FINCHforum

My pair of Gouldians have now had 3 different clutches and every time the babies seem to be doing well. Parents feeding and babies starting to chirp in the nest - and getting loud! Next thing I see, tossed dead babies on the bottom of the cage.
What can be the reason? I feed daily: boiled egg, egg food, egg shell, greens, live meal worm, millet, finch seed, cuttle bone in the cage, shell grit and charcoal. Plenty of fresh water.
I am beyond frustrated.

Dbearden

Are the dead chicks' crops full? Are they bitten around the head, wings, or legs, or any other physical injuries?

If they don't have physical injuries it may be a bacterial or a protozoal infection like Trichomonas that the parents have immunity to but are carriers of, and thus pass it on to their young each time.

Are the chicks mostly feathered or quite naked? Gouldians will stop warming their chicks overnight when they feel the chicks can warm themselves enough. If the parents have a habit of doing that too early the chicks can die of cold in winter. I've had pairs that do that so I've had to place the chicks in an incubator overnight until they became fully feathered.

Hopefully the above will help you decide the correct course of action. Best of luck.

Dbearden

I've had two males tossed this season and both tossed only when the chicks began to vocalise. I see that pattern too and I dont know why the vocalising triggered it.

Both times I removed the male and let the hen raise them on her own successfully.

Maybe someone can chime in on a theory.