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Chick Tossing & Abandonment

Introduction

Breeding season can be an exciting time of the year, especially if you are new to keeping birds. On some occasions, you may be shocked to discover that one or more chicks have been thrown from the nest, or a whole clutch of eggs has been abandoned. You might discover that the mating pair have begun building a new nest on top of already laid eggs or on top of living chicks.
 
Sometimes the mating pair may suddenly ignore their nest whether it has a whole clutch of eggs or chicks, only to start a new nest somewhere else.
When you experience any of the above with your breeding pairs, the first things you think of is, why? Why would my breeding pair throw healthy eggs or chicks from the nest? What can I do to solve this issue? Is this normal behaviour? Am I at fault? Well, this article will try to explain what could be going on, offer possible solutions, and help with trying to prevent it from happening again with your breeding pairs.

 

Understanding your birds

Birds are not stupid, they are a lot smarter than you think. Their needs are far greater than you imagine, and safety always comes first as the survival of their species as well as themselves are always top priority. Most birds in general are natural prey, this is why they are built for speed, camouflage and heightened awareness.
 
Birds will nest anywhere if they are limited, even if it is an exposed nesting site, wrong type of nesting material or box/pan. Because they lay eggs in the limited nesting sites does not mean they are always happy with where their nesting site is. Remember, just because 'you' like their nesting box/pan/basket or where they have been forced to nest, does not mean 'they' like it. They lay eggs there because they have no choice but to nest where 'you' have chosen.
 
In the wild, while they are in their natural habitat, they will search and choose the most preferable nesting location, preferable nesting material where they can raise their young safely. They would 'never' nest in a location where it has easy access or can be seen by anyone, they most certainly would never nest where stupid humans could get access to their nests, push parents off their nests to grab at the eggs or chicks for their own pleasure.
 
In the UK, the Wren can build many nests in various locations, I knew one pair that built around 12 nests. The male will bring his mate to each nest, then allow her to choose the best one for breeding. The remaining nests were either taken over by bumblebees, other small birds, or just fell apart. The nest that was chosen was always the most secluded, well-built and camouflaged. Sometimes the hen may not choose any of the nests that were built forcing the male to go build new ones.
 
You need to remember that, certain species build nests in different ways. Not all birds like nesting in boxes, baskets or nesting pans, but prefer to build from scratch in their own chosen location. The greenfinch, chaffinch, goldfinch, as examples, will prefer to build in the branches of bushes or trees. While some birds are not fussy about what nesting material they use, others will be more choosy. The point here is that, conditions matter.

Chick tossing & abandonment, why?

Below are a list of possible reasons why chick tossing or abandonment may occur during breeding. Although it is not a complete list, it does highlight some highly likely possibilities.
 
1, Interference
Interference can come in many forms, such as, other nesting birds, nest inspections, too much foot traffic, noise, pests, fumes or smells, too much activity near their nest, cage being moved.
 
2, Illness
This is quite common in breeding pairs, if one of the breeding pairs is not feeling up to breeding due to an illness, then they may abandon breeding altogether even if there are eggs or chicks in the nest. If one of the parent birds believe one or more of the chicks are sick, they will toss out that chick sometimes throwing out the whole clutch.
 
3, Inexperience
Birds that are too young who are breeding will often toss out chicks the same day they hatch or a day later due to inexperience. They probably have no idea what to do with them, or begin to panic as they change from eggs to chicks.
 
This is also common with birds that have been removed from their parents at an early age (too soon). Many fledgeling will help feed their siblings, including those siblings in the parent's next clutch. This helps teach them about raising their own offspring when they are ready to breed.
 
4, Dampness or Mould
If the nest becomes mouldy, damp or wet, there is a high risk of bacterial infection, or a danger to the breeding pair. Poorly ventilated nesting boxes, or the use of dried grasses, often contribute towards damp, wet or mouldy nests. Do not expect your breeding pair to care for the eggs or chicks if the nest gets wet or mouldy.
 
In some cases, you can actually prepare a new nest which looks almost identicle to the wet or mouldy one, and move the eggs or chicks to the new nest, then quickly place the new nest in the exact location. If it is done quickly, and prepare everything first for a quick changeover, the parents may well accept it and carry on with the sitting duties.
 
5, Hormones
Some birds with hormone problems may build a nest, lay eggs and even hatch the eggs only to build a new nest on top of existing eggs/chicks then start a new clutch. This often happens in the wild, and is not exclusive to captive bred birds. I remember as a child when I used to go bird nesting (searching for nests), when dismantling old nests, I'd find layers of new nests on top of old nests with dead chicks, or eggs between the layers. Some cock birds just want to mate all the time, the hen lays the eggs, but the cock bird just keeps mating, forcing the hen to lay too many eggs.
 
