FINCHforum

All seemed fine... All five eggs hatched on Weds.
Today found 3 babies dead on cage bottom....
Is this normal?
I am new to finches (pair oz Zeb's)
do you think the other two babies will make it?
Mom is in the nest alot. Cant really tell if they are feeding them. The parents both eat well, so I assumed the babies were being fed?
What do you all think I should or could have done...
I am feeding a mixed seed, millet eggfood with small amount of baby rice cereal in it and a few mixed veggies... and dried egg from pet store in the mixture too.
Thanks,
adiekaty

Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss--you were so excited, too. This is the down side of breeding--you will have losses, even with Zebras. Are you providing fresh eggfood (mashed up hardboiled egg)? Zebs are usually not too picky about their diet, so don't require a lot of special things, but they do need high protein to feed babies. Any moist food, like fresh eggfood, can't be left in the cage all day, as it can go bad.

Also, I did not notice any calcium source in your list. This is not for the babies right now, but for the hen especially. Making eggs takes a lot of calcium out of her body, so be sure to provide her with a good mineral mix (not bird gravel that you see in pet stores) or crushed eggshells.

Most of the time, we don't know what went wrong--parents could be inexperienced, something wrong with the babies, parents don't feel their diet provides enough nutrition for their babies, parents feel threatened--many things.

Thanks Sally... I am really sad about what happened..
Yes I do have a cuttle bone... anything else I could do?
I am doing eggfood... leaving it about 4 hrs. Is that ok?
Do you think the other babies will survive?

I'm sorry.

sorry to hear about your loss.
this wont help make you feel any better but this has happened to us all from time to time and most times there isnt a good reason.
hope the remaining youngsters survive

Thanks ..... It actually does help some that this has happenened to a few of you all. I really hope the other 2 make it....
Any tips on things to change or do?

My neighbor lost her female on Friday... they have 4 eggs... So we are crossing our fingers the male can raise them...
You think it's possible?
They are do to hatch this week...
Thanks again,
Adiekaty

How often are you checking in on them? Too much activity around the cage might have caused the parents too much stress. We all learn as we go. A lot of people like to be more hands on and be part of the experience. For me, I only go into the bird room twice a day when they are incubating and when the chicks are only a few days old. I'm sure I miss out on a lot of other excitement.