[tiels_]

Hi All, I am having a couple of issues that I am hoping to get help with.

I have week-old chicks and one unhatched egg in the nest. I recently noticed mold or fungus growing on bird poop that line the nest. I scraped the chunk off, but I'm afraid that it's already spread. Can I get some advice on what to do next? Should I pull the chicks early? Destroy the nestbox? Do a complete bedding change?

My second issue is concerning the unhatched egg. I noticed that the chick pipped yesterday afternoon and hasn't made any progress (no holes, but a couple of "peaks" are visible). It hasn't been incubated consistently since the first egg hatched so I was surprised it was still alive. I assume it is weaker as a result, and I am wondering if this is why it is taking longer to hatch. Yesterday was day 21. The chick seems to be kicking every time I pick up the egg. At what point should I intervene?

 

[Robert Seale]

My first and obvious question is why was the nest box allowed to get that filthy in the first place? When you have only one chick or half a dozen you should clean out the nest box everyday and replace the bedding. This cuts down on germs and other nasty things that can harm the babies. As for that one egg, I'd leave it 2 or three days. If nothing by then, I would just discard it.

 

[tiels_]

My first and obvious question is why was the nest box allowed to get that filthy in the first place? When you have only one chick or half a dozen you should clean out the nest box everyday and replace the bedding. This cuts down on germs and other nasty things that can harm the babies. As for that one egg, I'd leave it 2 or three days. If nothing by then, I would just discard it.

My response to your question is - in the wild, nests don't get cleaned every day. For most birds, wild or captive, it is common for poop from the nestlings to line the nest, as was seen in my pair's nest. In addition, I don't believe in disturbing the nest too frequently (daily bedding change seems a bit much?), especially when there are viable unhatched eggs.

Anyway, I have not had this mold/ fungi issue before. I was hoping for steps on what to do next to mitigate any issues this may have caused?

Just checked the nest and the last egg hatched!