6, Incompatible Pair
This happens when breeders select a male and female to breed who simply do not like each other. Just because you choose a hen and cock bird of the same species to breed, does not mean they will like each other, and raise offspring. Incompatible pairs may exhibit fighting, not doing their sitting duties to relieve their partners, breeding with other birds whilst already having their own clutch, having no interest in breeding or its selected partner, abandoning their partner or nest.
 
7, Not in condition or deficiencies
Hens especially need to be brought in to condition before breeding takes place. Usually months before, the hen will consume many different types of minerals, proteins and foods rich in vitamins to support egg production. Laying eggs use a lot of the hens resources (which is why you should never over breed your hen).
 
A hen depleted of the above may become ill or even die if forced to breed. It is the cock bird that brings the hen into breeding condition when she has consumed enough nutrition over the course of several months prior. If either hen or cock bird has not consumed enough nutrition, then they may be too weak to raise offspring and abandon a clutch.
 
8, Inadequate nutrition/minerals
Without the right foods your birds can not raise young, young birds need a proper diet, and your breeding birds know this. Foods high in protein, low in fats, enriched with vitamins and minerals are important for chick development.
 
These foods should be provided long before the eggs hatch, so that the parents know there will be the right diet for raising chicks available when they need it. If the diet is wrong, they will likely try to raise them on what food there is, and then give up halfway through, sometimes giving up from the day they hatch. Don't be surprised to find newly hatched chicks thrown about the cage floor, even if you put them back in the nest, they will just throw them out again.
 
9, Too many eggs
Sometimes you may find during a naughty nest inspection, you may come across far too many eggs in the nest, there can be various reasons for this such as, the male not knowing when to stop copulating, the hen being copulated by more than one cock bird, hormonal problems with the hen, other hens laying eggs in the nest, failed incubation with the hen laying a second clutch.
 
A bird can physically only incubate so many eggs at one time, as they can not fit all the eggs underneath them at the same time. Quite often, if there are too many eggs in the nest, the pair may abandon the nest knowing the effort is futile.
 
10, Temperature
Most eggs incubate around 99.6 degrees F depending on the species, but what if the surrounding temperature is too hot or cold? How can a parent bird reduce the temperature if it is too hot? Well, it can't. What if the temperature is too cold, how does the parent raise the temperature? Providing it is not excessive too cold, they can raise the temperature, but they should never struggle to do so. Temperatures should match that of their natural environment to ensure successful and less stressful breeding.
 
11, Accidental Chick Tossing
If you find a tossed egg that looks healthy, or a tossed chick, place it back in to the nest, if it is tossed again then it was no accident. First time could be accidental, second time was deliberate. You also might want to check the length of the breeding pairs claws/nails as long or deformed claws can catch eggs or chicks on their way out of the nest. I would also like to point out that I have also seen other breeding pairs raid nests and toss out chicks or eggs from other nests, this is because they themselves want that nest to breed in.
 
12, Poorly bonded Pairs
Pairs selected by humans for breeding are usually weak pairs, they do not usually defend the nest as aggressively as truly mated pairs (naturally selected pairs) which means the nest is easily raided or easily abandoned. In nature, cock birds will sing louder, learn to sing better songs, master the art of courtship and find the best healthy hen possible to secure strong healthy offspring.
 
If partners are chosen for them, then all this goes out the window. If you do not believe any of the above, try it for yourself, I have tested this over 40 years and have proven it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
 
13, Damage Control
It is important to note, breedig pairs will often toss out damaged eggs, chicks that do not beg, dead chicks or chicks they believe may be ill (to protect the rest of the clutch). Some eggs go bad in the nest, even though to the average human the egg may look fine, those eggs will usually be tossed out.
 
The breeding pair know not to leave anything bad in the nest as it will infect what ever is left in the nest. Be it known that some birds, species are lazy and will not bother to remove anything bad from the nest. If anything bad is left in the nest, and begins to stink out the nest, there is a high risk of nest abandonment.
 
14, Fright
Loud noises, flashing lights, (mites, lice, spiders, ants, snakes, rats, mice are some common reasons for abandonment), strange sounds, other animals such as pets, strong odours, getting too close to their nest or just about anything that frightens your breeding pair may cause abandonment. It is important to leave them well alone during their breeding or their breeding will be a disaster.
 
15, Age Matters
Like any living thing, birds grow old and become less fertile. A hen may stop laying eggs due to age, or lay eggs that are never fertile. The cock bird may be too old to fertilize the eggs properly, or may not be able to copulate correctly, which may cause the hen to produce infertile eggs.
 
The breeding pair may be far too young to lay eggs, or lay eggs that are malformed thus toss the malformed eggs out. In my years of breeding birds, I have often seen my birds toss out soft eggs, or eggs that were a strange shape or size. Chicks that have struggled to get out of the shell have often been found tossed out of the nest, some were still alive in the half eaten shell.

