Page 536 - Hand rearing birds second

534 Hand-Rearing Birds

flyers, to hover as they feed, to feed from a variety of sources, and to catch insects. Their housing
should be enlarged as they learn and become skilled, resulting in release from a final large outdoor
aviary.
If two or more fledglings are housed together, they will sit shoulder to shoulder at night. As they
age, become more successful at foraging, and experience their hormones beginning to flow, males
may become more antagonistic toward other residents of the enclosure. Sufficient syringes of food
should be placed to ensure adequate intake by all birds.

Weaning

At about 19–20 days, the birds can be trained to self‐feed. In order to persuade them to drink the
food, sugar must be added. At this stage, the birds can be offered the Vivonex Plus/sugar formula
or whatever has been found to be palatable to the birds. Since it will only be a few days before the
birds will be catching flies, supplying adequate protein may not be a critical factor to their health.
Hummingbirds are not as difficult to wean to self‐feeding as many other species. They will, in
fact, self‐feed from the nest. However, they need to be given adequate time to learn to catch insects
efficiently, and to bathe and perform other independent behaviors. Acquiring these skills comes
readily and is rarely a concern for caregivers.
When the birds are in an outdoor aviary, presentation of an adequate number of insects to forage
can be challenging. The most reliable technique is to contain a healthy fruit fly culture in a jar, with
the mouth of the jar covered with fiberglass netting. This will allow the flies to move in and out of
the jar without risking the bird falling in. A collection of decaying fruit covered with hardware
cloth can also be placed in the enclosure to attract other insects, such that the birds can approach
and perch on dry, nonsticky surfaces and haze the flies attracted to the food into the air. One option
is to use a handful of raffia sticking out of the fruit fly culture for the flies to sit on and be hazed
from (Christy Brant, pers. comm.). It is important to anticipate and prevent ways that the birds can
get into trouble by getting caught in crevices or cobwebs, or covered with sugar water or fruit juice.
A small, very shallow pan of water or a small fountain of cascading water over rocks should be
made available for bathing. Misting may be time consuming but useful. Water for drinking should
also be available in hanging tubes or feeders. The pre‐release enclosure of the author is made
predator‐proof with 0.5 × 0.5 in. (1 × 1 cm) hardware cloth through which a 3 ml syringe hangs very
nicely. This makes it easy to place syringes of water and Vivonex Plus/sugar solution in a variety of
changing locations from which the birds will feed ad lib. It is wise to place some Vivonex Plus/
sugar solution within reach of a perch so that birds which, for any reason, have difficulty hovering
can reach nutritious food. The skill of the birds can be assessed by whether these tubes empty more
rapidly than those that require hovering or whether one hears calls (peeps) from the birds.
Nectar‐containing (one part sugar to four parts water) feeders of various designs, such as those
that the birds reach down into (satellite) and those that offer a tubelike delivery, should be offered
to optimize the birds’ chances for success after release.
If the birds make any “peep” calls, check to see that all the food is available and fresh and that
the bathwater is clean. Any bird that peeps is not ready for release, and the reason for its distress
should be addressed. Flighted birds should not be frequently weighed, as this causes them stress.
Their health and condition can be assessed by their flying and feeding behavior. If birds are found
in torpor during the day or having difficulty awakening in the morning, they should be removed to
a smaller, more intensive care enclosure, with food and water available to them as they perch, and
monitored carefully.