Superb Parrot - Nswfmpa.org

Animal Care Studies - Western Sydney Institute of TAFE, Richmond11.2 Incubation Temperatures and HumidityThe normal incubator operating temperature for parrot eggs is 37.2°C, althoughtemperatures of 0.2°C higher or lower than 37.2°C have also been successful. A relativehumidity of 55% is advisable which is equivalent to a wet bulb thermometer reading of29°C to 31.2°C. (Digney 1998) (Sindel and Gill 2003)11.3 Desired % Egg Mass LossThe theoretically accepted ideal weight loss for eggs is 16% during an entire incubationperiod. This is calculated by dividing the initial weight of the fresh egg by 6.25 toestablish the preferred 16% overall weight loss, which then should be divided by thenumber of days in the normal incubation period for the particular species, to ascertain theideal weight loss per day. (Sindel and Gill 2003)11.4 Hatching Temperature and HumidityThere is no specific information relating to hatching temperature for P. swainsonii eggs.It is suggested that an incubator should be maintained at the incubation temperature of37.2°C, although not lower than 36.9°C. Ideally, three days prior to the eggs hatching thehumidity of an incubator should be increased to 75% or 33.3°C on a wet bulbthermometer. However, 60% humidity has been successful when used for mixed speciesegg incubation and hatching. (Digney 1998) (Sindel and Gill 2003)11.5 Normal Pip to Hatch IntervalNo information available specific to P. swainsonii. Generally the first signs of externalpip should appear within 24-48 hours after internal pip or collapse of the air cell.Occasionally it can be as soon as 12 hours after internal pip. Between 24-72 hours afterexternal pip the chick should be completely hatched. (Digney 1998)11.6 Brooder Types/DesignNo information is available on brooder types specifically for P. swainsonii but anybrooder should be designed to ensure that the chicks have no contact with the heat andhumidity sources. Generally the design of brooders can vary from the manufactured tothe homemade types (refer Figure 33) but the selection of the brooder type is dependenton the cost, usage and value of the species to be hand reared. Fan forced brooders thathave been indicated as being popular and suitable for smaller parrot chicks include theLyons TM Intensive Care Brooder, the WAPE TM Parrot Brooder, the AB TM NewlifeBrooder and the Brinsea TM Octagon 20 Parrot Rearing Module. (Digney 1998) (Low2004)Keith Naylor 28/3/2005 Version 3 67