Health & Wellbeing

Your breeding pair should be healthy before breeding, showing no signs of illness at all. Their wellbeing should be top priority at all times, a happy bird is a healthy bird. Never expect good quality offspring from unhealthy, or unhappy birds. Birds in poor health, or show any signs of depression will likely abandon a nest at the first chance it gets. Cages 'must' be kept clean at all times with adequate room to 'fly'. There should be plenty of perches to stand on with a rich diet, water changed daily.
 
Healthy, well cared for birds are highly likely to produce healthy strong offsping. Healthy, happy birds are less likely to toss eggs, chicks or abandon a nest.

Seasons

The time of year has a huge impact on breeding pairs as birds should never breed out of their natural season. Your breeding pair may struggle with humidity, heat, cold and many other factors, all which will affect incubation. An embryo developing inside an egg requires a stable environment to develop successfully, if the season is not correct, the parents will struggle to incubate the eggs successfully.
 
Birds that breed in winter may find it hard to keep the eggs at a constant high temperature whereas birds breeding in the summer can not reduce high temperatures (as mentioned earlier in this article). High humidity can be a problem especially in countries where it gets really hot, but also has a lot of rain. A lower humidity environment is easier for breeding pairs to deal with, but there are limits to low humidity levels.
 
It does not take much to kill an embryo with in the egg, they are extremely fragile. Sudden temperature changes, knocks, too much or too little moisture levels, bacteria, disease, left cold too long and even poor shell development can all contribute towards poor embryo development, and embryo death, which is known as Dead In Shell (DIS).
 
The shell around the egg is very porous, there are many reasons for this.It helps release or suck in moisture, allows air to be sucked in or released so the parent birds can manage incubation correctly. However there are downfalls to this, the porous shell are also doorways for bacteria to enter the shell thus killing the developing embryo. Now you know this, you should also know that handling live eggs should be avoided when ever possible. Human hands carry far more bacteria than you know, many which can easily pass through the shell of an egg, and kill the developing embryo. Cold hands touching a warm egg can also kill the embryo as the shock of the sudden cold quickly passes through the wafer thin shell.

Sitting Duties

You maybe wondering what Sitting Duties have to do with chick tossing & abandonment? Well, a lot really, and I will explain. Some partners can be lazy, don't know what to do, unwilling to take their turn with nest duties which in turn puts a lot of stress on the remaining partner. Imagine being the bird sitting on a nest of eggs, or caring for chicks for hours on end, never getting the chance to come out to exercise, eat, drink, bath or just have that break from the nest. The bird waiting to be relieved can often be seen flying out of the nest in a fit of anger, chasing the partner around the cage / aviary giving them no other safe place ot go apart from the nest. Eventually lazy bones ends up going in to the nest just to feel safe thus taking his or her turn in the nest. Sound familiar?
 
When a bird is stuck caring for eggs or chicks alone, it can be very stressful. Seeing their partner not taking their turn only increases the stress. If their stress levels reach breaking point, you may find the one who was doing all the work sat on a perch sleeping with a fluffed up appearance. At this point, you can probably say that the nest has been abandoned. It is also common for birds to throw out the eggs or chicks just in pure anger because they get fed up doing all the work.

Starved Chicks

You may find a dead chick, or even the whole clutch of chicks dead in the nest, the reasons for this can vary greatly. The most common reason is usually, disease or parasites. Chicks that do not beg will starve to death in the nest. Chicks that are ill or malformed in some way may not beg for food thus end up dying in the nest. An inexperienced breeding pair might not know that they need to feed their chicks when they beg for food, so end up starving to death in the nest. Some parents which are not bonded that well, or are not interested in raising a clutch may also ignore the begging of their chicks resulting in chick deaths.
 
Not all breeding pairs will toss out dead chicks, this is unhealthy for any surviving chicks / eggs (and the parents) as bacteria can spread very quickly. Although nest inspections are best avoided, sometimes they are necessary. As mentioned earlier in this article, chicks or eggs should really not be handled but if you plan to check the viability of an egg then use a strong pen light to candle the eggs.
 
Candling allows you to safely see what is happening inside the egg without actually touching the egg. Pull out any dead chicks if any are found, but also check the nest itself for strong smells, dampness, mites, mould. Check any surviving chicks to make sure their crops are full (are being fed). Any nest inspections should be brief, but thorough.
 
Never pull a parent off their eggs or chicks, always wait until they leave to nest to feed, or during sitting duty changeover. Even hand-tame birds do not like people disturbing their nests.
 
Over the years I found many dead chicks scattered on the floor of the aviary with empty crops, after a close examination, or an autopsy, I found the cause of starvation was due to the chick being ill, riddled with internal parasites or some kind of infection. Although many of the dead chicks appeared to have just an empty crop, they were infact very sick before they died. Sick chicks rarely beg for food thus end up starving to death.
 
Author's Note: I hope this article has answered some questions you may have on chick tossing & abandonment, If I think of anything else to add, I will update this article when I can.