# Concerned about youngest baby.



## kelpinator (Aug 8, 2011)

My birds, Chris and Gloria, are first time parents of five beautiful chicks. The oldest is 18 days old, and the youngest, Smurfy, is 11 days old. I don't want to sound too paranoid, but I'm concerned about Smurfy - he (she?) only weighs 25g at 11 days, whereas the other chicks were quite a lot heavier at that age. 

The parents seem to be feeding them all okay, it's just that Smurfy seems so much smaller compared to the other chicks, Am I worrying unnecessarily? I was hoping to let the parents continue to feed them, but do you think Smufy needs supplemental feedings? I have got the formula and supplies "just in case" - I have never hand-fed before but will go and see my vet for advice if needed.

This is Smurfy, do you think he looks okay? Thanks for any help/advice.


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## 4birdsNC (Dec 4, 2010)

Smurffy is a Lutino! you can tell by the red eyes. She looks like she is well feed, I would leave her with her parents.


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## kelpinator (Aug 8, 2011)

Thank you! I was really starting to worry, but the thought of inflicting poor Smurfy with my lack of handfeeding expertise worried me too... I will be glad to let her parents do the feeding!

Also - Smurfy's a girl?! Awesome! I suspected she might be lutino, based on what I'd read about the red eyes, but didn't know it meant she was automatically female. Two of the other five chicks also have red eyes, so I guess that means I have at least three little girls..


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

> I suspected she might be lutino, based on what I'd read about the red eyes, but didn't know it meant she was automatically female.


It depends on what color mom is. If mom is lutino, Smurfy could be either male or female. If mom is NOT lutino, Smurfy is a girl!

The food provided by the parents changes as the babies grow and it's tailored to the needs of the oldest. So the youngest chicks get food that's a little harder for them to digest and they may be smaller as a result. But they will still be fine and healthy if the parents feed them enough, and there's no need for human intervention.


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## kelpinator (Aug 8, 2011)

Gloria (the mother) is on the left, and that's the father, Chris on the right. 









This is Hooligan, the oldest baby. Two of the babies look like this one, and the other three all have red eyes, like Smurfy.

Is it possible to tell what gender Hooligan is yet?
Thank you.


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## geenz (Apr 4, 2011)

How cute are they!! Yes your lutino babies will be girls since mama bird is a grey


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## 4birdsNC (Dec 4, 2010)

Hooligan! I love that name! Most likely Hooligan is a male, but that isn't guaranteed. when S/He feathers out it would be best to wing spot check.


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## lperry82 (Aug 2, 2010)

Those pics are just too cute  love the name aswell lol


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## 4birdsNC (Dec 4, 2010)

Kelpinator, can you get some better pictures of the parents? It looks to me like the father may be split to WF, and the mother may be split Pied, so these can be some really great babies as far as the splits go and the mutations they could produce if paired with the right mate.

How is the littlest girl doing by the way? Does she still have a full crop?


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## kelpinator (Aug 8, 2011)

Smurfy seems to be doing okay, I guess - she usually has a full crop, and she's been putting on a couple of grams a day. She's still very small, and hasn't started getting any feathers yet, she stil has that newborn yellow fuzz. 

Here are some other pics of Chris and Gloria - this is Chris, he loves the camera and is happy to pose! 











Gloria is a bit more shy, and it's quite difficult to get a decent pic of her. That's her in front.









I'd love any advice about their mutations, or what their babies might be!


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## 4birdsNC (Dec 4, 2010)

Chris is deffinately split to WF, Gloria isn't. I can't tell if she is split pied, maybe you can see if she has white or yellow marks on the back of her head. If she does she is split pied.

according to the generic genetic calculator these are the possibilities for your babies.

Mother:Grey Split To Pied
Father:Cinnamon Split To Whiteface {X2: Lutino}

male offspring:
13% Grey Split To Pied Whiteface {X1: Cinnamon}
13% Grey Split To Pied Whiteface {X1: Cinnamon Lutino}
13% Grey Split To Pied {X1: Cinnamon}
13% Grey Split To Pied {X1: Cinnamon Lutino}
13% Grey Split To Whiteface {X1: Cinnamon}
13% Grey Split To Whiteface {X1: Cinnamon Lutino}
13% Grey Split To {X1: Cinnamon}
13% Grey Split To {X1: Cinnamon Lutino}

female offspring:
13% Cinnamon Split To Pied Whiteface
13% Cinnamon Lutino Split To Pied Whiteface
13% Cinnamon Split To Pied
13% Cinnamon Lutino Split To Pied
13% Cinnamon Split To Whiteface
13% Cinnamon Lutino Split To Whiteface
13% Cinnamon
13% Cinnamon Lutino


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## morla (Aug 15, 2011)

Those some good parents taking care of there babies!


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## kelpinator (Aug 8, 2011)

Thanks, 4birdsNC!  So my two little grey babies are definitely boys then, that's awesome!  Yes, Gloria does have yellow marks on the back of her head. So it looks like my little girls are cinnamon lutino, then? The oldest girl is starting to show her little orange cheek patches, it's adorable..!

Morla - yes, they are good parents! They seem to spend all their time either feeding themselves or feeding their babies. When all five chicks start screeching for food it can get pretty noisy in that nestbox!


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## 4birdsNC (Dec 4, 2010)

If they are grey they are boys. But they could be dark cinnamon and be females... need to let the feathers come in to make a good judgement. The girls are going to be cinnamon Lutino, that is a mutation that makes the lutino look dirty or beige. I have seen some that are just gorgeous Sarah's Aero is one of them. Post more pictures... we love to see.


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