Aussie Finch Forum

You must be very frustrated with all this. Is this the first time you have bred birds? Or is the birdroom or cages new?

For all of the pairs to be failing I would think one of the following is most likely.
#1 Insufficient daylight hours - chicks dying of starvation over night.Are the cages receiving enough light? They need at least 12-14 hours of good 'daylight'.
#2 Sudden interuption with lighting - switching light off after dark. Adults not settled back on nest- (requires dimmer)
#3 Mite or other pest interupting sitting bird
#4 Sickness; although with the variety of birds you have, I would have expected some adults to be looking unwell.

I hope everything improves for you soon.
Bob

When canaries do not feed young chicks it is usually put down to the hen being overstimulated with rich food. The idea is that if the hen is fed rearing food whilst incubating she can be pushed into another laying cycle too soon and won't have any interest in feeding her current chicks. For this reason some canary breeders stop feeding softfood when incubation begins until the day before first hatch. I don't know if this applies to other finches but it is something to think about if mites, daylight length etc are not the cause.

Red

The light is full spectrum avian light which is on 14-16 hours. and there is natural sunlight for at least 12. None of the breeding cages are new really. I have bred birds for about 3 years but this is the worst.

Thinking stopping all breeding and treating for mites and worms.

Given how all of your species are similarly affected, my best guess would be some kind of infectious agent. Parents will instinctively stop feeding babies which are not thriving. I would take some fresh parent droppings and some newly dead babies to an avian vet. Don't bother with a vet that does not specialise in birds.

Another thing they have incommon is water/food. Is there any possibility that you are overdosing any treatments or supplements? Baby birds are getting a lot more, gram for gram, of anything that you place in the adults' drinking water. Could there be any dampness=mould in their seed?

Another possibility: You mentioned that it is "well ventilated". Could this be to the extent of having too much air flow? Finches don't do well with continual breezes. However, if this were the case you'd see the effects in the adults too - lots of fluffing and occasional dying.

How ya doin', Howldaloom? Did you ever get to the bottom of this? What turned out to be the cause(s)?