Staff at the Department of Conservation Burwood Bush rearing unit, near Te Anau, are working to save the critically endangered bird.
The takahe population neared 300 in 2008, but a stoat plague in the Murchison Mountains in 2008 resulted in numbers plummeting to 230, Burwood Bush manager Glen Greaves said.
The unit had 14 chicks this season, with four coming from the Murchison Mountains and 10 from the unit's special breeding pens.
To improve their chance of survival, the young chicks were alternated between breeding pairs and special indoor units.
Mr Greaves said while the takahe was not the smartest bird, its relatively simple nature enabled it to accept other birds' chicks.
The birds, which would be released once they were a year old, had a survival rate of between 60% and 70% in the wild, he said.
To help ensure the survival of the species, Doc carried out an extensive stoat trapping operation over nearly 60,000ha around the Murchison Mountains special takahe area.
During the 2008 stoat plague, Doc staff recorded takahe numbers declining 60% in the untrapped area, compared with 4% in the trapped area.
