Page 374 - Hand rearing birds second

366 Hand-Rearing Birds

made about hydration, bone growth, feather condition, and enclosure. Until the chick is reliably
self‐feeding, a quick (no longer than a few minutes) but thorough physical exam should be com-
pleted daily to monitor growth and check for any medical issues.
It is also important to note behaviors, vocalizations, and ambulation to ensure the bird is grow-
ing at a normal pace and showing signs of normal behavior. Temporary banding of patients is ideal
when multiples of the same species are in care; this ensures individual birds are tracked, and key
behavioral and physiological changes are monitored. Temporary leg bands should also be checked
regularly to ensure they do not become tight as the chick grows. Electronic or paper records should
be kept in a well‐organized location where all caregivers can easily access them and record notes.
When working with an unfamiliar species, photographic documentation of milestones is useful for
informing future care.

Initial Care and Stabilization

Special Considerations
Coots, gallinules, and rails are secretive and easily stressed, so contact with humans should be kept
to a minimum. Whenever possible, these birds, especially rails and gallinules, should be housed in
a very quiet, calm environment, since an increased stress level can inhibit growth, reduce feeding,
and slow the healing process. A stressed bird that is struggling to hide from view or to avoid cap-
ture can easily injure itself. A video baby monitor mounted within an enclosure can limit the
number of entries needed and allow easy observation. In addition to being easily stressed, these
birds are incredibly fast, so care should be taken during handling – for instance, covering a bird’s
head and body with a cloth to help reduce visual stress and the risk of escape or injury. Use a non‐
looped fabric, such as a pillowcase, during handling to avoid catching these birds’ long toes and
nails. In addition, flighted coots, gallinules, and rails are talented escape artists, so housing needs
to be specially prepared to limit escapes.
As with all baby birds, treatment should begin with heat, fluids, and feeding, in that order.
Chicks should be warmed before they are given fluids, and fluids should be given until they
are hydrated and pass normal droppings. All new patients should be given at least 15–20 min-
utes to rest in a warm, dark, quiet location before being examined. This allows the bird time to
de‐stress and normalize. Immediately on arrival, chicks should be placed in an incubator at
92–99 °F (33.3–37.2 °C) and left to rest and get warm. A heating pad or other removable heat -
ing element can be added temporarily for critically cold chicks until they become warm and
active. The initial rest period also allows time for the examiner to gather supplies for the exam
and to set up an appropriate enclosure into which the bird can be moved following the exam.
Very small chicks that are not yet self‐feeding can be offered fluids by drawing a warmed drop -
let of rehydration solution (such as lactated Ringer’s solution or other isotonic electrolyte
solution) along the side of the closed bill. If the droplet does not wick in or if the bird is not
seen to swallow, the bill can be very gently turned up so that gravity encourages the solution
inward. Chicks should be offered as much as they will drink, one drop at a time. The offering
of fluids should be repeated every 30 minutes, alternating between the rehydration solution
and a 50% dextrose solution, until the bird becomes active. The purpose of the dextrose
solution is to raise the bird’s blood glucose level so that the bird will become active, alert, and
hungry. The best starting point for housing for young chicks is a 90–100 °F (32.2–37.8 °C)
incubator with 70–80% humidity.