Parents are known to mutilate their chicks

[DallyTsuka]

They often won't sit until the 2nd or 3rd are laid. I'd put it back. Most birds will just keep laying to replace the "lost" egg. So best to replace it asap.

 

[TweeterKat]

OK!! I just put a dummy in, took the egg out yesterday, so we shall see what happens! She is gearing up for egg #2, and they continue to mate during the laying process?? Dirty birds!

 

[Piccolina]

Have you had ANY babies that were raised successfully?

Yes, the younger pair female is the daughter of the elder couple...
and I had 2 more of the same clutch which I gave away.




The time that they mutilated their chicks was a one time incident.....




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[SilverSage]

How old were the chicks when they were mutilated, and how old were the parents?

 

[Piccolina]

I don't remember much of the details.....

there were 5 babies and the 5th baby was burried (by the parents) not mutilated....

perhaps it was too much for the parents to feed 5. He must have been 3 days old.

Then I started watching what was going on.....and the 4th in line was burried .....

Then I took the 3 left and started hand feeding them (didn't give the babies back to the parents).

After 3-4 months I saw the parents "doing it" again so I thought I am suppose to give them the box to make it a comfortable envirement for them to mate.

And of course they started laying ... again and this time 4 eggs....

When the babies hatched, the parents started mutilating them.






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[SilverSage]

Hmmm, ok, so it is not because the chicks stayed too long. How old were the parents when this happened? We're the parent hand raised?

 

[Piccolina]

The parents were not hand raised,
I don't exactly know their age because I bought them from a shop,
but it looks like when I bought them they were pretty young....
and the time they started mating they must have been about 2 years old

The chicks were about a week old when I saw some red signs on their head.

I saved the last 3 one of which is the 2nd pair female which I still have who is now mating with her male mate.

I gave away the other 2.





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[SilverSage]

Hm. Ok. There may still be something stressing the birds, so I would really wrack your brain about what could be near the cage that might stress them. They also badly need a diet change, it could be that the stress of feeling ill from the diet is making them cranky enough to kill chicks, or their bodies could be telling them that the conditions are not right to raise a family because of the diet. I suggest switching to a fresh food diet, or at least pellets, but the switch to fresh is easier and I believe healthier. The easiest and cheapest way to overhaul their nutrition is to simply sprout the seed mix you are already giving them. It is amazing the wonders this can work in a bird.

One thing that most people wouldn't think to check for, but if you have a mouse or roach problem, it could be that stressing them out. In the end, it could be that you will not figure out why they are doing it, in which case I hope you will stop breeding them. In the mean time we will try to get it figured out.

 

[Piccolina]

if you have a mouse or roach problem......

No, I don't have that problem.


How shall I sprout the seeds? Just put in a water?
And what is "pellet"? Sorry, I am not a native American and I don't know what it is?

Do I give it in addition to seeds? Is it a treat?






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[SilverSage]

Pellets are processed food, they look kind of like tiny dog food, often colorful, that you can buy by the bird food in the pet store. It is much healthier than just seeds, but not as healthy as a good variety of fresh food. There are several threads here, and lots of advice online, just look up "how to sprout for parrots" on YouTube or Google, or look for the sprout threads here on the forum in the parrot nutrition section. Sorry I can't take the time to type it all out right now, but it is pretty simple and I have never had a bird resist them, even seed junkies