baby Zebra finches starve on formula at about Day 30

[edph2013]

Good morning fellow finch lovers,

I look forward to making your acquaintances!

I am raising a couple of broods of baby zebra finches. I am feeding them warmed Kaytee formula every couple of hours and then every few hours as they grow older. They tend to fledge right at about 20 days of age and fly around happily and are full of energy for the following week.

Most of my fledglings take quite a while to learn to feed on their own. Some are 30 days old and are still not fully weaned.

Problematically, at about 30 days of age, it seems that they can no longer survive on formula alone. They start losing their ability to fly, are less energetic, and cry for more food no matter how much formula I provide to them (and I try not to overfeed them, judging from the volume (mLs) I feed to them and the fullness of their crops).

I love my birds and would be grateful if some of you experts on estrildid finches can help me figure out what is likely going on.

All constructive and polite responses are welcome.

[Babs _Owner]

edph2013

Have you been keeping the dried formula in the freezer? Once the jar is opened, dried formula can go bad in a couple of weeks if kept at room temperature. Feeding them sour formula will kill the chicks. Powdered Kaytee doesn't give off any real odor to warn you it's sour.

[lovezebs]

edph2013

Hello, and welcome to the Forum.

Not an expert, but can share my experiences.

My first question would be:
How thick is your formula?

As chicks get older, I always make my formula thicker. To make up for less fluids and make sure they are not dehydrated, I offer water in a small spoon , poking just the very tips of their beaks into it, until they get the idea.

At present, I am feeding a tiny blind Zebra fledgling. He is very small for his age, and has been badly plucked. What I've been doing, is adding hardboiled egg in small amounts to his formula at least once a day, which offers him some much needed extra protein (both to give him strength, and to help him grow new feathers).

In the next little while, I'll be introducing a bit of grated carrot and very finely minced greens into the formula as well.

[edph2013]

Hello Elana,

The consistency I use is: watery the first several days, then creamy, and yes, I add less water to the formula as they grew older.

How many MLs do you feed your chicks, and at which ages? I have a feeling that perhaps I am overfeeding them, which causes their crops to enlarge, which becomes a problem when they reach full size (much like how a teenager who has finished growing can longer eventually fill out of the size of her/his -slightly-too-large shoes).

edph2013

Hello, and welcome to the Forum.

Not an expert, but can share my experiences.

My first question would be:
How thick is your formula?

As chicks get older, I always make my formula thicker. To make up for less fluids and make sure they are not dehydrated, I offer water in a small spoon , poking just the very tips of their beaks into it, until they get the idea.

At present, I am feeding a tiny blind Zebra fledgling. He is very small for his age, and has been badly plucked. What I've been doing, is adding hardboiled egg in small amounts to his formula at least once a day, which offers him some much needed extra protein (both to give him strength, and to help him grow new feathers).

In the next little while, I'll be introducing a bit of grated carrot and very finely minced greens into the formula as well.

[edph2013]

Hello Babs,

I have not; I do not believe the instructions provide that the formula should be kept in the freezer.

In any case, however, my baby zebras thrive off of previously unsealed formula for the first 20 days of their lives. Once they fledge, they continue to thrive off of the formula for about 7 days or so. After this point, they start to lose energy; some lose their ability to fly. And they are constantly hungry. Even when provided with a slight excess of formula, they clearly look very unhappy and do not regain their energy.

How much formula do you feed your nestlings and fledgelings? Thanks!

edph2013

Have you been keeping the dried formula in the freezer? Once the jar is opened, dried formula can go bad in a couple of weeks if kept at room temperature. Feeding them sour formula will kill the chicks. Powdered Kaytee doesn't give off any real odor to warn you it's sour.

[lovezebs]

edph2013

I happened to come across this article and found it quite interesting.
I wonder if this is what you're seeing in your fledglings...

Click on the site below:

http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/featur ... thrive.php

[edph2013]

Here is the thing: As soon as they learn to eat seeds, their energy returns to full strength. If I have an adult/parent finch, usually the adult will try to feed the fledglings; once their crops contain seeds, their energy returns to full strength.

I simply do not understand why the formula works fantastically for the first 30 days, and then over the course of 2 or 3 days, they transform from fully healthy to weak and pretty much flightless.

What is the recommended dosage to feed to young zebra finches? Anyone?

edph2013

I happened to come across this article and found it quite interesting.
I wonder if this is what you're seeing in your fledglings...

Click on the site below:

http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/featur ... thrive.php

[lovezebs]

edph2013

Personally I don't go by any recommended amount or measurement, I simply feed babies until they are satiated.

Once full, they will draw away from any more feeding and that's that.

By the way, I keep my unused formula in the freezer as well, to keep it fresh.
If open bags are kept outside for any periods of time between chicks that need to be fed, they tend to go off and at times grow bugs as well.

As to why your chicks seem to become listless and lacking in energy around 30 days, I'm not sure. Perhaps they are simply ready to take the next step and go into adult diet.

[Babs _Owner]

edph2013

I just checked my Kaytee storage instructions on my jar in the freezer.

It says "For use over 30 days you MUST refrigerate". Its on the right side of the label on the back. Its unfortunate the storage warning is so small, many miss it.

I was warned by a breeder of conures to freeze it. She lost two clutches to Kaytee powder that was only 3 weeks old and not kept cold, as it can go bad sooner than 30 days depending on humidity and warmth of your home. And it will kill chicks. And it's not pretty. They slowly starve and dehydrate, yeast kicks in hard and they die.

I would throw out that jar and get a fresh one and not feed them anymore from that jar.