Page 375 - Hand rearing birds second

Coots, Gallinules, and Rails 367

Once the bird becomes alert and active, live food can be offered in shallow dishes. Birds that are
not alert are at risk for aspirating or lying in their food and becoming dirty. Live food items (such
as tubifex and small mealworms) are helpful in that their movement stimulates the bird to start
pecking and self‐feeding. Because many rails, gallinules, and coots are semi‐precocial, their food
may have to be gently dangled on the tips of hemostats until they are reliably self‐feeding. This
replicates an adult offering food. However, if the bird is not alert or active enough to respond to
food items offered in these ways, the rehydrating process of offering fluids every 20–30 minutes
should be restarted.
Chicks should be housed in a warmed environment until they are reliably self‐feeding. Raising
rail chicks with conspecifics may help encourage eating behaviors, decrease stress, and decrease
the chance of habituation. Rallid chicks can become habituated, so human contact, especially in
the case of coots, should be limited. Disguise human faces and hands when interacting with chicks,
especially when coots are fed by hemostat or offered food.

Common Medical Problems and Solutions

Pododermatitis
Coots, gallinules, and rails are highly susceptible to foot issues such as pododermatitis (bumble-
foot), which is classified as dry, cracked bottoms of feet that may become infected. Monitoring the
feet of birds in care is vital. Foot issues can be treated or minimized by providing proper substrate
and cleanliness throughout care. It is vital to offer access to water and keep pool water clean to
keep feet healthy and free from lesions.

Metabolic Bone Disease

Metabolic bone disease (MBD) may occur in rallid chicks and may manifest as ambulation issues
or rubbery soft bones, so it is important to palpate birds’ bones and monitor their ambulation daily
to detect the presence of this problem. This disease is often caused by a vitamin D deficiency or
insufficient dietary calcium intake. Vitamin D and calcium supplements can be given on a regular
schedule for all young, growing birds, with additional calcium given to chicks with fractures or
skeletal development problems.

Caught by Predator

Chicks often arrive into care because of predator (e.g. cat) capture. In this case – whether or not
there are injuries found – the bird should be started on a prophylactic antibiotic course, such as
amoxicillin with clavulanic acid at 125 mg/kg every 12 hours for at least 5 days or until wounds
have healed (Hawkins et al. 2018).

Head Trauma
Head trauma is another common problem, often seen in older fledglings in the form of neurologic
issues, vision impairment, and/or head wounds. Depending on the severity of the neurologic
issues, birds can often benefit from being put in a quiet environment with food and shelter in order
to recuperate. Offering anti‐inflammatory medications, such as meloxicam at 0.5 mg/kg orally