Super excited, finally after too many years I have 2 breading pairs (plus alot of SY Males) this year.
The first pair laid 3 eggs on 6/26 and 2 hatched around 7/12 - est fledge 8/9 and they are both doing great!!
Second pair laid 3 eggs on 7/8 and all 3 hatched on 7/24 (one week ago) - est fledge on 8/21
Question - I have attached a pic from today's nest check and 2 are looking good and one is very small!!! Is this normal? Should I be doing anything for the little guy? Thanks in advance for the advice.
(By the way - up to 62 Sparrow dispatched this year alone
Good morning,
what do you have in mind for the little guy? Here is a recent post from USMCmom4 with that same problem....please let us know if you are thinking supplemental food, etc.
How big are the chicks in your other nests? Honestly, its small yes, but doesn't look to be starving. are the adults bringing in adequate amounts of food? Food available?
Thanks - there is a good supply of food and this is my youngest nest. Based on the advice I will check on it today (weigh it) and then weigh again in 2-3 days to see if it is progressing. I will hold off supplementing as long as it is moving forward.
He sure is a lot smaller than his 2 siblings… but as has been said, he doesn’t look malnourished… he does look a few days younger… I would keep monitoring and weighing as is your plan.. hopefully he keeps growing and no intervention will be needed..
Good luck
Rob
Nice work discovering and monitoring that little one.
I think the acid test will be when larger ones fledge, if the parents continue to adequately stay and care for the little one.
It's his day 9 and his 2 siblings day 11 or 12. He weighs in at 13 grams and his siblings are well over 40 grams. He seems healthy and was opening his beak for food when I weighed him.
I think I will give it a couple days and re-weigh him. Then go from there.
Opened up today and the small hatchling was dead. I did bring out the scale to weigh it, in case it was alive to see if it gained any ground over the last 3 days.
Since I had that scale, I went ahead and weighed the 2 healthy chicks. I believe my scale is accurate, but they both weigh in at 56 grams. Could this be correct for 16 day old chicks?
...
I had a nest just like the one in the photo.. Except I had 4 big babies and 1 small one like yours... He/She will be fine .. The little one finally started growing and was the last to fledge from the nest. All five are on their way South now. Good Luck and keep that colony of yours growing...
