• Welcome to Avian Avenue! To view our forum with less advertisments please register with us.
    Memberships are free and it will just take a moment. Click here

Two Nests

finchly

Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
5/16/14
Messages
12,708
Location
SW Florida
Real Name
Finchly
What do you feed your canary chicks while in the nest?
i just had a huge discussion with someone about this. They had a very different take on it than me.


I use HIggins egg food and keep dry in the cage 24/7. I also mix the Higgins with a boiled egg daily... about 1-2 times a week I add vitamins and extra calcium to it.

My friend is doing a mix of dry egg food, zupreem tiny pellets, perle morbid, oats, and boiled eggs. And a bunch of supplements.

What do you use?
 

Fife3000

Strolling the yard
Joined
10/5/18
Messages
142
Having closed my windows, the egg food is definitely keeping better. I have decided not to offer boiled egg, but cede egg food instead for the chicks. Humidity wreaks havoc on food.
 

Fife3000

Strolling the yard
Joined
10/5/18
Messages
142
i just had a huge discussion with someone about this. They had a very different take on it than me.


I use HIggins egg food and keep dry in the cage 24/7. I also mix the Higgins with a boiled egg daily... about 1-2 times a week I add vitamins and extra calcium to it.

My friend is doing a mix of dry egg food, zupreem tiny pellets, perle morbid, oats, and boiled eggs. And a bunch of supplements.

What do you use?
Do you wet the dry egg food so its not so hard? I will be trying moist dry egg food. It is slightly moist already.
 

Fife3000

Strolling the yard
Joined
10/5/18
Messages
142
I had been using boiled egg and broccoli. I think the death of my chicks last time was due to spoiled egg. I noticed a boiled egg had blue spots on the white part. I am only guessing that is what killed them. But not certain. I am going to be much more vigourus about fresh and often changed food. Plus like I said, no open windows to keep heat humidity down. The ac keeps it at a comfortable temp. No draft!
 

finchly

Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
5/16/14
Messages
12,708
Location
SW Florida
Real Name
Finchly
I had been using boiled egg and broccoli. I think the death of my chicks last time was due to spoiled egg. I noticed a boiled egg had blue spots on the white part. I am only guessing that is what killed them. But not certain. I am going to be much more vigourus about fresh and often changed food. Plus like I said, no open windows to keep heat humidity down. The ac keeps it at a comfortable temp. No draft!
I think it’s so easy for food to spoil, and maybe we don’t always remove it diligently (here, at my house).

It’s hot in my bird room in the afternoons - close to 80. I try to give the foods that will spoil in the morning. I do wet the egg food, and sometimes I soak chick starter in water and use the food processor to blend it with the egg food.
 

Fife3000

Strolling the yard
Joined
10/5/18
Messages
142
I think it’s so easy for food to spoil, and maybe we don’t always remove it diligently (here, at my house).

It’s hot in my bird room in the afternoons - close to 80. I try to give the foods that will spoil in the morning. I do wet the egg food, and sometimes I soak chick starter in water and use the food processor to blend it with the egg food.
Chick starter as in chicken starter (non medicated)?
 

finchly

Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
5/16/14
Messages
12,708
Location
SW Florida
Real Name
Finchly
@Fife3000 I’m devastated. I had 2 Gouldian babies, yellow back in the nest and they’ve both died. The 2nd one was empty and strangely his head was discolored, a yellowish color all under the skin. Anyway I’m thinking maybe the parents got ahold of some spoiled food. They nested on a shelf in the bird room :laugh: so they were flying loose. It’s about the only thing I can think of, that would cause their deaths (and just days prior, the deaths of 3 young society finches).
 

Fife3000

Strolling the yard
Joined
10/5/18
Messages
142
The parents of my last batch of chicks (which died) has two new chicks today. Im using cede and broccoli. No boiled egg- just in case. Definitely less humid and more comfy in the bird room!!! The other nests should (God willing) hatch any day now. Im keeping my eye on the parents behavior to see how they treat their chicks. Especially new parents. So far so good. I will take pics when chicks are being banded.
 

Fife3000

Strolling the yard
Joined
10/5/18
Messages
142
The pair that lost all five chicks a while back, lost all four this time. I will not be breeding them again this year. They were not tending to their chicks. But I do have another pair that has four healthy chicks and growing. They are variegated. Another pair had infertile eggs. I will look to try to pair up another pair and see how it goes.
 

finchly

Cruising the avenue
Avenue Veteran
Mayor of the Avenue
Avenue Spotlight Award
Joined
5/16/14
Messages
12,708
Location
SW Florida
Real Name
Finchly
I’m sorry. That really stinks.
 

Fife3000

Strolling the yard
Joined
10/5/18
Messages
142
Happy to report that my four chicks are out of the nest and already beginning to feed themselves. Though they still like to be fed if offered.
In regards to my previous dead chicks. I think it is because the hens were not mature enough yet to raise. They had no problem making a nest and mating. But when it came to raising, it may have been too early. I read that it is best too wait at least 12 months for the hen. Then hen with the healthy four chicks is around 4 years old. So I have decided to wait a few more months before trying again. See if some more time does make a difference or not. Anybody have other opinions?
 
Top