I need a little help/advice with the new hatching.

livinonaprayer · Post by **livinonaprayer** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 2:23 pm

Two days ago one of the zebra eggs hatched. I think they're feeding it but I'm not really sure. There's no little chirping noises coming from the nest.
I noticed a little movement in there one time when they were out of the nest.

If the chick dies will they toss it out of the nest?

If the one hatched two days ago how long should I wait to see if the others hatch?

And finally...what should I do with the remaining eggs?

Post by **Sally** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:32 pm

Congrats on the baby! Most babies don't make any noise at all for the first few days, some you don't hear for about a week, and some never make any detectable noise at all. If the chick would die, usually the parents will toss it. I'd leave the other eggs in there for now, to keep the parents from sitting too close on the one baby, and they still could hatch.

livinonaprayer · Post by **livinonaprayer** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:56 pm

That's better. Thanks.
I peaked in the nest while the parents were out and the little guy is moving.
I don't suppose they would still go in the nest if they weren't feeding the baby. Or would they?
Now I'm worried that they might accidentally suffocate it at night because both parents sleep in the nest.
Oh the worries.

Annabelle · Post by **Annabelle** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:31 pm

There really are a ton of stresses when you are breeding birds (or really any animal for that matter). In my experience and from being a close observer when my mum bred birds I think it would be unusual for the parents to suffocate their babies. In most bird pairs both parents sleep in the nest and I havent yet seen suffocated babies as a result.
If they are in and out of the nest all day and your food is disappearing a little faster then they are most likely feeding the baby.
Congrats on the little tyke and good luck!

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 2:20 am

I had a clutch of 7 eggs and only one hatched. One chick wasn't enough to stimulate the parents to feed it. Chicks aren't normally fed immediately after they hatch. They are still absorbing the yolk and can live for a day or two without food from the parents.
Hopefully, a few more eggs will hatch and the parents will start feeding them.

livinonaprayer · Post by **livinonaprayer** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 1:40 pm

Today I see two babies. The first hatched this past Monday and the other one I don't know. I just saw it.
There were more than the usual amount of eggs in the nest. In the beginning there were about eleven. I know they won't all hatch. Now I think they might have buried them because I sure don't see them all.
I guess they hatch in the order that they were laid.

But now whenever the mother comes out of the nest, the male will go in and then try to fight off the mother. What's going on?
This is something new.

chrischris · Post by **chrischris** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 11:06 pm

Did the single chick die?

atarasi wrote:I had a clutch of 7 eggs and only one hatched. One chick wasn't enough to stimulate the parents to feed it. Chicks aren't normally fed immediately after they hatch. They are still absorbing the yolk and can live for a day or two without food from the parents.
Hopefully, a few more eggs will hatch and the parents will start feeding them.

atarasi · Post by **atarasi** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 11:47 pm

chrischris wrote:Did the single chick die?

Yes. It hatched on a Thursday and on Saturday I was out doing errands and when I came back, it was lifeless. I took it out and it was cold and didn't move much. I warmed it up and fed it some eggmeal and it seemed fine. I put it back in the nest and I saw the hen feed it and thought all was well. The next morning it was lifeless and took it out again and was cold and tried to feed it. It was too weak.
I put it in the society's nest and they went in to investigate, but didn't brood or feed it. It died shortly after.

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:44 am

atarasi wrote:
chrischris wrote:Did the single chick die?
Yes. It hatched on a Thursday and on Saturday I was out doing errands and when I came back, it was lifeless. I took it out and it was cold and didn't move much. I warmed it up and fed it some eggmeal and it seemed fine. I put it back in the nest and I saw the hen feed it and thought all was well. The next morning it was lifeless and took it out again and was cold and tried to feed it. It was too weak.
I put it in the society's nest and they went in to investigate, but didn't brood or feed it. It died shortly after.

Aw, sorry to hear about that one atarasi. They'll get better with future babies.