Page 189 - Hand rearing birds second

Grebes 175

Figure 10.3 Adult Western Grebe
feeding a contour feather to a chick
nestled on its back. Source: photo
courtesy of Ron Dudley.

­ Feeding­Procedures

Grebes hatch with their eyes open, maneuver to the edge of the nest, enter the water, and climb on
their parent’s back just hours after hatching. Hatchlings understand how to accept food from their
parents’ beaks immediately, and are fed this way for the first 2 days of life. By the third day, they
are already attempting to eat from the surface of the water and are developing critical hunting and
foraging motor skills. It is important to allow even very young captive grebes to demonstrate their
ability to self‐feed before resorting to other feeding methods. By first observing what the chick is
capable of, one can gauge the level of intervention, if any, that is needed. Any grebe more than
10 days old should be capable of self‐feeding unless it is compromised due to exhaustion, illness, or
injury. Counting the fish or insects provided, and those remaining after the chick eats, allows
quantitative tracking and recording of consumption.
Once a grebe’s ability to self‐feed is known, it, along with the bird’s age and condition, may be
used to help determine what feeding method is most suitable. Birds that are debilitated or other-
wise not interested in eating can be gavaged by orogastric tube, or force‐fed by placing food deep in
the mouth, well behind the glottis. Willing eaters may be hand‐fed with a blunt‐tipped hemostat if
they happen to be very young or if they do not have the stamina or strength to forage (Figure 10.4).
Capable eaters should be allowed to self‐feed on food placed in the water.
It is important to weigh birds daily to make sure they are consuming enough food, especially
while the bird is new and their self‐feeding abilities are being assessed. A good rule of thumb is to
make sure they are receiving in milliliters the equivalent of 5% of their body weight in grams per
feeding. Consistent weight gain should be seen daily; if a chick is losing weight rather than gain-
ing, carefully re‐evaluate the bird, as a medical problem may have been overlooked or a new prob-
lem may have developed. It is easy to miss small puncture wounds in the fluffy plumage. Scabs are
sometimes revealed at wet spots.

Hatchlings
Young chicks should be fed to satiation hourly during daylight hours and should be encouraged to
self‐feed before any attempts at hand‐feeding are made. This is accomplished by placing them in a
small tub with water that is 65–75 °F (18–24 °C) and 3–4 in. (8–10 cm) deep and contains small fish,