Gang Gang handrearing information from 2004.
We appreciate the visits from the people that log on to our web site,
so in return we provide information on the likes of handrearing and other management
issues collected over the years in an easy to understand format without delving too deeply into it all.
Unfortunally the 2004 season did not give us many Gang Gang chicks but it is always nice
to see some hatch.
The following information is on a chick hatched in the incubator and so started from the egg.
It has been some years since that we have recorded any information on the Gang Gangs
and this species is one of my favourite to handrear.
The Gang's chicks have a whole character of their own and are quite comical.
They are not hard to rear with the right equipment.
As always, prevention is better than cure! With this I mean, if you do not make any mistakes,
then the job is easy?? Before you race off and buy the latest "U - beaut" equipment,
consider these facts: the chick is small in a small container, so do not go and get a
tall brooder as you will not be able to keep the temperature at the right level.
Most of the time it is best to use an incubator as a brooder if you only have
a few eggs or chicks to do.
We recommend the " Brinsea " Poly hatch incubator, which takes 41 chicken eggs to give
you an idea on floor space. If the egg spacers are pulled out, you have enough room for
a container of water and about four take-away containers. This incubator is low - .accurate
and easy to clean. They do need two hinges on the back and a handle up the front which do not
come with the machine. Also, a warning ******** when the chicks are about 15 days old or
older and you are hand rearing the larger type of birds like : Eclectus - Gangs - Blacks - Majors etc they
like to beak and bob on the warming element so when you lift the lid the chick is gone and
is hanging by the beak from the element then falls when you lift the lid.**********
At this stage you can either use a larger brooder or use a spacer between the top of the
incubator and the bottom or use a cardboard box with wood shavings and a heating
pad in an (and I stress) up-right position so the chick can move towards or away from the heat
source as it wants to.
Hand rearing is mostly the same for most species. After hatching
we wait till the chick has passed meconium (done its first dark poo), after that you can start with an electrolyte like
"Hartmans" solutions It is recomended that you dilute the solution by 50% with a good water source.
WARNING: never never use rain water!!
Why?, well rain water comes off your roof where the wild birds go to
the toilet, it then is collected in a tank and is incubated during summer to make a lethal concoction for neonates.
Hydrate about every 2hrs minimum for about 48 hrs., you do not have to feed during the night if you can do
the last feed at around 11 - 12 pm and the next at say 6-7 am , it is better to have a good sleep than
to stay awake or getting up three times during the night for nothing and stressing out the next day.
Hand rearing from the egg is a long job that needs stamina and a plan of attack, the more rest you can get
the better you will be able to cope. You are in for at least 9 weeks work, but the hard work is pretty well
over after the first week.Most of the details you can learn from the weight information table.
The information is based on a Gang Gang cock bird bred in the 2004 breeding season handreared on
50% "Roude bush" + 50% "Lakes". There are many fine handrearing formulas out there and most will do the same
job if not try this.
The chick hatched on the 5-12-04 at 8.15 pm and weight was 10 grams. All weights in grams.
Date Age. Daily weight. Total weight.
Food in mls. Rearing comments.
6-12-04 0
0
10
0.3
Clean hatch fed 50% harpmans 50% water for 48 hrs.
7-12-04 1
2
12
0.4 Chicks hatch with yellow down, punk style!
8-12-04 2
-2
10
0.5 Started with weak food mix of above with Roudebush.
9-12-04 3
2
12
0.8 Feed every 2.5 hrs. from 7 am to 11 pm.
10-12-04 4
2
14
1.0 Humidity 55% - Temp: 36 Celsius
11-12-04 5
4
18
1.5 Make feeds slightly thicker each day.
12-12-04 6
4
22
2.0 Temp: 35 Celsius
13-12-04 7
5
27
4.0
14-12-04 8
4
32
5.0 Temp: 34 Celsius
15-12-04 9
9
41
6.0
16-12-04 10
5
46
7.0 6 Feeds. - Temp: 33 Celsius
17-12-04 11
6
52
8.0 5 Feeds.
18-12-04 12
11
63
10.0 Eyes starting to slit.5 Feeds.
19-12-04 13
12
75
11.0 Pin feathers showing throug skin.5 Feeds.
20-12-04 14
8
83
13.0 4 Feeds. - Temp: 33 Celsius
21-12-04 15
14
97
14.0 4 Feeds.
22-12-04 16
10
107
15.0 4 Feeds. - Temp: 32 Celsius
23-12-04 17
13
120
16.0 4 Feeds.Closed rung.
24-12-04 18
8
128
17.0 Moved from brooder to card board box. 3 Feeds.
25-12-04 19
13
141
18.0 3 Feeds.
26-12-04 20
17
158
19.0 3 Feeds.
27-12-04 21
14
172
20.0 3 Feeds.
28-12-04 22
15
187
23.0 3 Feeds.
29-12-04 23
11
198
25.0 3 Feeds.
30-12-04 24
18
216
30.0 3 Feeds.
31-12-04 25
11
227
35.0 3 Feeds.
01-01-05 26
-6
221
35.0 2 Feeds.
02-01-05 27
11
232
35.0 3 Feeds.
03-01-05 28
18
250
35.0 3 Feeds.
04-01-05 29
15
265
35.0 3 Feeds.
05-01-05 30
-3
262
35.0 2 Feeds.
06-01-05 31
6
268
35.0 2 Feeds.
07-01-05 32
4
272
35.0 2 Feeds.
08-01-05 33
6
278
35.0 2 Feeds.
09-01-05 34
10
288
35.0 2 Feeds.
10-01-05 35
2
290
35.0 2 Feeds.
11-01-05 36
10
300
35.0 2 Feeds.
12-01-05 37
10
310
35.0 2 Feeds.
13-01-05 38
3
313
35.0 2 Feeds.
14-01-05 39
2
315
35.0 2 Feeds.
15-01-05 39
1
316
35.0 2 Feeds.
16-01-05 30
-10
306
35.0 1 Feed per day till weaned, transfered to a weaning cage.
Weaning diet started from here on in plus one feed a day.
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