Page 450 - Hand rearing birds second

444 Hand-Rearing Birds

bowed. In early stages, an improved Ca : P in the diet and correction of nests and substrates may
help. If the legs are flexible enough to be positioned correctly, they can be hobbled. Use a strap of
Micropore paper tape (3M) attaching the tarsometatarsi (between the hock and the foot) to con-
nect the legs and bring them into a normal standing position. Continue hobbles as long as needed,
which is usually 1–2 weeks once the substrate and dietary deficiencies are corrected. Severe cases
may require euthanasia.

Curled Toes

A curled foot or toe may be caused by an injury to the leg or foot, as well as nutritional deficiencies.
A “snowshoe” splint is often successful in guiding the foot/toes into the anatomically correct posi-
tion as the chick matures. This can be made from plastic or thin foam cut in the form of a diamond
shape, approximating normal foot shape. Use a glue‐stick to attach soft padding, like nonadherent
gauze dressing, to the shoe splint to pad and protect the underside of the foot, then tape the splint
onto the foot, making sure the digits are in a normal position. Leave in place for 5–7 days, then
remove the splint to check the positioning. If the digits still curl into a ball, then replace for another
week. Do not use cardboard for the splint, which tends to get wet and bend, providing poor support
for the foot. If only the first digit (the hallux) is reflected under the foot, then tape it to the tarso-
metatarsus in a normal position. Check positioning in 5–7 days after removing the tape. Monitor
that the hallux doesn’t become swollen.

Constriction Injuries

Occasionally, human hair or fishing line gets into nesting material, which can wrap around a nest-
ling’s foot or leg causing deep wounds and ischemic necrosis. Remove the entire strand, being
careful not to leave any fibers embedded in the wound. A jeweler’s loop or other magnification may
be helpful. Clean and dress the wound with a hydrocolloid dressing until healed. Clean away all
necrotic debris initially, then again at each bandage change, which should be done every 2–3 days
until healed. While the wound is open, keep the bird on a broad‐spectrum antibiotic. Use meloxi-
cam to control pain and inflammation. Necrosis due to restriction of blood flow may worsen for a
while even after the fibers are removed. This can lead to loss of toes or deep necrosis of the foot. At
each handling, assess prospects for survival, especially if the bird is intended for wild release.
Euthanize if the prognosis for normal use of the foot becomes poor.

Diet or Hand-feeding Recipes

There are several diets successfully used for neonate columbids, too many to cover in a single chap-
ter. Of these, some are more conducive to good health and growth than others. Included here are
two diets that have proven effective for the authors. The underlying principle is to mimic the natu-
ral diet as much as possible. For the first 2–3 days of life, columbids are fed crop milk, which is
largely composed of partially‐digested proteins and fat. At about day 3 or 4, small amounts of
regurgitated seed are added to the milk. Crop milk production begins to drop off at about day 12
and regurgitated seed is fed throughout the balance of the fledging period (Vandeputte‐Poma
1980). To approximate this shifting ratio of foods in wild chicks, the general idea is to feed two diets
and shift their relative proportions over time. One diet approximates crop milk and one is similar
to regurgitated adult diet.