The first budgie to hatch from my first ever clutch just died moments ago. It was a very active little soul but I found it sitting in the breeding box with food all over its face. When I picked him up he was cold. I tried to feed him with a weak hand rearing mix but he would not take it, I am presuming this is how he got food on his face also, as he would not take food from his parents. I tried breathing warm breath on him as I had read on this forum, but he died in my hands. When I had a close look at his underside it was fouled with pooh and urate. I there a disease that could have caused his death? Should I be concerned about the rest of the clutch. I checked them and they are all still clean, noisey and active. Or should I stop acting like a first time breeder and just put it down to one of those unfortunate things?

The first budgie to hatch from my first ever clutch just died moments ago. It was a very active little soul but I found it sitting in the breeding box with food all over its face. When I picked him up he was cold. I tried to feed him with a weak hand rearing mix but he would not take it, I am presuming this is how he got food on his face also, as he would not take food from his parents. I tried breathing warm breath on him as I had read on this forum, but he died in my hands. When I had a close look at his underside it was fouled with pooh and urate. I there a disease that could have caused his death? Should I be concerned about the rest of the clutch. I checked them and they are all still clean, noisey and active. Or should I stop acting like a first time breeder and just put it down to one of those unfortunate things?

 

 

 

Hello It''s a fact of life that birds etc that raise many offspring will loose some for seemingly no reason ...B.J.

I'm sorry for your rough start. If the other chicks are active and clean, then I would chalk it up to there being some kind of issue with the first chick, but not the others.

 

I would keep checking them twice a day to make sure they stay clean. I have read that dried food on the face can suffocate them, and that could be from a messy feeding mother. I've also read that if dried poo gets stuck to their vent, it can prevent further elimination of waste, which would be toxic. But I couldn't tell you why the parents would keep the other chicks clean and not that one. Unless they somehow knew it wasn't a viable chick to begin with.