how should I feed a newly hatched chick?

[gouldian_finch]

my goulidan laid 6 eggs, they are first time parents, and I am first time owner...

I noticed 1 egg hatched today. However I am not sure whether the parents are feeding it or not, or maybe it is too weak to beg for food?

I checked a few hours later, it is still same, no food in crop at all, and the chick never raise its head to beg for food... is it normal for new born? all the video I watched, the chicks are begging for food. or maybe the first a few days, it will grow itself as there are still some yolk inside their body?


then I decided to intervene, I had hand feed baby pigeons before, from day 1, but finch are so tiny, I really do not how to handle it... the chick barely breathing at this moment... I got some baby bird formula, and used a tiny tube, but the chick will not open its mouth...

finally I manage to insert tiny bit liquid formula in its mouth... it is still breathing, quite slow and heavily....

15 minutes later, it died....

Did I intervene too early? are new born chick suppose to look like that way? as they will perk up later to beg for food? or I intervene too late? by this time, the chick is already starved to death?


I think I will not touch any other chicks any more, even the parents do not feed them, as I really do not know how to handle such tiny thing...

I am so scared and guilty

[lovezebs]

gouldian_finch

Sigh.... I'm sorry about your tiny baby.

Chicks live off their egg yolk sack for the first little while, so there is no need to intervene and attemot to feed them.

Feeding newly hatched chicks, is a very difficult and time consuming job. Even if you take every precaution, these babies very often aspirate food into their lungs and die shortly there after.

I would supply the parents with lots of hard boiled egg, either mashed or put through a garlic press, lots of fresh greens, lots of spray millet, and let them do the job that nature meant them to do.

P.S. unless you are very intune with your parents, I would suggest not doing too many nest checks, as parents may abandon the whole clutch, unhatched or hatched.

[gouldian_finch]

Thanks a lot for your suggestion, I will touch them any more, hopefully they will start to feed the new chicks

[Sally]

So sorry you lost the little one. As Elana has said, hand feeding is so very difficult, as these finch babies are simply so tiny that it is difficult to feed them and not aspirate them. Sometimes you are just caught between a rock and a hard place, as if you wait, the baby dies anyway. And sometimes young parents just have to go through a learning curve, hard as it is to stand by and do nothing.

You've gotten good advice, and I hope the parents will feed the other babies after they hatch.

[Babs _Owner]

gouldian_finch

Sally and Elana, Im right beside them on this one. I've handfed and interfered sometimes simply out of panic.

Panic 1. Baby under a day old and no food in crop.
Mistake 1. I pulled babies and raised them

Solution: Parents leave less that 1 drop in the crop the first 1-2 days. And as long as the baby is alive the parents probably gave it teeny bits, or some liquid-regurgitation you cant see it sometimes.

Panic 2. Mom didnt sit in the nest on day 10.
Mistake 2. I pulled the kids in a panic and raised yet ANOTHER clutch. (lemme tell ya I was exhausted last year)

Solution: Depending on the warmth of the temperatures, if its warm the mother will sleep with her mate outside the next instead of with the babies. The babies often keep themselves warm with the heat in the nestbox and their new feathers & bodies warmth.

Avoid these panics, and dont make the same mistakes I did. Im lucky all my handfeds survived. Trust the parents. (I have the hardest time with that but when I did, everything went great!)

[gouldian_finch]

oh my lord, more chicks hatched.

I said I will not touch them any more. But this afternoon, I found a chick on the bottom of cage, I guess the parents throw it out.

I pick it up, after warm up, this tiny chick raise its head, beg for food, I open the nest box ,put it back, and I noticed there is another one already hatched.

both of them with empty crop

[Shannylee]

gouldian_finch, so sorry about the baby that didn't make it. It's exciting that you have more chicks hatching though. In my experience, I don't notice visible food in the crop until at least day 3. They live off of the yolk sac for the first couple of days. What are you feeding the parents to feed the babies?

