Tips:
Separate male and female chicks as soon as possible
This young roller is assertive, brighter yellow than some of his nest mates, bold-eyed, and his eye is in a straight line with the center of his beak. He should be housed with his brothers.
In contrast, this young roller is timid, lighter colored than nest mates, and her eye is above the mid line of her beak. She is housed with like females. Any that sing at two or three months old, are moved to the cage of related males.
If you can not tell the sexes early before the males sing, separate the thin ones from the others. They are likely females and high risk to go light and die.Observe the youngsters from a distance and separate any ill acting. They are likely very thin and need a stress free environment. When you approach the cage, this chick will fool you and act and look just like one of the bunch.
Questions:
Tuesday
Do you have some kind of standard treatment you use with the thin and/or puffing up youngsters? Lloyd
Monday
I have had a very successful breeding season but the last mating was not good. It was the hens third nest - 5 babies before - a different cock. She laid three eggs - hatched three but the first one died by day 4 and the other two by day 9. When I moved the hen to the flight cage today I notices that she was much lighter than the cock. Any comments. Janet Hemesasth
Critical Concepts:
Separate the sexes early and thin ones away from normal weight ones. Observe from a distance to pick out the stressed chicks who need to be moved away from the others.
8 comments:
Hi Linda, I have had a very succesful breeding season but the last mating was not good. It was the hens third nest - 5 babies before - a different cock. She layed three eggs - hatched three but the first one died by day 4 and the other two by day 9. When I moved the hen to the flight cage today I notices that she was much lighter than the cock. Any comments. Janet Hemesasth
I love bird in first picture. Strong beak and nice bright eyes! Hope he sings well.
Do you have some kind of standard treatment you use with the thin and/or puffing up youngsters?
Lloyd
Janet
Breeding. although natural, takes a lot of stamina out of our birds. For this reason, raising five chicks is enough for one season. Hopefully with the R and R you are providing she will make a full recovery and do well again for you next year!
Lloyd
First I do supplement feed most chicks with the Exact Handfeeding formula from a few days after banding for about a week to get the fat layer as large as possible before weaning. I offer quartered hard boiled egg in addition to nestling foods when the first chick leaves the nest to encourage then to eat on their own. A day or two of seeing them eat and they go to the weaning cage with no perches. I offer easy to eat foods in addition to hard boiled egg and nestling food such as bread, bee pollen, wheat germ etc.
If they puff-up, I will offer hand feeding again with my finger tapping on their beak. I will lower stress by reducing the number of birds in the cage and moving to cages with like timid temperaments or a new group where they are the oldest rather than the youngest.
What tool do you use to supplement feed? I have used the plastic banding tool, but is a messy system.
If you get a chance Linda, would you write/pictures of hand feeding?
Richard
It is messy and I keep a paper towel handy to wipe me and the bird!!
I use round toothpicks to dip in the formula.. They are also handy to pry the beak open...
Thanks for the idea for an article!!
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