Yates New Zealand’s regular supplies of peat moss provide a natural and inviting environment for the kiwi chicks being hatched and reared at the centre.
Moss’s egg was retrieved from the Kario Rahui region and was incubated for 20 days before Moss hatched weighing just 329 grams. At this stage Moss’s sex is a mystery but prior to release one of his or her feathers will be sent away for sexing by DNA.
Moss is one of several chicks being given a good start in life before being released back into the wild. Fortunately Kiwi chicks do not need to be taught by their parents how to forage – as this behaviour is instinctive – but they do need some guidance to learn how to eat the artificial diet at the centre.
Once the chicks are thriving they are moved from their brooders to an outdoor run where there are burrows for them to sleep in during the day. They also have a chance to forage amongst leaf litter and soil for live invertebrates as well as having access to artificial food at night if they need it.
From the outdoor run Moss will progress to a predator free crèche near Kario Rahui and will finally be released into the forest once he or she weighs a kilogram.
