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A healthy, attentive hen will do everything needed to make sure that her chicks are healthy. A proper incubator should also do the job. But things don’t always have to go to plan, and deformed or dead chicks are not uncommon..
Parakeet Chick Died
There are a few reasons for this happening, so in order to prevent it keep these potential hazards in mind.
- Egg rotation. A hen (or an incubator) regularly turns the eggs. This enables the eggs to develop properly. If the egg isn’t rotated at least 5 times a day, the unhatched bird’s intestines may stick to the side of the eggshell. Unfortunately, chicks affiliated in this way will hatch with their guts outside their body. This, of course, means the chick won’t survive.
- Temperature. If this is either too high or too low, the egg will not hatch. Heat may also kill a young bird, whilst the cold will make the hen sit so tightly on her eggs that the chicks may be deformed or killed.
- Humidity.If the environment is too dry, the eggs will simply not hatch. If the humidity is too low, the hen may go and wet her feathers to provide the eggs with much needed moisture. A parakeet bath or at least a shallow dish of water in the cage are essential.
A six-day-old parakeet chick
- Patchy incubation.If the hen is disturbed, and therefore is on and off the nest too much, the chick’s development may be interrupted, and it will be born deformed.
- Shaking. An egg that has fallen on the floor or has been shaken about in the early stages of development will not produce a chick. In the later stages of egg development this kind of disturbance can lead to deformities.
- Pollution Toxins in the air, water or food -- from sprays, kitchen pans, pesticides, etc -- are likely to kill or at the very least deform chicks. They won’t do your other birds much good, either.
- Malnutrition.The food being provided by the chick’s parents must be top-notch. If your chick dies despite having a good diet may have suffered from intestinal parasites or some other problem. See Parakeet Health Problems.
Comments
Chloe, 22 June 2021
Hello, I am concerned about my female budgie. She is showing signs of aggression. I am guessing that she might be ready to breed and we are trying to keep her separated from the male that we have, although she has been loose with him and has been mounted by him we have tried to keep them separated. We are concerned that she may be egg bound though and are wondering if you could give us some direction. She seems irritated, a little fatter, has a dirty vent, fluffing up her feathers etc. She is still flying around lots though. Could you give us some direction of when we would need to take her to the vet? Thank you in advance.
Deanne, 3 June 2019
I have 2 male birds and the beek on one always grows too long and i have to trim it.Why does this happen.
Pradip, 25 December 2018
At what age a budgie chick could be attempted for handrearing?
Lilly, 17 November 2018
If the parents get to nervous will they harm the chicks.
Judy, 6 November 2018
My Hen had a clutch of 5 eggs, She sat on them just about full time for a few weeks, and then one by one she started throwing them out of the box. The last one I found in the tray under the newspaper, that's laid out, half a shell with a very tiny chick in it, which broke my heart. Everything was textbook up to the 2 weeks into it. I am giving her a rest now..I am going to breed her again in the spring..