Urgent Zebra Finches dying (graphic photos)

[Sreed]

Hello im new here and recently adopted the birds from a friends aviary who is moving house but unable to take them with him. I keep chickens and Quail but I've been thrown in at the deep end somewhat with 27 zebra finches and 11 diamond doves. Today (3rd day of having them) i have found 4 dead finches on the floor and it looks like 3 more are struggling. Any ideas? Theyve only been fed standard finch feed (pets at home?) Since ive had them and also some sliced cucumber. Today my wife put some apple in, that i am concerned contained seeds. Would this have had such an immediate effect? Thank you!
Further info - they have a 'shed' of 7ft x 5ft and an outside area of 9ft x 7ft. Shed was stained a day prior to their arrival but only the outside which is well ventilated. Plants included are a small pine, dogwoods, blackcurrant, cotoneaster horizontalis and carex grasses. I looked these plants up and thought they were all ok?

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[Zara]

Apple seeds contain amygdalin, a substance that releases cyanide digested. If they were accidentally given apple seeds...

Have a clean up and be sure no seeds remain in the enclosure.

I´m very sorry for your losses.

 

[Lady Jane]

I am sorry. Finches are so tiny and fragil.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I’m so very sorry, and I hope all the rest will be okay.

 

[Sreed]

Apple seeds contain amygdalin, a substance that releases cyanide digested. If they were accidentally given apple seeds...

Have a clean up and be sure no seeds remain in the enclosure.

I´m very sorry for your losses.

Thanks Zara, that was my worry. Would 1 or 2 seeds per bird have been enough? The previous owner said he had never given them apple and he suggested that maybe theyd eaten too much of it and it fermented in their stomachs? I lost a diamond dove today too. It was only a fledgeling so wonder if the move unsettled it or whether its been caused by the same thing. The rest all look ok.

 

[Lady Jane]

Yes one seed would be enough for a tiny finch. (I am guessing here)

 

[finchly]

I seriously doubt that finches would eat apple seeds. They're too large.

Plus you're losing others now. I would look to something environmental -- toxins in the air, like someone spraying fertilizer or bug spray. Temperature differences. Food containers, water -- perhaps soap was left on the water container?

Have any of them appeared sick before the losses? What do the droppings look like? ARe they normal?

Your aviary is fairly large, did they know where the food was and how to get to it? What about the water, was it in a container they're familiar with?

I assume they got food other than apples right?

 

[Love My Zons]

Where are you located? Are they in the sun, shade?

Heat index here might get up to 107 to 109 tomorrow.

Just thinking here.

 

[Sreed]

Thanks for replies. Im in Suffolk, UK. It hasnt been too hot or too cold, they have sheltered at night and the aviary is in partial shade. The food and water containers were cleaned and dried and i had seen them eating from them ok. They had finch seed mix with the apples. I rinsed the containers well after washing so hopefully there was no soap. Im surrounded by hedges and then fields so no neighbours to spray anything. They all seem ok at the moment so i have no idea. This isnt the bird rescue mission I envisaged

 

[finchly]

I’m so sorry. Sometimes we never know.

 

[JLcribber]

Plus you're losing others now. I would look to something environmental -- toxins in the air, like someone spraying fertilizer or bug spray. Temperature differences. Food containers, water -- perhaps soap was left on the water container?

This is the most likely culprit.

 

[tka]

I wonder if it is the woodstain. I know it's in a well-ventilated area but their systems are so sensitive and tiny. @JLcribber, what do you think?

 

[JLcribber]

I wonder if it is the woodstain. I know it's in a well-ventilated area but their systems are so sensitive and tiny. @JLcribber, what do you think?

Yup. Very big suspect

 

[sunnysmom]

I'm so sorry for your losses.