TEMPERAMENT OF CHICKS
 
I am assuming, in this instance, if you are pulling babies, they are going into the pet market. I believe this aspect of breeding is still very much in its infancy and we are learning so much every day. There are many schools of thought and many different techniques about which most hand-feeders feel very strongly.

The old controversy, is it genetics or environment that makes us what we are?” is always brought up when discussing temperament. There is much to be said about both, too much. Many of my first-time parents have been nervous with their first clutch or two. As they have become seasoned breeders, the stability of the parents has improved dramatically. I have found this to be reflected in the babies. Hand-feeding chicks from a pair of first-timers cannot be compared to feeding chicks from the same parents five to ten clutches later. I have not seen a marked difference in chicks pulled at ten days from a clutch pulled at four weeks. Babies pulled at four or five weeks, may take a day or two to settle into the routine, and become comfortable. Once they have overcome their initial fear, the weaned baby is as sweet as one pulled at two to three weeks. I do have pairs that produce consistently sweeter babies than others and some that produce better talkers than others. I am sure this is where genes come into play.

PULLING CHICKS
I believe that the trauma a chick experiences when being pulled, can affect it for the rest of its life. Breeding pairs can be very stable and relaxed. They are comfortable feeding their babies. No threats from predators, they are very compatible parents, and raise wonderful sweet babies. Prior to going out to pull chicks, I have everything ready.

I have a towel, a container, a flashlight I can hold in my mouth, and a cardboard divider to separate parents from babies. It is a cool January evening as I tap on the box and the parents move (not run) to the other side. The fact that it is cool accounts for the babies being all huddled together in one clump. I carefully insert my cardboard divider, and gently remove the babies. Not a sound is made as I close the box and retreat indoors with my precious treasure. The babies are alert and attentive, and as I walk the path to the house, they show a certain calmness from hearing my voice.  This is ideal pull:  these babies have never known fear.

Now let’s examine the same pair four months later in the warm spring of Florida. Armed with all my gear, I tap on the box, and the parents try to retreat to the other side. Babies are spread out all over the box, with wings and legs outstretched to keep cool. I know in an instant that I will have to use a towel to keep the parents back as I reach under them to get the chicks. As I reach in with the towel, the parents start to growl, and the babies try to scurry after the parents. The parents become defensive and the babies become fearful and they start growling. I gingerly pick the chicks up one by one and check with the flashlight to make sure I have them all. I close the lid and walk that walk back to the house. All the while the babies are crouched in the corner growling. My voice doesn’t have the calming effect it often times does. This was far from an ideal pull. These chicks, with the proper nurturing will be wonderful babies, but they will not reach the same peak of perfection as the ones pulled in January.

One last observation with parent-to-chick problems is the wild-caughts that have become friendly, less fearful of their human caretaker. These birds present the problem of being aggressive while you are servicing their cages. Although they may retreat into the box WHEN THEY HAVE CHICKS, you can often times hear them charging at the next box interior. These same birds will also charge at you while you are trying to pull the babies. This creates the problem of them tromping all over the babies. In warm weather this is especially bad when they are all spread out in the nest box. Often times wings and legs will be stepped on and broken or fractured.