chicks crying out

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luvalutino
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Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:19 am

chicks crying out

Post by luvalutino »

Hi guys
is it normal for the hen to be outside the nest and ignore her chicks crying out?
julie
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Re: chicks crying out

Post by julie »

are you able to have a look in and see if the chicks have been getting fed? you should be able to see food in their crops.
luvalutino
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:19 am

Re: chicks crying out

Post by luvalutino »

Hi I checked this morning
chicks felt warm when i picked up
it had a ball the size of a small marble just under its throat , so yes they are being fed.
It was just so strange that she stayed so long out side her nest that she has rarely goes out
from...and the fact she was ignoring the chicks cries was making me wonder.
I found an egg on the floor of the cage this morning.....could it be that she laid it outside .
and thats why she was ignoring the cries?..... these chicks are from her second clutch of eggs this season...her first lot were clear...the second lot hatched two....
I dont think this egg is from the nest.
thanks you for your reply.
julie
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Re: chicks crying out

Post by julie »

Thats good news that she is feeding them,she may just need a break from them. Is it possibly an egg that was originally from the box that is on the ground? I found 1 egg on the aviary floor and then she laid 4 in the box. Are you planning on handraising the bubs? if so i would start getting everything ready as soon as possible incase she does stop feeding them or incase you think they arent getting enough from the parents.I was able to take the bubs and give them a feed and then put them back in with mum.
luvalutino
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Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:19 am

Re: chicks crying out

Post by luvalutino »

thanks julie
no the egg wasnt from the box she laid 5, 2 hatched 3 still left over in the box. strange eh?
re hand rearing.....I would only be able to hand feed morning b4 work and evening after work... would that be sufficient , ....would wet egg and biscuit mix be fine?
kind regards
Martino.
Lauren
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Location: Melbourne, Australia.

Re: chicks crying out

Post by Lauren »

If she is feeding them there should be no problem. I noticed my girl would ignore hers more and more as they grew older and feeding less often, she would also come out for longer periods after the 1st week. I figure we humans have to ignore bad behaviour in our toddlers. I put it down to that in birds. Tough love. :lol:
Hand rearing: Usually chicks need to be fed more than twice a day at a young age. It depends how old they are when you take them for hand rearing. Personally Ive used a propper hand rearing formula. I have no experience with egg and biscuit mixes. Hope someone can help.
"Jibby aka Gilbert" Indian Ringneck 13 years "Charlie" Rex Rabbit 1 year
jimmyjack
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Location: australia

Re: chicks crying out

Post by jimmyjack »

luvalutino wrote:thanks julie
no the egg wasnt from the box she laid 5, 2 hatched 3 still left over in the box. strange eh?
re hand rearing.....I would only be able to hand feed morning b4 work and evening after work... would that be sufficient , ....would wet egg and biscuit mix be fine?
kind regards
Martino.
in short, no and no.

to answer the first question, I would wait several weeks until they have grown substantially and are starting to feather if you are only going to be feeding them twice a day. They are just like new born humans -they need attention and lots of it - feeding would be required at this early stage quite regularly (once the crop is empty). I dont know what your work and transport environment is like, but you could take them to work, though this is not ideal. Id let mum do the hard yards if shes doing a good job.

egg and biscuit is not right for them - this is an insubstantial diet even for a grown IRN. these babies require alot of nutrients and energy as theyre growing rapidly. I would recommend purchasing a baby parrot formula from any decent pet store (or online if youre savvy ;) ). These will have all the necessities, many even have a probiotic. It shouldnt cost much ~$10 or so for a small bag.
You add pre-boiled water, let it cool (until its cool enough to put on the fleshy part of your underarm without burning) and feed away. the reason for boiling is to kill any bacteria/nasties, and also warms the mixture to mimic the mother's regurgitated food. Dont keep leftovers, be careful about it being too hot, and dont microwave. its actually very simple, the trick is getting them to eat it without making a HUGE mess :lol:
luvalutino
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Joined: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:19 am

Re: chicks crying out

Post by luvalutino »

thanks for your replies.
i looked again yesterday...and their crops were again like a small marble
i'll leave it to mum....she looks like she is doing a good job.
she hasnt stayed out of the nest and i haved heard them crying out like i did that time....
.......
jimmyjack
Posts: 198
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:54 am
Location: australia

Re: chicks crying out

Post by jimmyjack »

my turn to ask a question to the audience please, rather than starting a new topic, its in a similar vein, so easier just to pop in here:

so my eggs have hatched, we had four, dad (ike) killed one on the day they hatched before we could seperate him, not sure if he would have kept on killing, but dont want to take that chance. its a bit of extra hard work for mum (iggy) but she seems to be doing okay. its quite relaxed an most of her time is in the nest - only ducks out for a quick feed.

however, i've looked at the babies, all hatched on the wednesday. one is about half the size of the other two, and its crop is smaller with much less food (this may be due to it being a smaller bird) but im worrying that she might not be able to feed all three properly, and i dont want to lose another one. Im waiting until wednesday (another 3 days) to see how things go. it did have some food in the crop but if its still much smaller, and still doesnt look as though its being fed as much, should i:

a) hope for the best

b) take the little one out and hand rear

c) take all three out and hand rear

d) some other great idea that i havent thought of :D

thanking you!
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