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Appendix B

Energy Requirements for Growing Birds

B.1 General Information

See Tables B.1 and B.2 for energy requirements of growing birds. Sick and injured young birds have
extremely high energy requirements but may have a reduced capacity to metabolize food. In such
cases, growth may be delayed while healing occurs. Caregivers should provide the chick with as
much high‐quality diet as it is able to digest. Energy needs change daily in rapidly growing chicks.

B.2 Calculations

Passerine Bird Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) = body weight in kgs 0.75 × 129
●
Nonpasserine Bird Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) = body weight in kgs 0.75 × 78
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Maintenance Energy Requirement (MER) in kcal/day = BMR × 1.5
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Adjustment for Growth = MER × 1.5–3.0
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Adjustment for Sepsis = MER × 1.2–1.5
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Adjustment for Mild Injury = MER × 1.0–1.2
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Adjustment for Severe Injury = MER × 1.1–2.0
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Source: Carpenter, J.W. (ed.) (2005). Exotic Animal Formulary, 3e, 559 pp. St. Louis: Elsevier
Saunders.

Hand-Rearing Birds, Second Edition. Edited by Rebecca S. Duerr and Laurie J. Gage.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.