Page 555 - Hand rearing birds second

Hornbills, Kingfishers, Hoopoes, and Bee-eaters 555

Observations about feeding responses, feces, skin, and feather condition are recorded as changes
occur. Any changes that are outside the normal range are addressed as either developmental or
medical abnormalities. Developmental abnormalities can occur as a result of improper nutrition,
improper quantities fed, or improper feeding techniques.
All of the species discussed in this chapter have been observed casting a pellet of indigestible
materials (insect chitin or rodent fur) with the exceptions of the Common Hoopoe, which excretes
this material, and the frugivorous hornbills that are not fed as many of the prey items as the more
insectivorous or carnivorous species. In the mid‐1980s, when not many of this group of birds had
been hand‐reared, there were occasions when a chick’s lack of feeding response may have been
misdiagnosed as a medical issue as opposed to the normal pause some chicks need prior to casting
a pellet.
Intestinal impactions associated with feeding too much chitin or fur were problems with the
ground hornbills when first reared in the mid‐1980s. As ground hornbills also became impacted on
sand, it was determined that their rearing enclosures had to be free of foreign objects that were
small enough to swallow. In general, it is safer to rear chicks in relatively bare enclosures until they
are old enough to be moved in with cohorts that may distract them from picking at everything
around them or until they are big enough for some foreign objects to pass harmlessly through their
digestive systems.
White‐fronted Bee‐eaters’ first primaries were shorter than normal, but they grew in normal
length after their first molt. At least one parent‐reared chick was also observed to have abnormal
tail feathers. Speculation centered around a possible nutritional imbalance, but no cause was
determined.
Star‐gazing was observed in one Northern Ground Hornbill and one Guam Kingfisher at day 11
and day 8, respectively. Both birds received injections of B‐complex vitamins, and the hornbill’s
condition improved within 5 days. The kingfisher did not improve for 30 days with repeated injec-
tions. It was not until the chick was placed in a plastic cup with a screen lid shut, holding the head
in the normal position, that it did improve; and it was completely normal 5 days later.

Diet Recipes

Most of the species discussed are insectivorous or carnivorous species, with the exception of
some of the hornbills that tend to be more frugivorous. Regardless of the adult requirements,
all chicks need protein to grow and develop normally. The most readily available commercial
sources of protein are mice, insects, soaked cat or dog pet food, and supplemented meat prod-
ucts. Well‐hydrated, plump, and juicy naked neonate mice are a source of protein that is efficient
to use for many of these species. Many insects have considerable amounts of indigestible chitin
that can cause impactions in the digestive tracts of avian neonates. By using 3‐week‐old crickets,
white molted mealworms, and waxworms during the first 7–10 days impactions may be avoided.
Ground meat products supplemented with vitamins and minerals are available as another
source of protein.
Converting an avian neonate from an easily digestible diet to an adult diet is done with a series
of transitions. For species such as the ground hornbills and kookaburras, which have adult mice
in their adult diets, juvenile mice from approximately 7–10 days provide a small amount of fur for
these gradual changes. Removing the head, legs, and wings of crickets may be used as a transi-
tional step from the soft‐bodied 3‐week‐old crickets prior to adding adult crickets with chitin to
the diet.