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Deborah Brocklebank

Help needed

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Please can any of the forum members try to solve a problem that I have. I have inherited some thirty zebra finches, mainly white and 2 Grey plus 1 fawn. They started off in a small outside aviary through the summer etc., of last year they laid a number of eggs between them. The problem is that although the eggs hatched I kept finding the young in various stages of development  out of the nests, some were almost fully fledged. My husband and I thought it was due to the lack of space so we built a new larger aviary and regime all the finches, since doing so some of the breeding pairs have laid more eggs and one hatched, survived and left the nest, it seemed to be doing really well it was calling, taking short low flights and then much to my disappointment I found it dead yesterday morning. What am I doing wrong. Looking for a solution if I can call on others experiences.

Deb 

 

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Hi Deb and welcome to the Forum.

My first question would be to ask if there was any food in the chicks crop when you found it? If not then it sounds like the parents ignored it's calls. (sorry)

In an aviary/ flight situation it is possible that the chick got frightened for some reason and flew into wall/wire head first. (Not a nice thought)

But thinking about your problem with chicks coming out of nests too early. Maybe there is too much nesting material in the nest and the chicks are falling out accidentally.  If that was the case I'd suggest regulating the amount of material you give them and keep an eye on each nest and remove any surplus that you think is too much (too close (high) to the opening. If you know where the chicks come from put them back in the nest or you could build a tray/platform under each nest so chicks fall/land on that rather than the floor. (less likely to be ignored by parents perhaps) Don't be overly worried about upsetting the parent birds as they are usually very Maternal/Paternal and would return to their nest very quickly after you leave.

You didn't mention where you live, because if there is a member near you they might be able to offer practical help too.

Hope the above helps and if you have more questions please ask away.

Andyn

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Hi, I am also a new member. One of the main reasons I wanted to join was to see If anyone might know why I am losing so many baby birds. Checking the nest boxes for too much nesting material is something I have thought of. Checking the baby's crop for food did not occur to me. I will start checking. Not that there is much I can do about it, but I would at least know why they might be dying. I live in Southern California and have 10 outdoor aviaries. Zebras and Societies. 25 breeding pair in each. I have noticed that with some of these babies, they walk around very unsteady, almost drunk looking, and their feathers are fluffed up. Next day, they usually turn up dead. :( Thank you for the advice you have given Andyn and anymore you might have to share.

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You'r welcome.

Reading about your babies condition and then dead, I'm wondering if they are suffering from a syndrome we call 'Going Light' I believe the true name is something like Coccidiosis. Basically a gut problem. The treatment is a probiotic liquid put in drinking water. I use one called Harker's Coccid and there is also one from the Bird Health Care company. There is a post on here all about it that might help you. Search using any of those words I've used and it should appear. 

Andyn

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