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This forum is for advice about initial treatment given to your injured/sick bird until a qualified avian veterinarian is available. THIS IS NOT MEANT TO REPLACE VET CARE
I'm also relieved that Momma took over When she feeds the baby-the food will be a stronger consistency and might last longer in the crop.If You can see food in the crop-then all is well
I really hope she takes over feeding. She hasn't so far but I am going to stay up late tonight and see if she does. I will get up and feed if I have to but it is a bit complicated for me to do so.
I have an autistic daughter that hardly sleeps as it is and if I get up to feed the bird after midnight, she will wake up and not go back to sleep till 9pm the next night
Maybe it's already been said, but babies often are not fed for the first few hours. The egg sac provides nutrients that are still being absorbed. Hopefully since the hen is covering the chick to warm it, she will also feed when it calls out and opens its mouth to her.
I wouldnt check on them too often. Give them space. Day old chicks can go a full 12 or more hours without receiving food because of the egg yoke. Give them a few days to hatch their babies. This is a very hard time for them. I know its hard, you'll want to check up on them. But.its very important to give them space
Does the chick look OK? If you don't know what s/he should look like here is some information..
To evaluate its physical condition. Normal, healthy chicks will have yellowish-pink skin with a supple, warm feel. Dehydrated nestlings will be thin and wrinkled, with dry skin that looks red or muddy and feels sticky to the touch. Chicks with white, cool skin are either hypothermic, (abnormally cold) or moribund (close to death). Right after hatching the parents will remove pieces of egg shell and other materials from the chicks. When they are finished, the baby will look clean and fluffy. Empty egg shells from the nestbox should be removed as soon as possible after hatching to prevent bacteria from growing. Parents may wait 6-8 hours until the baby is dry before giving them their first feeding. Nutrition is already being provided by the yolk sac which was absorbed prior to hatching. Dehydration is the most serious complication right after hatching. If the baby is dehydrated, administer 1 drop of warm Pedialyte and do not repeat unless you can see the fluid pass through chick's crop and the chick has passed 1 dropping. Some breeders will routinely give all babies 1 drop of warm Pedialyte or sterile water (boiled 10 minutes then cooled) when they first hatch to help prevent dehydration. If a normal dropping is passed, one drop is administered every hour. Hand feeding newly hatched chicks with formula during this period should be avoided because the crop is so tiny. As the baby starts to grow and begins to consume more food, the crop will stretch out gradually by itself.
Prior to hatching the chick will absorb the yolk sac in the egg into it's body. This is the chicks main source of nutrients for the first 12 hours of life. The parents will only give the chick a drop or two of fluids during this time. The chick does not have to be fed. It sounds like the pair knew what to do.