Page 395 - Hand rearing birds second

Cranes 387

Whip ingredients together, adding more water if needed until the diet will pass through a size 14
French red rubber feeding tube (catheter tube). Make the diet thinner for very weak patients.
The diet should be prepared fresh for each feeding in the amount required. Start newly hatched
colts with 5 ml and monitor how fast the crop empties. Increase the quantity fed as the chick suc-
cessfully empties its crop. Feed the amount that fills the crop and can be moved out of the crop in
an hour. If the chick regurgitates or fluid comes up, cut back the quantity given. Continue tube-
feedings until the chick is eating on its own. Offer food items when the chick can stand. The diet
must be warmed to 90 °F (32 °C) when administered but it should not be hot or crop burns will
result. Microwave heating is not recommended due to the uneven heating of the food particles.
Feeding a cold diet may push a fragile patient into shock and result in death.
If the bird has diarrhea or is losing fluid, add extra isotonic electrolytes to replace those lost. In
most cases of simple starvation or emaciation, the kidneys and most organs are functioning at a
low level and plain water is sufficient.
If prepared baby meats are not available, steam pure fresh meat (no fat) until it is fully cooked.
Purée the meat using a blender. The mixture may need blending before each feeding to maintain a
liquid fine enough to pass through a feeding tube.
This is not meant to be an all-inclusive balanced diet. It is used only to get a bird to a place where
it can digest whole or natural food again. Very emaciated birds need the process of “re-feeding,”
which gives them a small amount of simple food to get their digestive system moving and calories
coming in, but does not overload a body that is in a fragile condition. Digestive enzymes or probiot-
ics such as lactobacillus are useful to aid digestion in severely emaciated patients.

­ Expected­Weight­Gain

Sandhill Crane chicks typically grow rapidly from a tiny 6 in. (15 cm) high hatchling to adult height
in 56–64 days. By 3 months they should have attained adult weight, including muscle weight if able
to fly. Weighing the bird frequently carries the risk of habituation and damage to the delicate legs,
hence monitoring each chick’s attitude and appetite is a better indication of progress. The body
weight of North American cranes may also vary considerably by geographic region.

Housing

Young Colts
Housing for a stable colt can be a simple cardboard box approximately 36 × 24 × 30 in.
(90 × 60 × 75 cm) with a securely fixed reflector lamp. The lamp should be in one corner, safely
attached, so it does not come into contact with the chick. One part of the box must be maintained
at 95–99 °F (35–37 °C) for a hatchling. Older colts need less heat, but they require supplemental
heat until they begin to feather out or have regained health. Decrease the temperature in 5 °F
(2–3 °C) increments each week or more rapidly if the youngster shows signs of being too warm,
such as moving to the opposite side of the box.
Substrate for the bottom of the box should provide firm leg placement without slipping (Ellis
et al. 1996). Pea gravel, soil, or towels can be used. Sand can be tried but may cause eye irritation
with possible complications. If sand is used, the colt should be observed carefully for behaviors
such as frequent rubbing of its face or head indicating eye irritation. Do not use wood shavings,