[atvchick95]

Here are the items you will need in case the parents do not take care of their babies and you'll have to hand feed them and raise them.

1st you take a towel and lay it down on a flat surface - Such as a table

2nd You lay the heating Pad on top of the towel

3rd You lay another towel over top of the heating pad

4th you get a thermometer to Put in with the babies to make sure they are kept at the proper temperature for their age

Then you put the cage on top of the Heating pad that you set up a moment ago and Cover it partially with a towel to help keep the heat in and also helps the babies from being scared

You can use clips like this to keep the towel attached

Then you cover the rest of the cage with another towel for when your not feeding or the babies are sleeping

Now on to what you will need to correctly hand feed the babies

Hand Feeding formula, Syrings, Measure spoons, a bowl to mix the formula in , a thermometer to make sure the formula is not too hot or too cold, Paper towels to wipe them up , and a scale to keep a daily check on their weight to make sure they're gaining the proper weight

Also Make sure one syringe per chick to avoid other chicks getting sick in case one of the others have something wrong that you don't know about

I also wanted to Thank Allen for providing the pictures for this thread, along with the idea to make one we hope this helps any new comer with any questions they might have on how to raise babies when the parents don't do their job properly.

 

[sweetrsue]

a small dish like a margarine tub works fine. If it's in the brooder with the babies with a heating pad under it plenty of evaporation occurs. You don't need to keep it in there once you lower the temp as they start getting feathers. I use a kritter keeper which is a plastic habitat with a vented lid I do keep a towel on top of it to help hold the heat and moisture in much easier than in a cage.

It has a big window in the top

The lid is standing on it's side

It also has a divider if you have little guys

 

[srtiels]

I have used cardboard boxes, plastic tubs and pullout drawers for babies. When using a heating pad place it at an L angle...meaning 1/2 up the side, and 1/2 under the container. This way the babies can get away from the heat source if needed. Be observant when using glass or enclosed plastic containers that they do not sweat or create moisture on the inside walls. This can contribute to respiratory problems from the excess humidity.

When feeding several babies you can keep the formula warm by placing the cup in a warm bowl of water.

 

[mwag]

These are great ideas. I used the heating pad up until a few months ago and decided to buy the aviquarium top. It has been awesome. I worry less about the babies now that I have it. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good brooder at a reasonable price. This is mine..

 

[srtiels]

Please...please...take care with heating pads. A baby can get crop burn from them. Especially if they lie down , with a full crop and are in one area too long. I have had that happen. With crop butn you don't know it has happened until several days later. Any heating pad should have plenty of bedding or padding, a couple of inches, between it and the babies. In RARE instances a baby can get a tiny piece of Carefresh in it's mouth, and it can block the airway and die in seconds.

 

[srtiels]

When you pull the babies you might want to keep track of your handfeeding progress.

Here is a chart to use when handfeeding (click on the pix for a larger view) When you have the large view you can right click on it and print it out.