# Chick not growing Or developing



## SilverSage (Oct 19, 2014)

I have two pair breeding, pair one layer the egg, pair two is raising the chick. I have never had this experience before and could really use some input as what I am finding online is of no use.

Back story: I recently moved to Hawaii and purchased new cockatiels, these pair come from good friend of mine and have histories as good parents, no issues. All birds are between two and four years old. I bought the cages with the birds as my own cages had not yet arrived, their setup is identical to that which they have always used.

Pair one layer four eggs. Two weeks later she laid five more. Two of the first and one of the second were fertile. The last egg to be laid was the fertile one, so I fostered it to the second pair as they had laid an infertile egg on the same day. 

The first two chicks hatched, but I was doing my best not to disturb the hen more than necessary because of her irregular laying pattern, and the suspicion it might have been caused by stress. This caused a delay in noticing that baby number two had stopped growing. When I did see it, his crop was inflated but empty of food. I deflated it and fed him a couple of ccs and put him back. His crop emptied in about two hours, so I fed him again, just a little more. Two hours later he was dead. He was two weeks old but the size of a baby perhaps four days old. He had been larger but had lost weight.

The last chick, as I said I had fostered to the second pair as an egg. They tossed one of their fertile eggs on the day it should have hatched, but hatched one of their own and the foster, who is two days younger than their chick. Well both the foster and the chick of pair number two are about two weeks old now, and while their own chick is doing well, the baby from the other pair looks about four days old. No feather growth, eyes not open. Unlike his sibling who died, he is being fed, his crop is emptying and filling, he has not gained and then lost weight, but he is so TINY and isn't progressing normally at all. Parents are still incubating him. some have suggested worms but the parents were all worked prior to entering my home, as well as being tested for common diseases. The nearest good bird vet is over two hours away, and they have told me they "don't typically deal with chicks" and won't say anything over the phone besides "bring him in" which leads me to distrust them. I am usually the one declaring "go to the vet!" But in this case I suspect the trip would do more harm than good. The parents had a clean bill of health prior to breeding, and I see no signs of illness in my flock other than this pair producing a high number of infertile eggs, and now having two of their three chicks refuse to develop.

The parents are on Volkmans cockatiel diet, they have constant access to the dry seed as well as to pellets, and they get fresh sprouts and veggies daily along with spiralina breeding supplement, and of course cuttle bone. They have been on this diet since arriving in June.

Any suggestions? I am really at a loss here.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Is he stunted? It could be he isn't getting enough fluids. "The chicks that usually do need a little help are usually the last in a clutch. The parents may be feeding all the chicks, but by the time the last chicks hatch out, to a few days old, they are being fed the harder thicker consistency food that the larger babies get. Many times this can be whole seed or solid soft foods. In each type of food there may be very little liquids. It is the combination of a more solid food and little liquid that contributes to stunting, poor growth, secondary stress related yeast/bacterial infections, and death. Thus, helping the chick and parents out by assist feeding a couple times a day formula until the chicks are past a week old helps out. It is also a good idea while checking that the chicks are fed to make sure that their beaks and head are free of debri and excess food. When parents are Sloppy Feeders (additional info) this can lead to other problems.
If a chick is stunted it can be seen as early as a week old. The most common cause is a hard packed crop, with very little fluids which creates dehydration within the digestive tract and organs. Assist feeding a chick a diluted formula and working it into the existing food in the crop, will help hydrate the chick, and also the additional fluids will help with digestion. If severely dehydrated you can mix up an electrolyte solution to use as the water to mix the formula, or use Coconut Water, found at most grocery stores. One thing I had learned when working with chicks is that when they are dehydrated digestion is slower. If there is a problem of yeast/bacteria in the digestive tract the slower movement of food contributes to not only additional absorption of nutrients from the food, but also the absorption of pathogens."
http://www.justcockatiels.net/assist-feeding-chicks-in-the-nest.html
http://www.justanswer.com/pet/11rmm-feed-mother-cockatiel-newly-hatched-eggs.html

Maybe trying helping the chicks out or giving the parents some softer foods to feed them.

The others will be wanting to fly soon so this might be useful: "Cockatiel chicks are known for their pre-flight diet as they approach three to four weeks of age. Suddenly the chicks stop eating as much, which is confusing and frustrating to those who are new to handfeeding. At this time the chick will lose weight in preparation for flight. Novice handfeeders may mistake this for weaning. However after some solo flights the chick's appetite returns - usually around the sixth week. At this time you will find the chick is more interested in eating and will increase the amount taken at each feeding. As the handfeeder you are ultimately responsible for seeing that the chicks get adequate nutrition while on the pre-flight diet. Many breeders will tell you that this is easier said than done. Tiel chicks can be especially stubborn when getting ready for flight. My own personal strategy for this is to feed less volume in the syringe more often. At three to four weeks I want my chicks to get 20-30cc/mls of food a day. The chick's need for good nutrition doesn't go away just because it is getting ready for flight. The diet must support growth and sustain life. To accomplish this I give 5cc/mls of food at each feeding which results in five to six feedings for the day." http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww63e.htm

This link may be also be useful. Oh also never let them fly after they have eaten. They will hit their crop and the food will come up and aspirate them.
http://www.justcockatiels.net/hand-feeding-and-weaning.html


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## SilverSage (Oct 19, 2014)

Thank you I will read all the links, but he is not showing signs of dehydration at all, and his crop is pliable, not stiff as if he is dehydrated. The parents are on an excellent diet with plenty of access to soft food, and he is only two days younger than the other chick. He is also not showing signs of yeast or other infection such as white in the mouth or throat. I also find it suspicious that two siblings being raised by two sets of parents both failing to grow.


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## SilverSage (Oct 19, 2014)

Update: he has now opened his eyes, and has gained three grams, but that still only leaves him at 16 grams while his nest mate who is two days older is 98 grams. He can hold his head up and he looks around, but there is still no feather development. He is still being fed, still no signs of dehydration, and still being incubated. Mom and dad have not shown signs of frustration at his delay, but I am keeping a close eye as I will have to pull him if they do. But for now I don't want to, as he is being kept warm and well fed, so I don't feel like pulling him would do any good.


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## RexiesMuM (Sep 7, 2011)

I have a baby that is growing slowly as well , She is now about 5 weeks old and only 65 grams but she fledged and is such a fighter . I handfed her with cocunut water/formula for the first 2 weeks but she is being fed really well by mom and dad now she was the last baby from the clutch and was only 3 grams when she was born . GL with your little one there is hope for them yet  I plan on keeping her as well I can't in good conscious let someone else have her knowing she may not get the care she might need being so small


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## SilverSage (Oct 19, 2014)

Sadly he died today. He was 17 grams last night, and his nest mate was 109 grams. He died with a full crop. His crop had been filling and emptying normally, he wasn't dehydrated, he was being kept warm... He hatched November 8 and died November 29. In 21 days he had only grown to 17 grams. His clutch ate, raised by different parents, died similarly, but another baby from the same clutch is now fledging and healthy. This leads me to believe that either there is something wrong with the genetics or something specific went wrong with this clutch. If it happens again I will try mixing up the pairs, and if that still leads to the same problem, whichever parent was present in both troubled clutches will be retired and live the pet-only life. It's the only thing I can think of, since two different sets of parents raised the two dead babies, and both parents also raised a healthy chick.


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## RexiesMuM (Sep 7, 2011)

Sorry that you lost the little one , I would have to agree try mixing it up and see what happens , genetics could be bad and is there any possibility the parents are related ? Was this the parents first time with babies ?


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