Feeding and Care of Abandon Babies

[Chubbychickenbones]

I was wondering if my Cordon Bleu's have babies and they toss and abandon any...what should I do?

Do I attempt to hand rear them and what do I need and what do I feed them and where do I get this feeding formula?

[Sally]

Chubbychickenbones You must first decide if you are willing to try hand feeding if your CBs toss their babies. It is not easy, and not for everyone. It is a big commitment of time but very rewarding. If you decide you would want to go this route, you need to have all your supplies ready in advance.

There are several good articles on hand feeding at the top of the Breeding forum, listed as stickies. Check them out, they will tell you what you need to gather up.

[lovezebs]

Chubbychickenbones

Handrearing formula, is available in all Pet Shops.

For these kind of emergencies, you would also need a chick brooder (can be ordered on line).

Now that said, handrearing babies, is a tough job.
Babies need exact temperatures, feeding every two hours around the clock for the first while. Then you need to continue feeding, until they are weaned.

[ac12]

Following up on Sally,

After they hatch, they need feeding every 2 hours.
Let me tell you, that is BRUTAL. Sleeping in 2 hour chunks is NOT good sleep. That will last maybe to day 4.

None of my hatchlings made it past day 4.
I do not wish to foster raise a hatchling again. It is too much work and effort, and the probability of success, for me, is very low.

As they get older, it become easier to feed them, and you can feed them more, to last longer between feedings.

HOWEVER, if they are abandoned after their eyes open, it can be very difficult to get them to take food from you. You don't look like their parents. And it is tough to get them to accept you as their food source. Force feeding is NOT easy, and scary as heck, the first few times.

BTW, you are committed to the chick until they wean, which would be approx 6 weeks after hatching. You HAVE TO feed them on schedule, especially the first 3 weeks.

You NEED a brooder that you can control the temperature of, and a good thermometer.
No brooder = cold chick = dead chick.

An alternative, is to use societies to foster raise them.
This might be tricky as CB's may need a different diet.
And not all societies will foster raise a chick. Some need prep work to get them in the fostering mood, or they won't accept the chick.

gud luk with the decision, and I hope you never have to be a foster parent to a chick.

[Chubbychickenbones]

Sally

Thank you

[Chubbychickenbones]

lovezebs

Thank you how much for a chick brooder usually?

[Chubbychickenbones]

ac12

Thank you for your very detailed account . What do you think prevented your chicks from making past day 4?

[ac12]

ac12

Thank you for your very detailed account . What do you think prevented your chicks from making past day 4?

I have no idea.

All I can do is a list of things that can and might have gone wrong:
- aspiration, liquid/food down the breathing tube vs into the crop
- difficulty in feeding the chick, getting it to eat
- not feeding enough
- feeding too much
- food not at proper temp
- food not diluted enough, IOW too thick and not liquidy enough
- difficulty in keeping the brooder at a constant temp

I know much more now than I did back then. But I still would rather NOT have to be a foster parent to a hatchling, if only for the lack of sleep and what that does to the body.

Go into this with your eyes open, and all the info you need.
Because once you start, you are committed until one of 2 events happen
1 - the chick(s) die.
2 - the chick(s) survive to weaning, and are on their own.

BTW there is a 'stickie' above for brooders. It is worth a read. Because you need to gather all that stuff and have it assembled and ready to go. Some brooders take a LONG time to warm up to the proper temp.