FINCHforum

The chicks are growing up. One I believe is a female, and is pretty much eating on her own and flying around. She even plays with a little string toy.
The other one, male I think, is eating a little on his own but still relies on dad for a handout. He doesn't do much else. He mostly stays on his favorite high perch. He doesn't appear to be ill. Just slow.
Is it normal for one to mature faster?

how many eggs were laid in the clutch they hatched from?
say there were 5 eggs laid, she may have been from the first egg laid and he from the last. now if the parents started to incubate straight away the first egg would have hatched a few days earlier than the last - hows that for a pie in the sky idea lol.
or maybe the young male has found a way to take it easy and make the old man do all the work for him.
so long as he is healthy with firm droppings and not sitting there all fluffed up I wouldnt worry to much.

Gotcha.
It sounds so simple. The young male seems to be in the food cup a little more today but he's still begging. I'm feeling sorry for him. He seems so sad and his sister is having a ball.
The weaning stage must be hard for the chicks, but I'm sure they know what they're doing. I'll keep an eye on him though.
-Thanks mickp

Both parents have totally stopped feeding the male chick. He seems to eat a few seeds and then starts begging. The parents are ignoring him.
He seems ok except for the constant crying for food when they come near him.
I don't want anything to happen to this little guy.
I'll do whatever anyone suggests.....promise.

If it is time for him to be weaned, the parents will stop feeding him and make him grow up. You can provide spray millet, eggfood, nestling food, all things that are easy for him to eat. You can also get some hulled millet at wild bird specialty stores, as that is very easy for him to eat. Place some small dishes on the floor and let him try out different things.

Whew! Thanks Sally. I was really starting to worry about this guy. I'll put some "baby" food around the cage for him. He's bound to eat somewhere.
That's a load off my mind.

Well I put some millet right by his favorite perch and mixed a little hard boiled egg in the food and he seems pretty content right now.
All is good in finchtown.