Cam was to go online yesterday then I found out the first of their eggs hatched 3 days earlier than I was expecting. Then as I was checking on the time the chick actually hatched, I realized it hadn't been fed yet. So I kept an eye on the chick and then coming up on the 6 hour mark, I was consulting with Lisa at Prairie Wildlife Rehab on possible next steps ... and suddenly off popped Hazel and in came food. First time parents that they are and given some of the problems we've had with other parents, so I made the executive decision to hold off going live until I was able to watch Hazel and Pandemic a bit more. They seem very good parents during incubation - the fact that their chick hatched out earlier than expected is a good indicator of that. But when the chicks hatch its different and they have to learn fast or they can lose their chicks. Four of Spencer's eight chicks died because she didn't understand she needed to feed from the start and that was with Hart who was a more than experienced male. It may even be that Spencer lost up to 4 nests before she paired up with Hart.
Here is the current timeline ...
June 21
- 1436h - chick hatched
- 1846h - chick begging for food
- 1915h - meal 1
- 2355h - meal 2
June 22
- 0550h - meal 3
- 0750h - meal 4
- 1437h - meal 5
Hazel is doing all the feeding, Pandemic is hunting for her. Pandemic has gotten to brood almost right from the start which is something Princess wouldn't have done - nor Ella in the first couple of days. Different birds, different pairs, different rules.