[gouldian_finch]

I provided them normal seed, also spray millet, egg food. some boiled eggs, but they seem not interested, some sprout seeds, they totally ignored, I also added some dried mealworms

[lovezebs]

gouldian_finch

Don't forget the greens, very important.

As to the hard boiled eggs.
I put mine through a garlic press, then add pulverized freeze dried mealworms and toss gently together.
Once the chicks hatch, the parents will go for the eggs, spray millet and greens.

Good luck

[debbie276]

This is what a one day old chicks crop looks like full. You can hardly see the little bit of food on the right side.

[gouldian_finch]

Thanks everyone, some update

6 eggs, 5 chicks hatched, 1 egg is infertile.

However, 4 chicks died, they were scattered here and there in the nest box, some been squashed, look like parents sit on top of them, some are not , but all their dead little body were throw out one by one.

tonight I found the parents abandon the nest box, not sit in it anymore, there is last chick and infertile egg. the poor chick is starving, absolute nothing in the crops. it beg for food, so I feed it tiny bit and put it back to box, do not think it will survive.


Next time, I think I need to find some foster parents, I was told society finches are good, however, nobody nearby were selling society finches, most are zebra finch or java finches

Sigh....

[lovezebs]

gouldian_finch

Sorry about your babies.

Regarding the one surviving baby, you could try to put him in a little box under a warm light. Mix up some baby bird formula and offer tiny amounts of this formula to him with a tooth pick as often as he will take a little nibble.

I have to warn you though, that the odds of survival are slim, unless tou are really commited to this infant.

If he survives the next few hours, you may be able to start feeding with a tiny pipette.

[Shannylee]

gouldian_finch, I'm so sorry about your babies. Even if you had found societies, they may not have fostered. I had 4 gouldie eggs that I moved to a society nest after dad died and mom freaked out so much that she ditched her nest. Only 1 of the 4 gouldie eggs hatched and the societies kept tossing the chick until it died.

Your guys are first time parents so it's a really good sign that they produce fertile eggs. Don't feel guilty over the little guy that died. You tried to help it. We all do the best we can do for our birds. Sometimes we have victories and sometimes, tragedies.

[Babs _Owner]

gouldian_finch

Im sorry I missed this yesterday. Oh dear. Unfortuately its a bit late now in the game to think about fosters. However if the baby is still alive and the parents are not feeding it and you are committed to handfeeding. Rush to the nearest Toy-r-US (I have no idea where you are), or baby toy store. They should sell baby wipe warmers. Get a thermometer, and stablize the babywipe warmer to 95 degrees. Ask the pharmacist if they have any tiny glass pipettes they can give you. If not use the toothpick, scoop method.

Place the baby in the brooder (after the temp is stable) and let it get warmed up enough to beg. Then you can proceed with handfeeding. For an inexperienced handfeeder I suggest you warm the formula 95-100 degrees to prevent accidental crop burning, but some will disagree. Keep the baby in the brooder while you feed it so it doesnt get chilled. Formula should be very thin the first two days, and you can gradually thicken it as the baby grows stronger.

Keep a brooder like this on standby with the temperature stablized the next time you breed. Then you already have it ready and warm in case of an emergency. So sorry I read this late (and probably not in time for the little one). But these items are essential to have when breeding. Even if the little one has passed, I would go ahead and make that a mission before you let your pair breed again.

[gouldian_finch]

Thanks for suggestion, everyone...

the last chick also died the following day. All my birds were kept indoor with a central heating, so I do no think them were dead because of cold, however, new born possibly need much more higher temperature, I do have a few warmer on hands.

the main problem is to find the right tool to feed them, I have a syringe for baby pigeon, but too large for baby finches, thus I have to use a tiny tube, the tube is too thin, that formula can easily block it...

My 2nd pair laid 4 eggs, look like gonna hatch any day soon, but I do not hold much hope this time.

Also, I manage to find some society finches, but they are bit too young themselves, only 4 months old..