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Shearwaters and Petrels 245

Figure 14.4 Feeding a Wedge-tailed Shearwater chick with a shortened gavage tube.

Figure 14.5 Feeding an older Wedge-tailed Shearwater with a full-length tube without restraint. Note the
sand tray with plastic burrow.

are received at a later stage may always fight the feeding but willingly take the food once the tube
is in place. As chicks mature, they may take the tubing with no restraint (Figure 14.5).
At SOS, chicks are fed twice daily until they are about 6 weeks of age and then the frequency is
dropped to once daily. They still receive about the same amount as when they are fed twice a day
(seabird stomachs are able to handle a good size bolus of fish). At once daily, the amount is roughly
15–20% of their body weight (150–200 ml/kg). A chick that needs to “catch up” should be introduced