General principles of nutrition for the newly hatched chick.
Nutrition of the newly hatched chick is complex and requires an understanding of the wild-type feeding strategy of the species, the known nutrient requirements of birds, and appropriate application to the species in question. Next, composition of available food items, appropriate physical form, volume and frequency of food items, and desired end results (eg, appropriate fledging weight, ability to successfully find prey items or be socialized for human interactions, etc) need to be considered to provide the highest chance of successful fledging. There are several excellent resources to help guide the practical aspects of rearing chicks (eg, Gage and Duerr), in addition to nutritional resources to guide a better understanding of the fundamentals of avian nutrition (eg, Klasing).
Mazuri Exotic Animal Nutrition, PMI Nutrition International, LLC, 100 Danforth Drive, Gray Summit, MO 63039, USA. Liz.koutsos@mazuri.com
Elizabeth A
EA
Koutsos
D000821:Animal Feed / Q000592:standards*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development*; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D009752:Nutritional Status; D013045:Species Specificity