Just completed my weekly nest check and have a problem with different age chicks in the same nest. Nest A has 4 6-day olds, and, 1 2-day old. Nest B has 4 4-day olds, and, 1 2-day old. Nest C has a 6 day old, and, a 2 day old. I have a gourd with 4 2-day old chicks. Nest A&B have all the older chicks huddled together in the center of the nest, with the smaller chick out at the edge of the nest either near the front or in a corner. I am afraid these smaller 2 day old size chicks will die because there is such a size discrepancy between them and their siblings. I do have a nest with 4 2-day old chicks in a Bo-9 gourd. Should I take the smaller chicks out of nest A, B, or C; and, put them into the Bo-9 gourd nest with the 4 same sized chicks? Will this be too many for the one set of parents to raise? Should I just let nature take it's course....in which I almost positive these 3 little ones will not make it as the larger chicks will get the food. On the other hand, I don't want the chicks in the Bo-9 gourd to suffer because their parents will have so many to feed. Any advise would be appreciated.
Thanks-Jodie
P.S. I think all of the unseasonal cold and wet weather we have had in central TX may have had something to do with eggs hatching several days apart.
Help with different sized new babies
Jodie, I have never had this to happen ,but I know that the small babies won't
make it. the older babies will get all the food. I have had lots of nest with 7 babies that all fledged. So I think I would put the small babies in the nest with the 4 babies there size. keep watch on them. Hope this helped.
make it. the older babies will get all the food. I have had lots of nest with 7 babies that all fledged. So I think I would put the small babies in the nest with the 4 babies there size. keep watch on them. Hope this helped.
Martha
PMCA member
PMCA member
Hi Jodie,
I have had success with transferring a few young in the past due to a similar problem. I never had the foster parents reject a new nestling. I would try not to allow a nest receiving foster babies to go over 5. Hopefully, you have some nests with 3 or 4 original young which means they have some room.
Gary
I have had success with transferring a few young in the past due to a similar problem. I never had the foster parents reject a new nestling. I would try not to allow a nest receiving foster babies to go over 5. Hopefully, you have some nests with 3 or 4 original young which means they have some room.
Gary
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Louise Chambers
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Jodie, there is no perfect solution for this situation, with size/age discrepancy. The cold weather could have played a role, and the scarcity of insects due to drought makes things much worse. Should you choose not to intervene, know that this is a natural strategy that martins engage in when conditions for raising young are poor. Moving runts can put the foster sibs at risk if parents can't feed the extra mouths, but likely it would be the runts that fail to thrive, if all young are of equal size.
from http://purplemartin.org/main/Terminology.html
Brood Reduction: The strategy by which parent birds adapt their reproductive output to the current conditions of the environment. Most female birds lay the maximum number of eggs they can successfully raise in a good year, then sacrifice some of their eggs or young if conditions turn out to be less than ideal. Brood reduction can take many forms, from siblicide (siblings killing siblings), to kicking out selective eggs, to subtle neglect of runts by parents. This strategy protects parents against losing their entire brood should conditions for rearing their young turn poor. This reduction of brood size is adaptive and actually helps parents fledge the maximum number of healthy young in any given season.
from http://purplemartin.org/main/Terminology.html
Brood Reduction: The strategy by which parent birds adapt their reproductive output to the current conditions of the environment. Most female birds lay the maximum number of eggs they can successfully raise in a good year, then sacrifice some of their eggs or young if conditions turn out to be less than ideal. Brood reduction can take many forms, from siblicide (siblings killing siblings), to kicking out selective eggs, to subtle neglect of runts by parents. This strategy protects parents against losing their entire brood should conditions for rearing their young turn poor. This reduction of brood size is adaptive and actually helps parents fledge the maximum number of healthy young in any given season.