Cockatiel keeps dieing

[dude96]

Hello guys , my cocktail chicks have died I don't know the reason but I saw one thing very similar that all had small whole pellets in their crop and in some chicks the Pellets were stuck in the intestine, they were fed by their parents. Can anyone please tell me that what should I give the parents to ensure that my chicks do not die due to this reason .

 

[Xoetix]

It really sounds like the best thing to do is to not let them breed/not let the eggs hatch. It sounds like they are not well equipped to be parents. Which definitely happens, it’s nothing bad about them really, just some pairs aren’t parental like others.

 

[Shannan]

How many are left? It sounds like you may need to pull them from the parents and hand feed. If you are not prepared to do that then perhaps contacting a vet and/ or a parrot rescue to raise them. In the meantime would the parents eat the pellets if they were pre softened? You would have to constantly replace the pellets with fresh about every two hours but at least the babies would have a better chance if the pellets were already mushy. Again contact a vet or parrot rescue to get those babies appropriate food.

 

[dude96]

How many are left? It sounds like you may need to pull them from the parents and hand feed. If you are not prepared to do that then perhaps contacting a vet and/ or a parrot rescue to raise them. In the meantime would the parents eat the pellets if they were pre softened? You would have to constantly replace the pellets with fresh about every two hours but at least the babies would have a better chance if the pellets were already mushy. Again contact a vet or parrot rescue to get those babies appropriate food.

There are still 3 eggs left , no the parents don't eat when the Pellets are softened I have tried it once. Thank you so much for the info

 

[Emma&pico]

What pellets are you feeding the parents and what size ?
Have you seen the parents pick up whole pellets and taken them to nest ?
Even the parents shouldn’t be swallowing whole pellets ? They should be eating it not taking a whole piece and swallowing maybe your pellet size is too big for the parents too the parents should be eating and regulating food back to chicks that’s almost a mushy substance

 

[Emma&pico]

@Zara any ideas please

 

[dude96]

What pellets are you feeding the parents and what size ?
Have you seen the parents pick up whole pellets and taken them to nest ?
Even the parents shouldn’t be swallowing whole pellets ? They should be eating it not taking a whole piece and swallowing maybe your pellet size is too big for the parents too the parents should be eating and regulating food back to chicks that’s almost a mushy substance

I am using Foxtail Millet they are quiet small usually they first break it down by their beaks then eat it , but they were feeding the chick whole seed I don't know why ?

 

[Zara]

Is this their first clutch? How many clutches have they had before?
How many chicks died during this clutch? And how many died in total?
How old were these chicks when they died?
Are the three remaining eggs fertile?
How old ar these parents?
What is the setup?
What is the nest bedding? Is it clean and fresh?

That millet looks like that in the crop. I have seen it myself with my lovebirds and none died. I am wondering if there is another cause of death?

 

[Rebel]

I am using Foxtail Millet they are quiet small usually they first break it down by their beaks then eat it , but they were feeding the chick whole seed I don't know why ?

My birds were on seed when they had babies. The seeds looked whole in the babies crop but they werent.

 

[dude96]

Is this their first clutch? How many clutches have they had before?
How many chicks died during this clutch? And how many died in total?
How old were these chicks when they died?
Are the three remaining eggs fertile?
How old ar these parents?
What is the setup?
What is the nest bedding? Is it clean and fresh?

That millet looks like that in the crop. I have seen it myself with my lovebirds and none died. I am wondering if there is another cause of death?

It's their first clutch , total 2 has died , 3 fertile eggs are still remaining, both chicks were about 3-4 days old , male is 3 yrs old and female is about 2 years old , I have a big earthen pot in their cage , it has 2 large holes for entry and circulation , the nest bedding is wood chips it's clean and I change it if it's dirty.

 

[Zara]

Do you know what the wood is?

It is strange they would both pass away with food in the crops. Could be crop impaction from something, possible slow crop? Was the area they are in cold?
Did you inspect the bodies? Any chance the/a parent/s attacked them?

The parents are good ages for breeding, but sometimes these things happen, even with experienced breeder birds.

As much as it is sad to think about, it is good to try and figure out what caused the deaths especially as there are more chicks on the way. If it is something simple like toxic wood in the nest, it can be rectified before they hatch.

 

[dude96]

Do you know what the wood is?

It is strange they would both pass away with food in the crops. Could be crop impaction from something, possible slow crop? Was the area they are in cold?
Did you inspect the bodies? Any chance the/a parent/s attacked them?

The parents are good ages for breeding, but sometimes these things happen, even with experienced breeder birds.

As much as it is sad to think about, it is good to try and figure out what caused the deaths especially as there are more chicks on the way. If it is something simple like toxic wood in the nest, it can be rectified before they hatch.

The parent most of the time sir on them to provide them heat , i saw on the body that some whole seeds were present in the crop and most of were in the area below the crop ( possibly the intestine) . There were no attack marks on the chicks. I really think that the major issues is the food itself that the parents are feeding to the chicks . The reason why chick survived for 4 days because I was hand feeding it formula, on 3rd day when I noticed that the parents were feeding the chicks ( whole crop filled with pellets) I completely let them feed the chicks ( because even I can't feed every 2 hours due to my work ) , the next day the chick was really weak , I tried to hand feed it , but it died some hours later.