Great Blue Touraco chick gets a helping hand!
16th February 2016
Paradise Park Keeper Becky Waite is hand-rearing two Great Blue Touraco chicks!
Becky explains “Our females have various issues – one incubates well but doesn’t feed her chicks, others have thrown eggs out of the nest so to give these chicks the best chance, we are hand-rearing them. The second one to hatch didn’t seem to want to leave it’s egg I gave it a bit of a helping hand.
The chicks will first be fed on a special pelleted food made for parrots, softened with a sugar-water solution and will then be moved on to greens such as steamed broccoli at 10 days old, then small cut tropical fruit including banana, blueberries, mango, papaya and figs, are added.
This species which is from the tropical forests of west Africa is at risk from hunting and deforestation.”
Video clip of the baby chick being given a helping hand!