dead chick

[chrisvinnie]

had a chick hatch yesterday was all ok! got home from work today to find it dead what do i do?

[Ryan.W]

from what i hear, these things just happen sometimes with no apparent reason. Did you check the chick over??, was their a milky liquid in it's crop. Was their any scars or blood.?? Just remove it (if not already). I don't think theirs anything else you can do. If their is blood on it though the cock (or more likely the hen) may be attacking the chicks, and you may have to split them up.

[ianb]

Jan 11, 2012 18:24:24 GMT chrisvinnie said:

had a chick hatch yesterday was all ok! got home from work today to find it dead what do i do?

is it the hen's first time in breeding ? if so this is something that happens,maybe her cropmilk has not developed sufficiantly to sustain the youngster.

[chrisvinnie]

crop was full and no sign of blood.
i think it had been squashed as it was abit flat,as hen layed 6 eggs.
i just candled my 3 pairs so i could move eggs around to make it esayer on the mums
had 18 eggs in total 4 infirtle and a dead chick
so split 2 boxs with 4 eggs and the other 1 with 5 eggs
will this be ok?

[ianb]

Jan 11, 2012 21:19:14 GMT chrisvinnie said:

crop was full and no sign of blood.
i think it had been squashed as it was abit flat,as hen layed 6 eggs.
i just candled my 3 pairs so i could move eggs around to make it esayer on the mums
had 18 eggs in total 4 infirtle and a dead chick
so split 2 boxs with 4 eggs and the other 1 with 5 eggs
will this be ok?

should'nt be a problem,make sure when you move eggs around that you mark them, so you know who the parents are when the chicks hatch.

[Deleted]

With it being squashed , that happens after it dies.
Is it first time for the hen breeding.?
Good luck with remaining eggs

[BudgiesBuddy]

Maybe no reason and just the fate. Good luck with other eggs

[chrisvinnie]

yes it is hens first time!
she had a chick hatch today all looks well fingers crossed

[barrieshutt]

Hi Chris hens don't squash chicks, often this is e coli caused by tainted food , do make sure any soft foods are removed each night. Water fountains must be disinfected each week.

[chrisvinnie]

i have been doing that barry.
second chick died today aswel

[budgiefriend]

Chris, so sorry that you're having so much trouble with the chicks. Sad as it is, Nature has her reasons.

[BudgiesBuddy]

I am really sorry Chris. It seems something serious. Try changing food and disinfecting food pots. Are you sure about the pair's health?

[barrieshutt]

IT APPEARS THE CHICKS ARE NOT BEEN FED, THEY NEED FOSTERED

[barrieshutt]

A COPY OF MY Q & A MIGHT HELP



What is crop milk?

Crop milk is a secretion of the cells lining the crop and is used to feed budgerigar chicks




Why is it important that the chick is fed crop milk?

Antibodies pass via the crop milk to the baby budgerigar after it has hatched; this helps the chick build up an immune system




Squashed chicks

A flattened chick will rarely be caused by the hen.

Flattened chicks have more often died from another cause.




My chick has a yellow stomach

This is the yolk sac that the chick has not completely absorbed; once this is absorbed the hen will start feeding crop milk to the chick.




Empty chick crops

Maiden hens often do not know how to feed a newborn chick.

Use a teaspoon and some tepid milk and just hold it up level with the chicks beak, it will drink.




A hen out of breeding condition may not feed her chicks correctly.

Do keep your eyes on all breeding birds with emphasis on their condition and foster chicks if necessary.




The maiden hen is still not feeding her new chicks.

Give her a three day old chick from another nest, it will shout and the hen will feed it, this will be all she needs to get her started.




Another flattened chick.

This could be because the chick was a weakling at birth; this may be due to a genetic fault. Re-pairing the adults with different partners should eliminate any more weak chicks




And another flat chick.

A cold breeding room will encourage the hen to sit tight, a small chick could suffocate .Pop a couple of extra dummy eggs or glass marbles under the hen, this will help lift her up off the chicks.





Dead chicks in the nest box

A possible cause could be due to a wet nest box, change the shavings daily. A wet box can cause pneumonia in the chicks.




More dead chicks in the nest box.

This could be due to a bacterial infection from mouldy soft food.



The hen feeds hard seed instead of crop milk

The hen is not producing crop milk, the chicks must be moved to foster parents or they will die.




The chick’s crop is inflated.

This is due to the hen not feeding correctly. Hold the chick on its back and squeeze the crop gently, it will burp. If the inflation persists pierce the crop with a sterilised needle.

.

My chicks are getting feather plucked

Feather plucking, once a plucker always a plucker. This can be the cock or the hen but in my experience I found the hen was more often the culprit.
Try putting a millet spray in the nest box; this may take the hens mind off plucking her chicks. I apply bitter aloes or savlon to the plucked area. If the plucking continues then foster out all of her chicks.


The chick’s beak is covered in food

Wipe carefully with a moist cotton wool bud, also check the top inside beak is free from hard food, this will remove easily with a tapered end on a matchstick.




Cold chicks

Sometimes a hen will die or leave the nest and the chicks will be cold and appear dead. Cup them in your hands and blow your warm breath onto them, you will be surprised at how many you can save. These of course will need to be fostered out.





White chicks

A chick in the nest that turns white on its flesh needs a drop of olive oil on its tongue; it will recover in twenty four hours




Single chicks
If only one chick hatches in the nest do transfer it if possible often a single chick never gets fed very well, the ideal number I like per nest is four
Dead Anaemic chicks.

Finding white under developed chicks is a sure sign that they are under constant attack from red mites, the anaemic appearance is lack of blood.

Clean feet

Any build up of droppings on the chick’s feet must be cleaned off daily. Use a small bowl of tepid water and soak the feet, the soft droppings can now be picked off by hand, take care with the chicks claws as they can easily be pulled out at this age.





Chicks out of the box

If you do need to remove any chicks out of the nest box be aware that this must be for short periods only, your hands must be warm when handling chicks.

Sudden death.

None of us like to open the nest box and find a two or three week old chick dead with a full crop and no evidence of disease. We must check our feeding regime, have we supplied something new, could we have overdosed on vitamins or perhaps a poisonous contamination was the cause, have we any stale food lying on the cage floor?

Dirty rings

Any accumulation of dirt must be cleaned off daily.

Using tepid water to soak the dirty ring will make it easier to pick off.




Adults attacking the chick’s.

When the chicks leave the nest box they need a safe retreat from their parents, my gazunders will keep these birds safe.



The adult male may see any young cocks a threat to his breeding partner, the adult hen may also see any young hens a threat to her breeding partner. If this occurs they will attack the chicks, this can be fatal.



Calcium

I believe if we supply a liquid calcium and vitamin d to our budgerigars, we will have larger clutches of eggs, stronger chicks and less splayed legs.



Splayed legs

Splayed legs are when a chicks legs are splayed out side ways from its body, the cure is to tie both legs together for a week.





Why hand rear a budgerigar?

A parent reared Budgerigar will bond as easily as a hand reared Budgerigar without any chance of them catching infections that are common in hand fed babies.










©2006 barrieshuttbudgerigars S3872.

[chrisvinnie]

thanks to everyone for your help
chick 3 hatched to day all is fine
i went to pick up 2 more birds from a breeder in maidstone kent
he told me he had the same thing the chicks was not calling the hen for food.
so he told me to hold the chicks foot and tilt the head slitly streaching the chick untill you get it to call!!!
could not belive it but it worked hen is now feeding