(Nestor notabilis) Husbandry Manual - Kea Conservation Trust

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Incubation takes approximately 3- 4 weeks (23-28 days) (Woolcock, 2000; Fijn,
2003) and during this time the female is provisioned by the male. Once the chicks
have hatched out the male will continue to provision the female who will
regurgitate the food to the chicks. The male will not directly feed the chicks until
they venture outside the nest.
4.7.3 Requirements and development of young
Kea chicks are dependent on their parents for an extended period of time (two
months from hatch to fledging and up to an additional 4 months thereafter). Kea
chicks hatch after 23-28 days incubation (Woolcock, 2000; Fijn, 2003) at a mean
mass of 18.0g (Woolcock, 2000) and thereafter develop rapidly (refer Fig 3)
Fig. 5. Growth Chart for hand-raised kea chicks (Woolcock, 2000).
Parent raised chicks tend to put on weight earlier but show a similar trend of
weight gain (KCT, 2009).
Although no special foods are required for chicks directly, additional food should
be made available to the parents to feed to the chicks. Once the young begin to
leave the nest, they will investigate the food provided to the group as a whole.
4.7.4 Hand rearing Techniques
Although hand rearing of chicks is not presently practiced in New Zealand, it has
been successfully carried out at facilities overseas. For details on hand raising
techniques and diets refer to Appendix 7.
4.7.5 Methods of controlling breeding
If no chicks are required from kea already paired, any eggs laid should be
replaced by artificial eggs and the real eggs removed from the nest. Unless
Kea Conservation Trust Final 25/11/2010