Week 7
The 7 week old chicks have been spending time in the playpen upstairs with our family and are adjusting and doing well!
The strong sence of security that the chicks aquire from the extended time with their 'bird" parents will be the foundation we build upon when socializing and patterning the babies to be poised and confident human companions.
During the time upstairs with my family, the chicks will become acustomed to all the sights and sounds of normal household activities.
Our major training focus this week is to get the chicks patterned to feel comfortable in the bright light and for them to begin to accept the normal activities in a busy "human" household. We take great care to try and make the transiton as gentle as possible. The babies lived in a dark environment for the first few days out of the nest. As they become more comfortable outside of the nest and patterned to accept me as their "parent" and caregiver, more challenges are gradually introduced. The challenges this past week, more light, more activity, more human contact, more toys. The chicks are beginning to explore their brooder and play with toys. They show all of the natural curiousity of well adjusted and secure babies. We are proud!
The babies are feeding well and growing. Weights are beginning to stabalize instead of increase. Sweetie weighs in at approx. 478 grams, Gloria is about 450 grams and Claude is about 578 grams. Weights will likely increase a bit over the next week or two but not at the same fast rate as in the previous weeks.
Feathers are growing in nicely. There are some patches on the back of the babies' heads and on the top of their backs that are still growing feathers. I believe that the parent birds tend to overpreening as the feathers emerge. Still, it won't be long and these babies will be fully feathered. They will resembe the adult bird they will mature into with the exception of the beautiful dark eyes and the dark scalloping on the ends of the red tail feathers. The dark eyes will gradually begin to lighten and eventually turn to the lovely silver/gold that is characteristic of the adult Congo. The scalloped edge tail feathers will molt out with the first season molt and bright, clear ruby red new tail feathers will grow in their place.
Although the babies will begin to look exactly like adult birds within a few weeks, they will remain juvenile for many years. The slow developing Congo has a very extended juvenile developmental period. These birds are normally not reproductivly mature till over the age of 10. Case in point, the parents of Riley and Einstein (Peaches and George) are a domestically bred pair purchased by me when they were about 8 to 9 years old. We nurtured the pair and lovingly cared for them for 4 years before they successfully produced and raised their first clutch. It was worth the wait, though. The babies they produce are proving to be beautiful, healthy, outstanding companion Congos!
Training and patterning continues with more "grooming" training. Both chicks tolelated their first sink bath with poise. I have trimmed nails for the second time. The babies are enjoying the toys that have been introduced and spend many more "awake" hours playing this week than they d id last week! The brooder is only covered on one corner so the chicks can see the world outside their enclosure.
I have introduced bowls of bright pellets, bowls of chopped fruits and veggies and the water bottle this week. The babies nibble and play with the pellets but it will be several weeks before they eat enough of them to support their nutritional needs.
Babies in the brooder!
L to R, Sweetie, Gloria, Claude
