Please help my green singers are murderers!!!

[Waxbillman]

I just got home and discovered the two hatchlings on the floor of the cage all the way on the opposite side of where the nest is. These chicks were not able to walk. They did not have feathers yet but had the beginnings of feathers. I was so upset!! I just bought them meal worms and was loading them up with egg food for them. I don't know what happened. Everything was normal last night and also when I went to work this morning. What could have caused them to remove them from the nest? ANyone have any thoughts please? My initial reaction was that the male did this because he wanted to breed again. Could this be the case? I have read different things online. Some say to remove the male green singer after the babies hatch and other's say just let them be. I never witnessed any aggression and the male actually would feed the female as she sat on the babies and seemed to even feed them from what I saw. I really am lost. I was so happy about my very first successful clutch and now I'm very upset. Please help.
Pete

[lovezebs]

Waxbillman

Hi Pete,

So sorry about your tossed chicks .

It's so sad when our birdies pull these stunts, but it does happen, and it is so frustrating.

There is no one reason as to why parents toss their chicks.
Sometimes, it's because they don't have the appropriate food.
Sometimes, because the nest is disturbed by other birds, or people.
Sometimes, because the male wants to breed again, sometimes the female will do it too for whatever the reason.
Sometimes, because the parents are inexperienced.
Sometimes because there is something wrong with the chicks, or if they die in the nest.
Sometimes because the parents are psychos (but that's unusual).

Did you by any chance notice if the chicks had food in their crops?

[Waxbillman]

Yes I did. They had full crops.

[Waxbillman]

I suppose it is part of life. As a first time breeder I guess I should accept this as part of the process. I never thought this would've happened by the way they acted. I'm sure plenty of people here have experienced this I guess. I just felt horrible when I came home and saw them on the floor. Thank you for your warm words of encouragement.

[Gracie85]

Green Singers are murderers. My friend had a pair, they tossed their chicks about halfway through, she saved one and had to hand feed to raise him. Second clutch, two chicks, fed them to fledging, then Dad became psycho murderer, she had to pull him, put him in a small cage attached to the big one, he continued to feed the begging chicks through the bars, but that way he couldn't kill them. She had had enough, so she gave the pair to me.

After a while, they started to feel their hormones again, and he began pursuing her. Only he was getting really rough, so I put the divider in my cage. On consultation with a more experienced friend, she told me that you had to let him beat her up, it was part of their pre-mating ritual. So, I took out the divider. A few weeks later, the hormones started up again. He was so rough, sometimes brutal! Experienced friend said, yes, it's hard to watch, but necessary. Then he started slamming her to the ground mid-flight. I was out when this started, came home to see it happen once, but must have been going on the couple hours I was gone, because she got up, and hid in the greenery all puffed up and just horrible looking. I divided the cage, but it was too late. She died the next day. Stupid murderous psycho male just started singing and singing, calling for a new female.

Pretty song, horrid birds. He died without any warning signs about a year later. Miss the song, not the bird. Not at all.

[lem2bert]

Waxbillman

I am so sorry that happened, it can be so heartbreaking . I know that you were so excited about this clutch and I was anxious to see those babies . Again I am so sorry.

[lovezebs]

Waxbillman

Green Singers are not psycho murderers as a rule.

Some males are more rough than others, but nothing like some Red throated Parrot Finches I have seen.

Here is an information site from the Finch Information Centre which might be helpfull.

http://www.finchinfo.com/birds/finches/ ... _finch.php

I would give them another chance, and just keep a careful eye on them. Place a few layers of soft paper towel at the bottom of the cage/flight (on top of the grate), in case chicks do get tossed.

If they get tossed and are still alive, put them back in the nest, and remove the male. Because both parents feed the chicks, this should only be done as a last resort.

Good luck.

[cindy]

what type of nest are you using? if a canary cup type of a nest is the nesting material to high up? could the babies have gotten knocked out, rolled out by accident?

covering the bottom of the cage with a few layers sections of newspaper wrapped in white paper towels will cushion the chicks if knocked out.

Note: when not breeding these birds reduce the egg food and fatty seed to cut down on that hormonal surge that sets them into breeding mode. Birds not feeding young or molting do not need daily egg food in their diets... it keep those hormone levels elevated. Some remove the egg food all together until the pair are feeding young or molting.

[Waxbillman]

Thank you to everyone for your encouragement. The babies were on the opposite side of the cage from where the nest was. The chicks were too small to walk. It was obvious to me they did not fall out. I believe what Elana told me in another post. It's very difficult to determine what the cause was so I can't drive myself crazy trying to figure t out. I know many people have experienced this and I also know that these birds can and do breed successfully otherwise I wouldn't have my pair right now. I will let the birds do as they would naturally and if they want to breed again I will help them again. I just hope they don't don't toss the chicks again. I don't know how many times I can come home to something like this. Especially when they were half grown. I suppose I need to accept something like this as part of ownership. I only wish I was home when this happened. I would have attempted to save them even though I don't know the first thing about hand raising chicks. Perhaps I would have tried to put them back in the nest and separate the male until the chicks were grown. It's no use thinking about this now though. Thank you so much guys.
Pete

[lovezebs]

Waxbillman

Good luck with future babies Pete .