FINCHforum

There is only one remaining goldfinch chick out of the four I had tried to raise, I really don't know what the problem is and they just mysteriously die one after the other. Could this be a disease? I was told it could be a genetic problem. But I kinda doubt that.

The last chick is in a brooder, she is almost 5 weeks old and is being handfed once every 1-2 hours again.

Anyone have any ideas on why perfectly healthy finches would just suddenly die?

Why are they being hand fed and in a brooder? Were they abandoned?

I've never tried to hand feed, and from the posts I've read on here, it is not easy. Babies will appear to be fine one day, then die the next. So many bacteria and infections, particularly yeast infections seem common with very young birds. This is more likely than something genetic.

Can you be a little more specific as to what you are feeding them, temperature they are kept in, etc? Someone with more experience at hand feeding may be able to jump in and offer you some suggestions then.

I hope you can keep the last one going to fledging. Good luck.

These are wild birds and the parents were killed so I took them in, I've had them for a month. I feed them EXACT and they were fine up until the second week when the fledged.

The older stronger chicks seemed to have died first and the remaining one is the youngest of the clutch,

If they are dying in order of oldest to youngest I would suspect some type of illness or genetic disorder.

Sorry about the loss of the older ones. I still think it's more likely that it's either some sort of infection, or simply not the correct diet. Do you have a bird rehabilitation centre near you? You could call them to confirm if you are feeding everything to the baby that you should.

Were the babies that died fully feathered already? So sad, after the hard work of feeding them. But hand feeding is hard, and there is so much that can go wrong. All you can do is try.

IF they were already fledgling age, then it seems likely an infection, not diet.

Could the infection have spread from bird to bird? I guess that might be it, Is there any way to save the last one?

We don't have a rehab center near us...

And yes they were all fully feathered and flying around...

Without knowing what type of infection (bacteria or virus?) it would be impossible to say. Is the little guy eating at all on his own yet?

Yes he could already have caught something from the parents who fed him at hatching, and also fed the others, so they all could have the same thing wrong. It could just be some bug that takes some time to develop. Sorry I can't offer any suggestions.

Is he eating any seed or is he still eating formula? I'd try to get him on to seed as soon as possible. If he's already been flying around, then it's time to start weaning him off the formula anyway.

Sorry that you lost the little ones... it's especially heartbreaking after all that time and effort you invested in them I know. Anybody who has hand-fed has been there.

I always use a product by ABBA when I handfeed that prevents microbial infections and contains a mild antibiotic as well. Hygiene is so critical when you handfeed but, honestly, it's very easy for the babies to get infections through handfeeding if ANYTHING is off -- for example if the water is not pure and you're using regular water from sink, or the device (syringe or whatever) you are using isn't fully sanitized each time you use it. Finches are difficult to handfeed successfully without quite a bit of experience so don't feel bad if you lose them all. You did more than most people would attempt. Kudos to you!

I don't think you want to invest in any ABBA products since this is probably a one-time thing for you but if you ever have reason to do it again there is a good product out there for it.

They had begun eating on their own, but thats when the infection started so I continued hand feeding them. But, I always leave some millet and water in the brooder.

I took him out of his cage awhile ago, cause it's kinda cold in there by himself. And actually, Im not entirely sure if he can fly, since he is the youngest (the older chicks could all fly) and I haven't seen him attempt to fly or anything. He cheeps and hops around though.

I am going to leave him in the brooder and continue handfeeding until he's stronger. He is only 4 1/2 week old, and I believe finches wean at 6 weeks. But maybe wild finches wean faster?

Very likely wild chicks ween faster -- makes sense since they face more danger quicker in the "wild".

The only thing I can think of is it might be picking up some of it's own poop when it's eating on it's own -- thereby starting a bacterial infection. Just a guess.

If the handfeeding is still working I'd keep it up but offer seed, eggfood and fresh water too -- try to keep it away from it's own feces as much as possible.

Good luck! Keep us posted.