Page 313 - Hand rearing birds second

302 Hand-Rearing Birds

Figure­18.6­ Animal Intensive Care Unit (AICU) set up for chick.

several days to ensure temperature stability before the chick hatches. Adjust the AICU down by a
degree each day and as indicated by the chick’s behavior.
When access to an AICU is limited, a 60-quart (57-l) polypropylene container with a heat lamp
can function as a brooder. Attach a heat lamp to a stable and fixed location. Secure the heat lamp
so that cords are not touching the lamp. Do not direct the lamp closer than 3 ft. (0.9 m) to chicks
or other surfaces so that chicks are not burned or overheated. Monitor the temperature at the
level of the chicks to guide placement of the heat source. Stabilize the temperature in a brooder
for at least several hours before putting a chick into an area with a newly installed heat lamp.
Gradually reduce the heat supplemented to the brooder each day by moving the heat source away
from the chick.
Place the chick in a small plastic tissue-lined bowl at hatch. Cover the chick with a small, tented
piece of material to simulate parental brooding for the first few days. On day 2, line the bowl with
tissue and place natural excelsior (wood shavings) or a piece of Nomad™ matting (3M) cut to fit in
the bottom of the bowl over the tissue. By day 3, small sticks replace the mat in the bottom of the
basket. Ibis are open nesters. Use pliable, nontoxic branches to create an artificial nest by bending
and weaving branches into a circle. Provide small diameter branches so that the chick is able to
grasp onto the nest. It is important to wedge the branches into the nest so that they do not roll. Do
not remove all of the leaves from the branches to fill the gaps in the branches. Change and clean
the nest bowl at every feeding. Continue to use twigs as the chick develops; graduate to larger
sticks to increase the perching diameter (Figure 18.7). These grabbable substrates allow for proper
toe and foot development. Supply a nest until the chick begins walking around the brooder. Line
the brooder with bar mat or shelf liner atop a clean towel free of holes or frays. Ibis chicks are easily
tangled in loose threads; thus, it is important to check towels daily.
Clutchmates or chicks of similar size can be housed together. Chicks are not usually aggressive and
will stimulate each other to eat independently as they mature. Monitor the environment and feces care-
fully. Excessive vocalizations or movement may be an indication of a chick in distress. Monitor and
maintain stable brooder temperatures. Feather dusters may pose a risk of entanglement when used as
a “brooder buddy,” stuffed animals may provide safer companionship when housing solitary chicks.