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Baby Bird Basics 13

problems not identified at admission – bear in mind that parasites also take time to grow up and
start passing eggs to be found in fecal matter. Bacterial infection is another common cause of
diarrhea in chicks. Gram stains of feces may be informative.

­ Common­Medical­Problems

In addition to the previously discussed hypothermia and dehydration, common medical problems
encountered in chicks presented for care include one or more of the following: lacerations from
attack by cats or other predators; fractures and soft‐tissue trauma due to falling from nest or cat
attack; emaciation secondary to either parasite load, parental separation, or poor care by finder
(including eye or skin infections from being covered in food); malnutrition with poor feather con-
dition with or without accompanying MBD; malnutrition or maldigestion due to diet quality or
quantity, heavy parasite loads, crop infections due to yeast or bacteria, and other problems, includ-
ing contagious diseases.

Wounds

Chicks should be warm and well‐hydrated before wound care occurs and it is preferable to give the
bird a break for rest, warmth, and food between bouts of treatment if wounds are extensive or the
chick is very stressed. Do not allow a chick to become cold while wound care occurs. Pain medica-
tions are merited prior to treatment; depending on age, species, and available resources, anesthesia
may or may not increase the chick’s probability of a good outcome. Wear disposable exam gloves
when possible to avoid contaminating a wound with human bacteria.
Chicks with wounds should be placed on a course of broad‐spectrum antibiotics, such as amoxi-
cillin with clavulanic acid, at 125 mg/kg orally twice daily (Hawkins et al. 2018) until the wound
heals. Be sure antibiotics are not discontinued until the wound has completely healed; merely
being covered with a scab does not count as “healed” as scabs often cover serious problems. Some
wildlife veterinarians continue antibiotics for several days after external wounds have healed to
reduce the likelihood of complications, especially in cases of body cavity punctures.
Wounds should be cleaned, debrided, and closed primarily whenever possible, both to speed
healing and to reduce development of stress bars on growing feathers. Rapid healing is especially
important in wild chicks that must have perfect plumage at release. The longer the bird must stay
in captivity, the more likely it is to develop additional physical or behavioral problems.
The nature of the injury may be obscured by dried blood, debris, or disarrayed feathers. For tiny
chicks (or older eyes doing the examining), magnification and good lighting is helpful. Begin with
gross removal of debris from the wound with sterile or disinfected forceps, hemostats, or other
appropriate tools. Cotton swabs and gauze also can be helpful. The younger and smaller the chick,
the more delicate the skin; be very careful to not tear it. Pluck toward the wound whenever possi-
ble to avoid ripping the wound larger, or hold flat‐tipped forceps on the skin at the base of each
feather with your other hand to reduce tension. Follow the wound margin to fully identify the
extent of the lesion. Do not remove flight or tail feathers if at all possible, especially when in blood
as it is preferable to allow soft tissues to heal with a feather in the follicle. If partially‐grown blood
feathers are broken and bleeding, they may need removal. Species vary in how plucking is toler-
ated, how difficult particular feathers are to remove, and how follicles respond. Never cut or shave
feathers. Be very conservative in removing feathers from swimming species; use tape to hold feath-
ers back during wound closure instead.