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Newly hatched conure not being fed - When to intervene? (sad update #41)

April

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Emma&pico

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So so sorry I am truly heartbroken for you
 

Conurious

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What do you guys think made it so he didn’t feed? Neurological? I know there’s no way to know like this, but that’s how my mind works. I need to know what might have happened
 

Zara

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I am very sorry for your loss. You gave the little one the best chance possible, it just wasn't meant to be.

Did you have any more eggs/chicks?
 

Conurious

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I am very sorry for your loss. You gave the little one the best chance possible, it just wasn't meant to be.

Did you have any more eggs/chicks?
she’s sitting on one egg, I don’t know the status of it. I just want this whole thing to be over already and for them to come out and play. I’m gonna wait Of course until she’s ready.

The couch is their major trigger. I’ve bought every kind of floor guard/cover you can imagine and they’re so persistent. Every time they’ve laid eggs that couch triggered them. I’m going to just get rid of it and get something else that touches the floor.

I think I’m gonna go get them ingredients to make some really nice chop tomorrow.
 

Zara

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The couch is their major trigger. I’ve bought every kind of floor guard/cover you can imagine and they’re so persistent. Every time they’ve laid eggs that couch triggered them. I’m going to just get rid of it and get something else that touches the floor.
You can try stuffing the gap with towels or other fabrics... or making something (like a kickboard) out of plastic or cardboard.

she’s sitting on one egg, I don’t know the status of it.
Give it another week in case it is fertile.
 

Conurious

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You can try stuffing the gap with towels or other fabrics... or making something (like a kickboard) out of plastic or cardboard.


Give it another week in case it is fertile.
Oh trust me, I’ve done that. I’ve used blankets, sheets, guards that fit to the couch, and even pool noodles (thinking they’d be scared of them) but nope, chewed right through them. I had someone suggest LED lights under the couch but that just gave them mood lighting. They can slowly burrow through everything. So, I had to constantly reset everything I’d set up. Thats why this happened this time, I’ve been stuck in bed a lot with a heart rhythm issue, and so I wasn’t resetting as often. My husband would supervise but he’s not as through as I am.
 

Conurious

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Oh, and yes I’ll give it time. I took a look a bit ago and it was really hard to see as it’s very dark. So I’m just gonna leave it alone. The air cell wasn’t elliptical more straight across.
 

T. gillii

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I'm sorry. I had a similar loss earlier last year. Sometimes, they are just not strong enough and there is nothing we can do. My heart still aches for my little Lasagna (chick's name) but there was nothing to be done. Sending you and the parents lots of love.

Honestly? I would let the pair stay together, replace eggs with dummies, let them sit as long as they want. Try to discourage external breeding stimuli (12 hours or less of light, no nesty areas, no super abundant food/soft food). They could still very well try and make babies, but it is natural.
 

T. gillii

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BUT... since you have another egg... Give mom and dad everything they want. Are they in a proper nestbox? What is the set up? (Sorry if you already answered this).

Pellets, seed, fresh fruit and veg, warm scrambled eggs. Sweet potato and carrots are a huge hit in my household. More food than you think they need. When mom lays, I would recommend giving her a calcium supplement in the water as well, just for future reference.
 

Conurious

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I'm sorry. I had a similar loss earlier last year. Sometimes, they are just not strong enough and there is nothing we can do. My heart still aches for my little Lasagna (chick's name) but there was nothing to be done. Sending you and the parents lots of love.

Honestly? I would let the pair stay together, replace eggs with dummies, let them sit as long as they want. Try to discourage external breeding stimuli (12 hours or less of light, no nesty areas, no super abundant food/soft food). They could still very well try and make babies, but it is natural.
When I took them in from their previous owner, they were being really mistreated. They won’t sleep in anything except these little fleece sacks. They will also fight if they are caged together, but only if they are caged in. They were kept in tiny boxes at previous home that’s probably why.

i have them in a cage that’s horizontal that has a divider for bedtime. That way they can still be together without fighting. They waddle into their bed and sleep peacefully all night. But my birds are only ever caged during sleep. They all put themselves to bed at the same time then I go over and tuck them in and close doors. But these two can’t sleep together or go into their beds together. They cry at night without their beds so I give them to them because I want them to have some kind of comfort.

Thankfully they’ve only ever laid when they’re allowed to be in the couch for extended periods. You’re the first person that’s told me that it’s ok for them to act like natural birds and I agree, but there’s so much judgement out there. I try to prevent the laying but when they do I just let them go through with their brood and replace the eggs with dummies.
 

Conurious

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BUT... since you have another egg... Give mom and dad everything they want. Are they in a proper nestbox? What is the set up? (Sorry if you already answered this).

Pellets, seed, fresh fruit and veg, warm scrambled eggs. Sweet potato and carrots are a huge hit in my household. More food than you think they need. When mom lays, I would recommend giving her a calcium supplement in the water as well, just for future reference.
I’m so sorry for little lasagna. I know the feeling now :(
 

Conurious

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BUT... since you have another egg... Give mom and dad everything they want. Are they in a proper nestbox? What is the set up? (Sorry if you already answered this).

Pellets, seed, fresh fruit and veg, warm scrambled eggs. Sweet potato and carrots are a huge hit in my household. More food than you think they need. When mom lays, I would recommend giving her a calcium supplement in the water as well, just for future reference.
Sorry for the 3rd reply, I don’t know how to quote properly And I keep forgetting something.

