Hi!

one hour ago (7am) I went to a bird room to turn on the light. I saw that one chick is in the cage outside the nestbox (he is 24 days old). Male was in dhe nest box and I heard loud croack (just like you grab parrot that reaally don't want it). I've never heard it in the nest box, so I didn't know what to do... after maybe 15-20 seconds it went quiet.

When i gave the parrents fresh part of food (3 minutes), I wanted to put the chick inside the box again and what I saw scared me a lot!!! 3 of 5 chicks (between 19 and 24 days old) was hurt - two of them have wound just below the eye (!) - and it looks quite serious - and one have little wound on the forehead.

For me - they have empty crops (except the youngest)...

So: I don't know what happend - parrents had to little food in the night??? father stucked his leg in something in the box (ladder?) ??

And what to do? should I give the parrents time to calm down and see if they will feed chicks? take away the male and libe only mum to care about chicks? tahe the chicks away and feed them??

 

for now I wiped the wounds with the hydrogen peroxide and put them in the nest box.

 

please help

Either of the parents has attacked the chicks. The Mums do it sometimes to start another clutch or it may have been the dad. You need to work out which parent is doing it and remove them. The fact that there is no food in the crop may m,ean they arent being fed or as it was early morning may just mean they hadnt been fed yet.

See if you can work out the attacking parent for sure and remove it and give us more info.

Parrents have calmed down and i heard that mum fed them, and what's strange - just few minutes ago both parrent's was in the nestbox and i'm almost sure that both fed them. I don't know what to think...

Mayby dad realy chock his leg somewhere and was scared? I was stupid that I installed this ladder there :/

I'm almost sure that parrents now feed chicks - they chirp in this particular way when parrents feed them...

I can't see other explanation why dad attacked chicks and now it's okay... It was my fault

 

I'm worried about this wounds... yesterday morning I've cleaned nestbox, so I hope there won't be any infection... I'm just happy that the eyes are okay...

I'm confused...

8hours later, female started to attack male ;| Few times I heard a noise and when I went there I saw that when he tried to go into the nest box she attacked. Few minutes later she chased him even if he was on the perch below... I took him from the cage - they were very nervous, but i'm not sure if I did right thing.

Will she be able to feed five so big chicks??

It sounds to me like the hen is the one you have to watch out for, if she is doing the attacking. I would take her out, and put the father back in to feed the chicks.

I'm 100% sure that dad attacked chicks becouse i heard it and mum was outside at that time. She started to chase dad when he was trying to go into the nestbox.

When I took him she is feeding them all the time: food-chicks-food-chicks... i think that becouse of this situation they weren't fed good by this few hours...

The hen is very busy feeding them now... Do you think she will manage to feed them properly? Maybe i should put in the nest box very large ... this http://www.papuzka.netax.pl/artyk/img/prosozolte.jpg (i don't know the name in english )

 

and one more question.. I can't find in polish sites any info how long chicks should eat boiled egg every day? Maybe I gave it too often and thats why dad started to be agressive??

Don't worry so much abotu the feeding, worry more abotu the bird that is attacking the chicks.

 

A hungry chick can be fed and it will recover, a chick that is attacked might die, no recovery there.

 

One of the parents has to go. Maybe Mum and put the chicks in an icecream container on the floor. Put the millet that was in the picture in the icrecream container and put seed as the beeding. This will encourage the youngsters to pick and start trying to eat on their own.

Don't worry so much abotu the feeding, worry more abotu the bird that is attacking the chicks.

 

A hungry chick can be fed and it will recover, a chick that is attacked might die, no recovery there.

 

One of the parents has to go. Maybe Mum and put the chicks in an icecream container on the floor. Put the millet that was in the picture in the icrecream container and put seed as the beeding. This will encourage the youngsters to pick and start trying to eat on their own.

Agree with all Dave's advice

Don't worry so much abotu the feeding, worry more abotu the bird that is attacking the chicks.

 

A hungry chick can be fed and it will recover, a chick that is attacked might die, no recovery there.

 

One of the parents has to go. Maybe Mum and put the chicks in an icecream container on the floor. Put the millet that was in the picture in the icrecream container and put seed as the beeding. This will encourage the youngsters to pick and start trying to eat on their own.

Agree with all Dave's advice

 

I also agree with what Dave has said. I have 4 chicks, the eldest is 7 days old. Kaz posted once about adding seed to the nest boxes when babies were 2 weeks old so that they can learn to feed themselves and in doing that it aids them in when they are weaned and it takes some of the feeding strain off the parents.

 

I will be doing this in my nest boxes as soon as the babies are 2 weeks old. Maybe you can add seed now and remember this in future and try it yourself. Kaz, am I correct in all that I have said here?

 

Best of luck Zuzel and keep us updated

Well, chicks are alive and mum is doing well

Earlier I was giving half of millet intoo the nest box, but now I gave her a very big millet :rofl: I left them into the nest box - I didn't want to put them into the container while mum is feeding them

 

Today I went to vet to ask what to do with this wounds, but he said - just watch them and we will worry if they start to look bad (infection). Now they are covered with scab, and chick with injury on forehead looks fine - just like a little scratch.

 

I spoke with a breeder and he told that he never heard that male is attacking chicks - it's always mum... I wonder why he attacked... He was very good father to this moment :hap: And chicks are beautiful from this couple - now I'll be affraid to breed them again

Edited May 4, 201015 yr by Zuzel