# Baby chicks are dying



## euro77

Hello, my budgies have recently given birth to some babies. I know it’s irresponsible and we are making sure it won’t happen again. But the babies have started dying. We are gonna relocate the babies tonight, and handfeed them but as of now we don’t have anything to feed them. I have baby bird formula but it was for my cockatiels. Is it safe to use that? Please help.


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## Cody

What is the name of the product you have, how old are the chicks and where are the parents, are they not caring for the chicks?


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## FaeryBee

*Multiple questions:

How old were the birds that bred?
Are you certain they are not related?
Did you allow them to breed on purpose?
Do you have other adult budgies in the same cage?
Was a proper nesting box with a concave bottom used?
How many chicks initially hatched alive?
How many are still alive at this time?
How old are the chicks that have survived thus far?
Do you have an Avian Vet?
Did the chicks die of starvation?

Are you just now starting supplemental feeding of the chicks today?
Have the parents been caring for the chicks at all?

As Cody asked, what type formula do you have on hand and is it past the expiration date?
Do you know how frequently the chicks need to be fed?*


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## euro77

They’re not my budgies so I’m not certain but they are fully grown Thats all I know. They are in no way related and I promise we did not breed them on purpose. They belong to my grandma and she’s not able to properly care for them. My grandma kept them all in a cage but not enclosed. They fly freely. I’ve spoken to her about separating them and we’ve decided on separating them upon moving. The mother was given a wooden nest with nesting material inside. There were in total about 4 baby chicks. They were growing pretty well too. At this time only two are left, they seem to be doing pretty well. One can walk a bit but the other only lays down. It’s been a few weeks and they look like they might be weaning pretty soon. As I said they’re not my birds so I’m not able to freely take them to the vet. The one we found dead looked full of food however it’s body was blueish black and looked like it had been squished. The mother has been caring for the babies but we’re not sure if she’s feeding them anymore. One by one have been dying so we though itd be best if we continued to feed them. I brought the formula from an avian store, doesn’t have a name and it’s a few weeks old. I’m aware that feeding time depends on how old they are so I’m pretty sure it’s every few hours.


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## FaeryBee

*Have you removed the mother from the cage now? 
If the babies look as if they are about ready to wean, then the father can take care of them until they are fully weaned. You can do supplemental feedings if necessary.
If the budgies look as though they are about ready to wean then they are about 3 to 3/2 weeks old. That means the mother really needs to be separated from them NOW so she doesn't double-clutch.

I'm assuming you have experience hand feeding using the bent spoon method since you said the formula you have was for your baby cockatiels. Is that correct?

Here is a link to a handfeeding and weaning guide that should give you the information you need. It includes the times and amounts that should be fed.

Hand Feeding and Weaning Guide

Does your grandmother live with you?*


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## euro77

yes we’ve removed her. The father does not care about the babies. He’s the issue right now. He’s the one impregnating our female budgies and we don’t know how to avoid it. So We decided on separating him from the group. Yes the formula was for my baby cockatiels although I wasn’t able to fully hand feed them since they didn’t want it. Same with the budgies, they don’t open their mouths when I try feeding them and I’m scared of them starving. Yes my grandma lives with me. I know it’s not the best environment for the birds and I have started to properly look at how we should keep them. Thank you for your help so far.


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## 2BirbsUpNorth

In my own personal opinion, providing lifesaving veterinary care shouldn't require consent of the owner who cannot care for the birds. Maybe that's unethical, but I would be contacting a vet to try to save the hatchlings. Or at the least, I'd recommend contacting reputable breeders or avian rescues in your local area to see if they can help with caring for the surviving babies. But I don't know all the details of your particular situation, so that's just my 2 cents.


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## FaeryBee

*How many adult budgies were/are in the cage with the chicks?  Colony breeding is NEVER recommended.

Any time a nest box is put on a cage where a female budgie resides, you are encouraging breeding or, at the very least, egg laying.

The remaining chicks need to be in a cage by themselves with the father bird. All other budges should be in a different cage.

How many male adults are there and how many female adults?
How large is the cage?

If you Grandmother is unable to care properly for "her" budgies, and other family members in the home are unable or unwilling to follow best practices, then the budgies should be rehomed.

If you are taking over the care of the budgies at this point in time, then it is important you learn to care for them for their optimal health and well-being.
The purpose of this forum is to promote the BEST PRACTICES in the care of budgies for their optimal Health and Well-Being*
*Locating an Avian Veterinarian*

*A Healthy Diet for your Budgie*
*Quality Seed Mix*
*CuttleBones, Mineral Blocks and Manu Clay Roses*
*Safe Foods for Budgies*
*The Truth about GRIT*

*Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and all of the Stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.
Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.
(Stickies are threads “stuck” at the top of each forum sub-section)
These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.*

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*Resource Directory*


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