No nest box, she’s in her little fleece sack. It’s where she laid them so I just left it that way. I let him go in and feed her when the house is quiet so they don’t fight. But only until he’s done feeding, otherwise, he sits At the divider right next to her or in his own sack right next to her (behind the divider)

She comes out to eat her pellet and drink. I need to get her some fresh foods. I give her baby food once a day with carrot or mango etc.
 

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BrianB

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I'm so sorry to hear that. It's hard to lose one when you put your heart into giving it the best possible chance. It gets easier to accept over time, but it always hurts when it happens.

It's hard to tell what caused it when they are so tiny. It can be anything from a genetic issue to an inexperienced hen to a physical problem like an internal blockage or a chick that fails to thrive. Nature seems cruel sometimes, but the hens somehow know something is wrong and won't put their energy into raising a chick that isn't going to survive. The one comfort when this happens is that it's rarely our fault. Not every egg is meant to hatch, and not every chick that hatches is destined to survive. The ones that do, bring you a lifetime of love, and the ones that don't get your love for their lifetime.
 

Conurious

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I'm so sorry to hear that. It's hard to lose one when you put your heart into giving it the best possible chance. It gets easier to accept over time, but it always hurts when it happens.

It's hard to tell what caused it when they are so tiny. It can be anything from a genetic issue to an inexperienced hen to a physical problem like an internal blockage or a chick that fails to thrive. Nature seems cruel sometimes, but the hens somehow know something is wrong and won't put their energy into raising a chick that isn't going to survive. The one comfort when this happens is that it's rarely our fault. Not every egg is meant to hatch, and not every chick that hatches is destined to survive. The ones that do, bring you a lifetime of love, and the ones that don't get your love for their lifetime.
i really needed to hear your words thank you. Things usually affect me most at night and I’ve just been laying here in tears. I know it might seem odd to someone that hasn’t been through it, but God I really wanted him to live. They’re such little miracles. I hope he gets another chance. I don’t get this world.

He wouldn’t eat but she still kept him warm up until his last breath. I think that says a lot about her. We let them say goodbye and dad kept trying to get him to open his beak. Mom must have already known because she just looked at him. We buried him outside and my husband buried him with a Nutriberry because he said just in case it would help him with what comes next.

We both love our birds so much. Our days revolve around them and our son. It might seem nuts to outsiders but I know you guys get it. I’m just gonna focus on giving them the best life. Thank you all so much. I’ll stick around to learn even more from you all.
 

Emma&pico

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i really needed to hear your words thank you. Things usually affect me most at night and I’ve just been laying here in tears. I know it might seem odd to someone that hasn’t been through it, but God I really wanted him to live. They’re such little miracles. I hope he gets another chance. I don’t get this world.

He wouldn’t eat but she still kept him warm up until his last breath. I think that says a lot about her. We let them say goodbye and dad kept trying to get him to open his beak. Mom must have already known because she just looked at him. We buried him outside and my husband buried him with a Nutriberry because he said just in case it would help him with what comes next.

We both love our birds so much. Our days revolve around them and our son. It might seem nuts to outsiders but I know you guys get it. I’m just gonna focus on giving them the best life. Thank you all so much. I’ll stick around to learn even more from you all.
Definitely stick around nice to talk to people who understand
 

Aestatis

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Wow, that's totally heartbreaking... based on your description of what happened it must have been so hard to see dad trying to help the baby live. :(

It sounds like you are a wonderful owner, and your birds are wonderful parents even though it sounded like mom knew the baby wouldn't make it. And since they came from a breeder, I am sure mom has seen this happen before. I think if mom could talk to you she would assure you that you didn't do anything wrong, and that the baby was given the best possible chance to pull through.

As for preventing the breeding (after the current egg?) you might have luck blocking the part of the couch with something harder - a hardwood like maple/oak or maybe some sort of stainless steel? I might not be picturing how the area looks properly.

In the future, it might be worth trying to phase out the fleece beds. I know it must be hard to listen to their distress after all they went through, but the end result could be a kindness. You could try extending the time they are out of the cage at night (15 min, 30 min, 1 hour, etc) but you also don't want to accidentally train them to cry out to get the fleece back. Or, maybe you could make the fleece less appealing to sleep in - fill it with material or toys maybe so they can't squeeze in? They'll probably just pull everything out, but that way the sacks can be in the cage while they get used to sleeping outside of them.
 

BrianB

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i really needed to hear your words thank you. Things usually affect me most at night and I’ve just been laying here in tears. I know it might seem odd to someone that hasn’t been through it, but God I really wanted him to live. They’re such little miracles. I hope he gets another chance. I don’t get this world.

He wouldn’t eat but she still kept him warm up until his last breath. I think that says a lot about her. We let them say goodbye and dad kept trying to get him to open his beak. Mom must have already known because she just looked at him. We buried him outside and my husband buried him with a Nutriberry because he said just in case it would help him with what comes next.

We both love our birds so much. Our days revolve around them and our son. It might seem nuts to outsiders but I know you guys get it. I’m just gonna focus on giving them the best life. Thank you all so much. I’ll stick around to learn even more from you all.
It's not odd at all. We've all been there in one way or another. It's either a chick we fight hard for or a lifelong companion we hate to let go of. I remind myself that tears are the price we pay for joy. If I ever find myself without tears, then my heart has gone cold, and that's not someone I want to be.

I think it's good for birds to know a flock member has passed on. We grieve for them, who are we to presume they don't grieve in their own way.

There are a lot of great people here; among them, you'll find a wealth of knowledge on many subjects. If someone doesn't know, they can point to you someone who does, or a resource that can help. We're all learning something new every day.
 
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