# Mother killing newly hatched chicks, help?



## CrazyKeet'sMom (Jan 19, 2014)

My hen has a 4 week old chick who is thriving. However, she "double clutched' and had 2 more fertile eggs. One hatched on Wednesday, and one on Friday. 

The first one, I was at work and came home to a cold, dead chick who'd been pushed to the side of the nestbox. The poor thing appeared to have trauma and bled out of its eye. I contributed this to the huge chick still being in the nestbox, and removed him to our heated brooder.

Friday morning I heard the telltale chirps coming from the last egg. By 11 the chick was out. I left for about 2 hours, and when I came home it was dead as well. Pushed to the edges of the nestbox, cold, and had a laceration on the back of its neck that had bled.

The only thing I can figure is that the hen, Pepper, killed the babies. My cock, Cash, is very sweet and loving towards his only chick and does most of the cuddling and feeding. Pepper was rough with the chick and still is not crazy about it.

Anybody have any suggestions about what might be wrong, or why she is doing this? I thought it could be nutritional, but they have so much food and such a variety that food can't be the problem.

I welcome any suggestions or help. It was very sad to find two perfectly healthy and well formed chicks dead.


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## Ftest (May 18, 2013)

I'm sorry that I don't have any advise, but wanted to send a hug your way. Must have been upsetting to find both those babies.


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

I've heard of parent birds ignoring new babies when they already have an existing chick and don't think they have the wherewithal to raise all of them, but killing them is obviously much more extreme. Pepper sounds like she might not have wanted to be a mom in the first place, unfortunately.


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

I am very sorry your babies died. But then maybe you should separate pepper from the babies and leave the cock with them. If all the babies died then your hen will probably lay another egg. Or else you didn't take good care of them. I hope that if any more baby comes it will live.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I am so sorry this happened to you. It must be very upsetting.

I don't have an answer, but those who know more may want to know how old the hen is and whether this is her first clutch.


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## CrazyKeet'sMom (Jan 19, 2014)

Yes, this is Pepper's first clutch. She laid 4 infertile eggs and one fertile egg to being with, then raised the only chick that hatched. When it was about 1 week old, she laid 2 more eggs, both of which were fertile and are the two that hatched and she killed.

I made sure not to change anything. The cage stayed put, the food was the same, except the addition of the bean cuisine and whole grain bread, which she seems to enjoy, and I did not add or remove any perches or toys.

I am still at a loss.


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## Fredandiris (Nov 27, 2012)

Hmm I remember reading one one of srtiels websites that some parents can be abusive, to the point of killing their chicks. 

Is your pair bonded? I just looked up the bonded vs bondage article on srtiels website justcockatiels.net. A sign of a bondage pair is chick abuse.

If that's not the case then it could be that she's just not fit to be a parent. This is a serious problem and I don't think that letting her practice more (as people usually do with inexperienced pairs) would do much good in making her a better parent.


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## srtiels (May 1, 2009)

*Pepper sounds like she might not have wanted to be a mom in the first place, unfortunately.* *Is your pair bonded?*
---------------- 

I was thinking the same thing when reading this. This is the link the article about Bonded/Bondage pairs: http://www.internationalcockatielresource.com/bonded-or-bondage-pair.html


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## CrazyKeet'sMom (Jan 19, 2014)

Cash and Pepper eat together, sleep together (during naps, at night she's in the box and he's on guard on the highest perch), preen each other, and generally sit around together. One gets upset when the other leaves the cage for a vet visit or something. 

It seems that they're bonded, but I guess in some way it could be bondage. I had not thought about that. Cash is younger, about a year old, while Pepper is 3. Cash has been a terrific dad.


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

Well I think that no need to figure out why she killed them. We are not certain she killed them anyway. When another comes that is when you have to be alarmed.


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