Blue-crowned Laughingthrush Dryonastes courtoisi Artificial Incubation and Hand Rearing Protocol At Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire, UK

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1 Blue-crowned Laughingthrush Dryonastes courtoisi Artificial Incubation and Hand Rearing Protocol At Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire, UK Andrew Owen & Ian Edmans Incubation Blue-crowned Laughingthrush eggs have been successfully incubated and hatched when they have been partially incubated by the parent birds and also when set in the incubator as fresh un-incubated eggs. Eggs are incubated at a temperature of 37.8 ºC and at approximately 50% Relative humidity (R.H). Eggs are turned hourly until they internally pip, when turning is stopped. At this time Humidity is increased. Chicks usually take 6-8 hours to hatch after internally pipping. Hand Rearing Chicks are place in a small ceramic bowl lined with kitchen roll and a nest of coconut fibre to ensure healthy foot development and to prevent splayed legs. This is placed in a darkened brooder at a temperature of 36. 5ºC approximately one degree lower than the temperature eggs are incubated at. The brooder temperature is reduced by approximately ½ ºC daily throughout the rearing period. To some degree this is determined by experience and the appearance of the nestlings, if they are too hot they will separate from each other, breath with their mouths open and often fidget uncomfortably. If they are too cool, they huddle together and are very lethargic and feel cold to the touch. Chicks will usually beg for food soon after hatching, but do not receive a feed until 6-12 hours later.

2 Chicks are given a tiny drop, 0.02ml of Electrolytes and a paediatric probiotic (AviPro Plus) mixture, approximately two hours after hatching, if the hatch time is known. This is given using a 0.3ml insulin syringe. This mixture is given to keep the chicks well hydrated and is offered at 2 hourly intervals until they are given their first feed. After 6-12 hours chicks receive their first feed 50% pinkie mice 50% ripe papaya mixed to a very runny consistency to which a small drop of the electerolyte / probiotic is added, a tiny amount is offered on the tip of tweezers. For the first day chicks are fed small amounts of this mixture (3-4 tiny amounts on one tip of tweezers) at 1½ hourly intervals. When the chicks are very young their heads must be supported during feeding to prevent aspiration of the food. From day 2 5 chicks are fed every 2 hours (first feed at 0600 last feed at 2200), increasing the amount of food offered as the chicks grow. Pro-biotics are not offered after day 3. A small pinch of Nutrobal multi-vitamin powder is added to every second batch of Pinkie/Papaya mix that is made up. Healthy chicks produce well-formed faecal sacs, which can be removed without soiling the nest. From day 6 until fledging chicks are fed every 2½ hours still using the 50:50 Pinkie/Papaya mix, although this is chopped to a more course consistency. From day 8 start to add some insects to the diet in the form of small crickets, white mealworms and small home produced wax moth larvae. Large commercially bought wax moth larvae are not fed to small hand-reared chicks. Insects form approximately 30% of the diet with the remaining 70% made up of the Pinkie/Papaya mix. Fledging takes place at days old when chicks begin to venture out of nest bowl. They are moved to a small weaning cage and provided with a number of perches at different levels. Insects form approximately 70% of the diet with the

3 remaining 30% made up from small pieces of diced fruit and soaked Low Iron softbill pellets. At this stage of development Pinkie mice are removed from the diet. Tweezer feeds are reduced to every 3 hours, fed 6 times a day. After one or two days in the fledging cage chicks are offered several dishes of the adult diet including a softbill mix with a variety of diced fruit and live insects which help to stimulate the chicks to feed themselves. Over the next few days tweezer feeds are reduced to encourage self-feeding. Chicks are normally feeding themselves between days old, at this time they are moved to a larger cage. Growth chart for 3 Blue-crowned Laughingthrusheshand reared from the egg at Waddesdon Manor Weight in Grams Chick 1 Chick 2 Chick Age

4 Chick descriptive notes Day 1 Chick naked, pink in colour. Day 3 Pinkish skin. Dark pin feathers emerging under skin on back, flanks, nape and wings. Legs and feet pinkishgrey. Toe nails white. Bill pinkish-yellow with two black marks at tip. Yellowish-orange gape flanges. Inside of mouth reddish-pink. Day 4 Dark pins erupting on back and wings. Naked pink skin darkening. Day 5 Pins emerging on top of head. Bill darkening. Black mask visible under skin around eyes. Day 6 Eyes opening. Two black dots on back of tongue.

5 Day 8 Feathers erupting, dark on head, crown and nape. Soft sandy-brown on back and upper wing coverts. Primaries darker brown. Breast pale greyish-buff. Belly and underside creamy-white. Face and throat naked pink skin. Legs and feet turning blue-ish- grey. Toe nails white. Day 9 Tail emerging. Dark central pins, white outer pin feathers. Day 10 Blue-ish tinge on dark blackish crown feathers. Tail feathers erupting. Day 12 Breast and flanks pale greyish-buff, lower breast and underside pale creamy-white. Dark brown flight feathers edged greyish. Pale powder blue feathers on forehead emerging. Area around eyes, face, chin and neck remains naked. Day 14 Day 17 Whitish throat, breast greyish-buff, merging to creamy-white underside. Yellow orbital ring starting to appear. Head, crown and nape blackish tinged blue-ish. Black facial mask attained over following 3 weeks. During which time tail grows to full length.

6 Day 23 Juvenile plumage. As adult apart from naked yellow orbital ring and yellowish gape line along edge of lower mandible. Chin black A white line of feathers below black chin, merging into bright lemon yellow throat. Greyish-buff breast band washed with yellow. Tail dark greyish brown, darker at tip, vent and under tail coverts white. Eyes softer brown colour than the reddish brown of the adults. Attains full adult plumage (loses yellow gape and orbital ring) after 5-6 months.