Earlier observations while experimenting with crushed shells as the source of calcium supply to the egg-laying female had revealed that it may be possible to also supplement the newly hatched chicks with this same source of calcium.
A decision was made to further experiment with this form of calcium supplementation using our newly hatched clutch. Right from the start, fishes (and frogs) were excluded from their live food supply. As a result, the parent birds were left only with an all-insect live food to raise these chicks. An all-insect live food diet will be grossly inverted in the calcium to phosphurus ratio. Will the parents utilize the crushed shells, just as the female had during the egg laying period, to correct this?
Video of Fatina coating a mealworm with the crushed shells before bringing it to the nest to feed one of her newly hatched chicks:
Video of Fatina rolling a cricket in the crushed shells before bringing it to the nest to feed one of her newly hatched chicks:
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