Page 553 - Hand rearing birds second

Hornbills, Kingfishers, Hoopoes, and Bee-eaters 553

Table 36.3 Guam Kingfisher (GKF) egg weight loss sample.

Date of 1st Date of GKF @20 Day I % GKF @23 Day I %
Egg # Actual I Wt. 2nd Wt. D S E I1 I2 Wt. Loss Wt. Loss

5 20 27‐Jun‐95 16‐Jul‐95 19 7.89 7.00 20 23 12% 14%
6 21 20‐Dec‐97 6‐Jan‐98 17 7.98 7.23 20 23 11% 13%
231 21 9‐Apr‐98 17‐Apr‐98 8 7.58 7.25 20 23 11% 13%
197 21 28‐Apr‐99 30‐Apr‐99 2 7.10 7.03 20 23 10% 11%
222 21 24‐Apr‐00 30‐Apr‐00 6 6.08 5.88 20 23 11% 13%
209 23 19‐Mar‐04 5‐Apr‐04 17 7.81 7.14 20 23 10% 12%
S = set weight; E = current or end weight; D = # days artificially incubated; I = incubation period, I1 = low
incubation period; I2 = high incubation period.

the parents after 5 days of parental incubation, the egg weighs 26 g, the incubation period is 30 days,
and after 7 days of artificial incubation the egg weighs 25 g, the formula would look like this:

26 25 30
7 16 5 .%
26

and the egg weight loss would be 16.5%. This would be within normal limits if this were a chicken
egg. However, if this is a species such as the White‐fronted Bee‐eater, and all of the successfully
hand‐reared chicks had hatched artificially from eggs with weight losses averaging 11.2%, the deci-
sion would be made to increase the humidity in the incubator in an attempt to slow the rate of
weight loss of the egg (Table 36.3).
Another method is to use the following formula:

F P 100
F

where F = fresh weight and P = pip weight. This can be used at any time during incubation, even
if the fresh weight was not obtained and prior to pip, if these values are extrapolated mathemati-
cally. The actual egg weights can be plotted on a graph along with these extrapolated values. It is
then possible to determine whether the weights are in the expected range (Figure 36.2).
The percent weight loss is 10–14% in the kingfisher’s, bee‐eater’s, roller’s, and hornbill’s eggs that
have been artificially incubated. Some of these eggs were collected as freshly laid and artificially
incubated for the entire incubation period; others were collected after varying amounts of parental
incubation. Eggs were transferred to hatchers approximately 3 days prior to hatching, where the
temperatures were lowered by 0.5–1 °F and the humidity settings were raised to 63–73% RH.
There are routine sanitation protocols that apply to incubators and hatchers to help ensure that
chicks hatch with minimum exposure to bacterial or viral contamination. Once a year, the incuba-
tion and hatching rooms are disinfected with a liquid disinfectant (Sani‐cide 94 Maintex) from floor
to ceiling, including all incubators, hatchers, and related equipment. On a weekly basis, the outside
of all machines is wiped down with a liquid disinfectant and a UV sterilizer (Hanovia Inc.) is used