In this photograph, Shadow is only twelve days old. Her body is partially covered in down and tiny quills. Her head is almost entirely bald, and the distinctive facial disc is yet to develop. Her eyes are still cloudy and unfocussed, and her pale, pearly pink talons are still soft, with no gripping power in the feet. She is utterly helpless and unable to regulate her body's core temperature, so she is kept in a heated box lined with soft towels. Feeding is done with a well-wrapped hot water bottle laid in a lap with the baby bird snuggled down in towels. Even at this young age, she can swallow chunks of chopped up mouse and chicken, complete with skin, bone, hair and feather, all of which are essential to her physical development. She is fed four times a day, as much as she wants to eat, and spends most of her time, when she isn't eating, sleeping it off and growing... and growing... and growing.
Twelve Days
A mere two days later, Shadow's tiny pin feathers are erupting into still more downy fluff. Devouring just over two mice or day-old chicks each day (the mice and chickens have been humanely killed, frozen, thawed and gutted before she gets to see them) Shadow converts the vast majority of her food intake into Barn Owl! As she learns to focus her eyes, she begins to take in her surroundings. Her only concerns in life at this stage are food and warmth.
Fourteen Days
Fifteen Days
Here is Shadow at fifteen days of age, sitting in her purpose built heated incubator box. She "crawls" around on her ankles and has discovered that paper towels can be shredded!
As bone, muscle and sinew develop, the little bird does strengthening exercises, lurching up onto unsteady feet and wobbling up to three steps before sitting down and having another nap to get over it. As the days progress she stands more often and stretches her wings as well, as in this picture where her right wing is getting a bit of a workout. She is about 25cm tall when standing at her full height.
Fifteen Days
Three days later, Shadow is still practising standing up, but this time, she's cheating by bracing herself and leaning against the walls in the corner of her box! She is stretching her claws (see the extended talons) and having a good look around. She is taking a great deal of interest in visual stimuli, wanting to study everything she sees in detail. Her down is getting very thick, especially around the head and neck areas, and the facial disc is beginning to appear.
Eighteen Days
Eighteen Days
Here is Shadow weighing in at a hefty 300g (just under 11oz) on the kitchen scales.
