Kiwi parents do not need to feed their young because newly hatched chicks survive off the rich yolk in their monster egg. Often kiwi chicks receive no food from their parents at all and live largely off the yolk supply for the first two weeks.  At the end of this time, a kiwi chick may weigh only 80 per cent of its hatching weight.

Leaving the Burrow

After two or three days, enough of the yolk sac has been absorbed to allow the baby kiwi to stand and shuffle around the nest. On about day five it begins to venture out of the burrow.

The kiwi chick initially does not go far from the nest, and eats only pebbles and tiny twigs that will be stored in its gizzard to help with food digestion.

On its second trip out of the burrow, the chick eats its first meal.  Because its beak is not yet strong enough to dig into the ground, it forages in the leaf litter.

 

All this time it continues to draw nourishment from the yolk sac, and can easily survive two weeks of partial fasting.

Vulnerable to Predators

During its first three-to-four weeks, the baby kiwi feeds at night, and sometimes during the day.  This makes it extremely vulnerable to predators. Around 90 per cent of kiwi chicks born in the wild die within their first six months  - 70 per cent of them killed by stoats and cats.  Only about five per cent of kiwi chicks survive to adulthood.

At two-to-six weeks old the chick no longer returns to the nesting burrow each day.

Leaving Home

Young kiwi continue to grow slowly until they are about four years old.

Different kiwi species and varieties have different social systems when it comes to chicks leaving home. 

And when they are old enough to establish territories and mate, the cycle begins again.

Kiwi are potentially very long-lived, with some individuals probably living for 50 – 60 years.  Our research has not been going on long enough to be sure.