Hand-rearing of Softbills

Written by John Paul Houston

Tuesday, 02 June 2009

Hand-rearing of Softbills The hand-rearing of softbilled birds is not a task to be under-taken lightly, and success is vastly increased with the application of the correct protocol, the use of the correct equipment and a lot of common sense and instinct. The reasons for hand-rearing include; double-clutching – pulling a round of eggs/ chicks to allow the parents to re-cycle and so increase total number, abandoned eggs/ chicks – as a method of saving chicks which would otherwise starve to death or as pets (though the author believes the purposeful hand-rearing of softbills to make a ‘cuddly-tame’ pet out of it causes intense psychological harm to the bird and destroys some its potential as a breeding animal). As a means of increasing production, hand-rearing has been used in the field and been responsible for now less than saving species from extinction. The Rearing Diet A consistently successful diet for most softbills is one of day-old pink mice and papaya (or pawpaw) fruit. The ratio of mouse to fruit depends on the species of bird and its natural feeding habits. For a pekin robin, for example – a ratio of 1:1, pink mouse: papaya is acceptable. For laughing-thrushes, a diet of perhaps 2:1 or even 3:1 of the same constituents is better. The mouse needs to first be chopped in half and the stomach removed – as the milk in the mouse’ stomach can cause problems for chicks. Then the mice need to be chopped until a smooth slurry. The papaya should be skinned and the seeds taken out and then chopped into a similar slurry and mixed with the mouse. Some avi-mix or avi-pro plus sprinkled on top gives a better vitamin and mineral content. Also calcium carbonate powder can be sprinkled on in place of these to ensure good bone growth. This mixture keeps in the fridge for no more than 24 hours, and once the babies get going they need a LOT, so it’s a major drain on time. Feeding Regime and Weaning If the chick is newly hatched (within 12 hours) and the yolk sac is still visible, then do not feed the chick – syringe a very small quantity of liquids in the form of ringers solution or spring water with added critical care formula. There-after feeding of the pink mouse/ papaya mixture (by blunt-ended plastic tweezers) should be every hour for softbills such as Zosterops for the first day, every hour and three-quarters for pekin robins and similar for the first day and every two hours for anything larger. After two or three days even Zosterops of pekin robins should be on two hourly feeds. The very first feeds of a birds life should be miniscule to make sure that any remaining yolk is absorbed. No more than the tiniest amount on the end of a pair of tweezers. After the first day you can begin to trust the bird to tell you when its full – and feed until the begging response stops. The begging response can be encouraged by a short, sharp whistle, tapping upon the side of the brooder or similar noise (I used to use the alarm on my mobile fone for African Pied starlings!). Put the food as far into the mouth as you can without choking the bird and let it swallow and begin begging again before continuing. After a couple of feeds a faecal sack will be produced – it should be faeces completely covered in a white membrane with a small brown tip and should not break when removed (I use another set of plastic tweezers with the ends painted blue to avoid accidental use for feeding). All feeding instruments (tweezers, etc) should be stored in a pot of diluted miltons fluid, about 10mL to a litre. After around 12-14 days the meals will have grown larger to such an extent that the begging response will not be as strong after two hours, and a period of two and a half hours can be strived for, and soaked mynah pellets and white mealworms added to the diet, as well as the odd bit of fruit. Extending after another week to every three hours and eventually cutting out feeds midday and offering a dish of insectivorous mix and very finely chopped fruit, with mealworms to entice feeding. As soon as you see them playing with their food – cut feeds to three times a day, but continue to monitor them. When you are sure they are eating, give top-up feeds morning and evening, but no feeds in the day – these feeds should be of the adult diet and not pinkie mouse/ papaya. Hygiene is the most important factor, and cotton buds can be used to wipe the corners of the mouth after feeding, as bits of food can be crusted here – be sure to get the food into the mouth and not around the face! Harder than it sounds with some species!! Brooding I have used two kinds of brooder – the Brinsea TLC-4 brooder and recently the R-Com ‘bird pavilion’ brooder with automatic humidity control. The TLC-4 has a turning knob to adjust the temperature and requires a fair amount of fiddling to get the right temperature of around 36.7oC, whereas the Bird pavilion is set at the temperature you want to it go to and finds it itself, as with humidity. However, it is best to use one or more of your own thermometers and hygrometers also, as neither are always accurate. Keep the humidity around 60-70% to avoid drying the chicks out, but should they begin to pant and gape then allow the humidity to fall to 50-60%. To increase the humidity further, use a moist, clean dishcloth beneath the nest (as air rises, a low point of origin for the humidity gives a better gradient). The temperature should initially be set between 35.5 - 36.7oC, and after the first week it can be decreased by 1oC per day until room temperature is reached – or more of a decrease if the bird is showing signs of being overheated (particularly is feathering up well). Of the two brooders, I find the automatic ‘bird pavilion’ far easier to use and more reliable. Records For future reference, weights should be taken daily. This is also a good indicator as to the health of the chick. Any loss of weight after the second day is something to worry about and feeding quantities and the chicks’ environment should be looked at critically to attempt to rectify the situation. As well as weight, also record the appearance of pin feathers, opening of the eyes, the emergence of feathers from sheathes and also when and how often the bird(s) produced a faecal sac that day. These records will help with future hand-rearing to compare notes and know what to expect when, and so help understand the development of the birds! Weights in particular show how well a baby is progressing, use the best digital scales you can lay your hands on! The Nest The nest can either be a natural nest (not from wild birds!), which has been microwaved to remove germs, or any container which you can fit tissue paper, etc, in snugly. Artificial nests should have some form of rubber mesh or microwaved twigs which the chick can grasp to and so help it develop its feet and legs as malformed legs and feet are a major issue with artificially reared birds unless the problem is prevented. If paper it used as a nest, a balled fist can be used to shape it, with the rubber mesh then being fitting within. This has the advantage that it is easily replaced when soiled, whereas a ‘reserve’ nest must be kept when brooding in a natural nest. Regardless of which is chosen, hygiene is again the utmost factor of importace! And so…All in all hand-rearing is time-consuming and costly (pink mice and papaya’s are not cheap!), but worthwhile in getting softbills to the perch. There are many considerations and the occasional heart-break. But it can create well-rounded, healthy, breeding birds and can be thought of as more than just an option for when things go wrong. When they ‘fledge’ and wean, they should be placed in a cage or indoor aviary and allowed to behave normally, preferably with others of their kind until aggression becomes an issue. The main rule, feed them and leave them. That’s how you prevent stupidly imprinted birds which are a waste of your efforts in most cases as they will rarely behave normally and usually not breed. Don’t treat them like pets, they don’t enjoy cuddles! Have as little to do with them as possible. That’s being said – all the best if you attempt hand-rearing, but it ain’t for the faint-hearted! © Johnpaul Houston 2009. Not to be reproduced, for the members of FSSUK only. Photographs property of J.p.Houston and Jacqueline Noble.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 16 June 2009 )

 

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