Page 239 - Hand rearing birds second

African Penguins 227

Respiratory­Infections
Symptoms that are likely to be indications of chest infections in chicks include labored breathing
(open mouth breathing), struggling to breath (dyspnea), coughing, mucus as sputum or in mouth,
regurgitation, sneezing, lethargy, and separation from the group.
If any of these symptoms are identified, the veterinarian must be notified, and blood and fecal
samples should be collected. Treatment will depend on whether the infection is bacterial, fungal,
or viral, but nebulization is often useful to assist clearing the airways. It is important to isolate a
sick chick away from the healthy chicks to prevent spreading an infection.

Feather­Loss­Disorder

Abnormal feather loss may occur around the perineum and shoulders of the chick (mild cases) or
the entire chick may lose all its feathers. As soon as this is detected, record keeping should describe
the loss of feathers as a percentage. Supplementing the diet with zinc and omega fatty acids seems
to promote feather regrowth.

Neurological­Abnormalities

Nervous system abnormalities can be described as twitching, head rolling back, falling over, lop‐
sidedness, falling onto back, and seizures. The causes are variable from head trauma, avian malaria
or other infections, emaciation, dehydration, and poisoning. If the cause is diagnosed, then treat-
ment should be initiated. Treating seabirds undergoing rehabilitation with thiamine tablets once
daily is recommended since the thiamine in frozen fish is depleted during the thawing process.
Treating neurologically abnormal penguins with thiamine may be curative if this was the problem,
and informative if treatment is not helpful.

Diets

Hand-rearing­Diet­Formula­for African­Penguin­Chicks

880 g fish, removing the tail and fins
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600 ml cold tap water
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5 Edelweiss Large Fish Eater capsules (squeeze out the powder from the capsules)
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10 Brewer’s yeast 300 mg tablets
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6 Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 100 mg tablets
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1 teaspoon cod liver oil (5 ml)
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2 level teaspoons Kyron Protexin (5 g)
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2 level teaspoons Kyron Cani‐Cal (5 g)
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1 level teaspoon calcium gluconate powder (2.5 g)
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3 capsules vitamin E 400 IU (cut capsule and squeeze out oil)
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Place into blender and blend thoroughly, for 5 minutes. Check that the consistency is like drink-
ing yogurt; if it is not smooth, it can be blended for longer. Strain the mixture twice through sieves.
Label the container with the date and time and place into the refrigerator. Refrigerate unused portions
and discard within 12 hours for young chicks and 24 hours for older chicks. Warm refrigerated