Page 243 - Hand rearing birds second

African Penguins 231

3500
3000 Stony
2500 Boulders
Weight (g) 2000 Home Pen
Robben Island
1500

1000
500
0
Hatching 5 Days 10 Days 15 Days 20 Days 30 Days 40 Days 50 Days 60 Days

Age

Figure­13.3­ Growth of hatchlings in the Chick Rearing Unit from nearby penguin colonies of Stony Point
in Bettys Bay (34.3742° S, 18.8953° E), Boulders colony in Simonstown (34.1957° S, 18.4494° E), Robben
Island (33.8076° S, 18.3712° E), as well as the growth of parent-reared chicks that were fostered to the
resident birds of Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) Table View
(Home Pen).

Figure­13.4­ Small downy chick with eyes open.

After 8 days in the human baby incubator, the chicks are transferred to open brooders
(Figure 13.5), with an affixed heat source (175‐W infrared bulb) and a temperature probe. It is
advisable to have protective brooder grid covers to protect chicks from anything falling into the
brooder. There should be sufficient air circulation; penguin chicks require a dry environment, as
high humidity environments may cause respiratory issues.