Chick ejected from the nest

[caroleb1]

I have a breeding pair with two chicks that are doing well but the first hatched chick I found on the cage bottom and had been removed from the nest. It was dead, and I dont know if it died and the hen "cleansed the nest" or if she killed it. Do you know what the most likely answer is? Thanks

[BudgiesBuddy]

How old was the chick?
Was there any blood on the chick? I mean did it die of natural causes?
How often do you check the nest boxes?

It depends on all these points, but to be safe, you should foster the other chick to another breeding pair which has chicks of similar age.

[caroleb1]

The chick's body was unmarked. I check the boxes once or twice a day (mainly once) The chick was about two days old when it died. Its not going to be easy to foster the chicks to parents with chicks similar age as they have hardly any feathers as their mother preens them too much and leaves them without feathers which dont properly grow back until they fledge. They are 3 weeks old.

[Ryan.W]

i would guess that it was already dead and the hen was just cleaning the nest box, i remember when a egg got broken in the nest box when i was breeding them, and she ate all the egg and eggshell, with a chick it would be different so i would amagine instead of eating dead or "broken" chicks she probably would just through them out. If it was her there would defently be marks, another things is it may have just fallen out. The mother preening to much is worrying though it sounds like she's plucking them?.

[barrieshutt]

I guess it was carried out accidently by the hen , all the chicks must be removed as the hen is a feather plucker