Page 720 - Hand rearing birds second

722 Hand-Rearing Birds

Table 46.1 Example diet for young towhees by stage of development.

Stage Diet and Feeding Intervals Notes a

Hatchling Hand‐feed bloodworm At hatching (naked): Weight 9–11g c
b
(day 1–4) hatchling diet every Day 2: Downy
30 minutes for at least 12 hours Day 2–3: Raises head and gapes in response to nest
a day vibration.
Day 3–4: Pinfeathers only; no tail growth. Should
produce well‐formed fecal sacs.
d
Nestling Hand‐feed mealworms and Day 5: Eyes begin to open; mean weight 17 g ± 5.5 SD. e
(day 5–10) FoNS every 30 minutes for Day 6–8: Feathers begin to emerge from pins.
12+ hours a day Day 7: Mean weight 29 g ± 3.3 SD. e
Day 8: Cowers rather than begs when approached;
will jump from nest if disturbed.
Day 8–10: Begins hopping.
Pre‐Fledge Hand‐feed mostly mealworms f “Tail starter” phase (2 cm long); often become
(day 10–13) and FoNS; offer seed mixture, reluctant gapers at this stage; very active; needs space,
fruit, and hard‐boiled egg. greenery, places to perch, leaf litter, and dirt tray.
Feeding intervals progress from
30 to 45 minutes (still spanning
12+ hours a day)
Fledgling Diet same as for pre‐fledge. Weight 35–45 g; tail growth average of 5 mm/day;
(day 14 to Hand‐feeding intervals At beginning of this stage, should gain 2–3 g per day;
2 months) gradually progress from Weaning may begin once they attain a weight of
45 minutes to 1 hour to 2 hours 40 g+ and tail length of 5–6 cm ; in the wild, young
c
(for 12+ hours a day) until begin foraging for themselves at 3–4 weeks.
weaning
Pre‐release conditioning may begin by 4–6 weeks of
age; should weigh around 50 g at release with a fully‐
grown tail 10.5–11.5 cm; for Spotted Towhee: 40 g with
tail 9–10.5 cm. c
a Refers to a development of a California Towhee unless otherwise noted; information for Spotted Towhees is more limited.
b Bowers, V. See Chapters 43 and 44 for hatchling diet and insect supplementation instructions.
c Kasper (1998).
d Cutting the worms in half is often helpful for towhees.
e Benedict et al. (2011).
f It may be helpful to dip a mealworm (or half a mealworm) in water and then in seed or egg before offering it to the
towhee.

broad dirt tray with leaf litter. As they get older, mealworms are scattered among the dirt and
leaf litter to encourage practice of the “towhee two‐step.” When placing their food, think about
where towhees in the wild would find seed and insects (most likely on the ground) and fruit
(NOT on the ground).

Feeding Procedures

Patience is Needed
California Towhees are generally good gapers until pre‐fledge stage. At 2 to 3 days old, hatchlings
will raise their heads and gape in response to nest vibrations or even changes in lighting over the
nest, such as when a parent returns to the nest.