# 2nd clutch, bigger nestbox?



## Miramonl (Jul 20, 2016)

So my pair decided to have another clutch after their first was only 5weeks old, I didn't get the box out in time, and during the hatching of the eggs from the first clutch, while three of the eggs hatched and where doing fine, a week later the 4th hatched and was good but the next morning when I woke to check on them they had smashed the baby. Should I change out the nest box to a bigger one so they have room since she has 6 eggs now and they will hatch at different times or can I put another box and separate them so the later ones will survive, will that even work? Any suggestions?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

If you change the box she may abandon them all together. The baby was smashed because it died sometime in the night, not because the box is too small. Parents will smash and bury baby bodies after they die. Are the 5 weekers still hanging out in the box too?


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## SilverSage (Oct 19, 2014)

A baby a week younger than the nearest sibling will almost never survive without human intervention.

Some would say to pull the older siblings for hand feeding and let the parents raise the little one, and while that makes sense on some levels I find it better to pull the youngster. The reason I say this is because usually the parents have already transitioned to feeding a thicker food that is too thick for the tiny baby and they tend to die of dehydration.

Leaving all the babies in the best with that big of an age difference usually leads to starvation by the tiniest member of the family.

I also agree with above. When babies die the parents typically smooth them and speed them out as best they can, which allows the body to dry up rather than rotting in the box 

If you plan to continue breeding, some people add a cardboard decided with a hole in the middle to the box to separate the new clutch from the old. This also allows the big brothers and sisters to help with the feeding.


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## SilverSage (Oct 19, 2014)

I should add that I brood day 1 babies in an egg incubator (not a brooder like I do older babies) and feed with a pipet instead of syringe. But if you aren't willing and able to feed every 1-2 hours including through the night, don't pull the tiny baby. Instead keep a close eye for dehydration and supplement with electrolyte solution. The danger is that supplementing may cause the baby not to cry for food which can lead parents to nip them.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

You can also co-parent instead of feeding by yourself. It's super hard to hand feed babies from day one and really not recommended if you've never hand fed before. But you can mix up some formula, making it super liquidy, and feed the baby that a couple times a day. This will help soften what the parents are already giving it since they are feeding a more solid food for the older chicks.


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## SilverSage (Oct 19, 2014)

That is a possibility that some people have good success with. The reason I don't suggest it is I have talked to a few too many people who have had parents get too aggressive trying to get their babies to cry for food due to this. Usually you notice it right away and it doesn't go beyond a couple of nipped Wong tips, but I've had new breeders tell me horror stories including one pair that ripped the beaks off of the whole clutch. So if you choose to go this rout (and it might be the right choice) be sure to keep a close eye and watch for signs of parental frustration.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> That is a possibility that some people have good success with. The reason I don't suggest it is I have talked to a few too many people who have had parents get too aggressive trying to get their babies to cry for food due to this. Usually you notice it right away and it doesn't go beyond a couple of nipped Wong tips, but I've had new breeders tell me horror stories including one pair that ripped the beaks off of the whole clutch. So if you choose to go this rout (and it might be the right choice) be sure to keep a close eye and watch for signs of parental frustration.


It's not for all the babies, just the one that needs the extra help because the food is TOO solid for it. I think the success of this also depends on the tameness of the pair. We have one member who does this exclusively and has no issues. I, myself, have done it in the past with no issues. It might be that it works better with tamer birds.


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