed at the consistency of thick yogurt or cereal when chicks are 2 or 3 weeks old.
Temperature of the formula is measured by a calibrated thermometer and fed at 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Feeding cold formula to chicks chills them. Feeding overly hot formula burns them. Correct temperature can be determined only by an accurate thermometer. Formula should never be heated in the microwave since when the formula is removed from the microwave, it continues to rise in temperature and is prone to developing hot spots. Water heated in a container into which a container of formula is placed is a safer way to control formula temperature. Continuously monitoring formula temperature is advisable if the feeding session is long.
Day 1 Chicks
Day 1 chicks are fed a thin, runny mixture of Pedialyte and Roudybush formula. At each feeding, the formula is mixed slightly thicker. By the second and third day, dry cereal is added to the mix, which is slowly thickened over the next two weeks. Chicks are fed approximately 9 percent of total body weight after the first couple of days. Chicks are fed every two hours or whenever they are empty. The critical element for Day 1 Eclectus chicks is that they be kept in a brooder that is heated to 99 degrees Fahrenheit for the first couple days. By Day 3 the temperature is reduced to 98 degrees and slowly reduced so that by the second week the temperature is about 94 degrees.
However, brooder temperature is always adjusted according to the needs of each clutch, based on their reactions to the temperature. Moving air in the brooder is not allowed to blow on the bare chicks, since it will dehydrate them. Chicks are housed in small tubs lined with clean, disinfected wash cloths with one edge of the cloth folded over the top so the chicks do not get a draft. Paper towel is too harsh and does not provide a comfortable nest for these bare chicks. Small pieces of paper towel can be placed on the bottom of the small tub as a liner to collect feces so that the wash cloth does not have to be changed at each feeding.
Temperature is measured with thermometers that have been calibrated for accuracy against a laboratory-grade thermometer. Otherwise, you cannot be sure about the true temperature of the brooder. Also, temperature must be measured in a cloth-lined tub at the location where chicks are placed, not on the side of the brooder (and not in the same tub with the chicks since it will read their temperature).
Inexpensive, Reliable Brooders
Inexpensive and easy-to-disinfect brooders can be made by using two plastic "small animal environments," which are rectangular plastic containers with lids used for frogs, snakes, mice and other small creatures, and a fish tank heater. These containers and the fish tank heater are available at most pet stores. Place the fish tank heater in one container, add water to cover the heater about 1 to 2 inches, and place the second container into the first; it will rest on the water bath. Depending on the size of the brooder, 25-watt or 50-watt fish tank heaters are selected. These heaters can be turned up or down, increasing or decreasing heat.
Another way to control heat in the brooder is with toweling. For tiny babies, all sides and the bottom must be lined with toweling to keep in heat. The tubs with babies are then placed onto the toweling on the brooder floor. A thick towel is also placed over the top. If the temperature of the room is very cold, toweling can also be placed around the brooder. In warm climates or environments, less toweling is needed. As chicks grow, they are moved to larger brooders. Eventually all toweling is removed and chicks are placed in the brooder on a 1/2-inch wire grid which feces fall through. Throughout their hand-rearing development, Day 1 chicks require more careful temperature management than chicks pulled from the nest.