Congratulations on the hatching of the first chick
You will be able to tell very quickly if the parents are attending or not. 1) You will be able to hear the babies being fed. 2) look at the crop of the baby (pouch in the front) it will be bulged and you will be able to see the food through the skin. If you are letting the parents raise the babies, just leave them in the nest together. The parents will keep them warm. The only time you will need a brooder is if the babies are pulled from the nest because the parents are not feeding, or you decide to hand feed. If you pull the babies they will require feedings thoughout the night. I will suggest you get yourself a small digital kitchen scale. If you have to hand feed the babies, you will want to weigh them every day to make sure they are gaining weight. I weigh mine before the first feeding of the day.How can we tell if the chick is not getting enough food or attention from the Parents? What signs do we look for? Also, when they are in the Brooder, do we place the Parents in the Brooder for feeding or should we be hand feeding by then?
There is no need to remove the shells from the nest. The mother will eat them to replenish her calcium.
There are many opinions regarding formula. Check with your nearest pet store to see what they have readily available. Personally, I am a dedicated Hagen user. I have seen too many recalls from various other companies and Hagen has a large Avicultural Research Institute that tests for many years before providing to the public. Just my personal opinion.
Dragonlady2 (05-23-2018), Lady (05-26-2018)