zebra finch babies

Question
i have a male and female zebra finch that just hatched babies i wasnt quite sure if she had had them yet until this morning i peeked in and tried to move just a piece of paper in the nest to see better.. the female charge out and startled me so bad the small cage was shaken. i noticed almost imedatley one of the babies had fallen out to the ground but paniced when i noticed 2 more in the bottom of the water bowl they all seemed to be moving and i put them back in the nest which she went back to sitting in there with them...im so worried now this is the first time we have had eggs hatch now im afraid i might have killed them or that they will eventually die i believe they have just been born maybe today or yesterday
please help me

Answer
Unfortunately finch babies are easily killed because of how small and fragile they are. Here are a few tips I've learned from my own mistakes:
1. A pink baby is a healthy baby. If the baby goes pale, something's wrong
2. A hungry baby is a healthy baby. A baby that opens it's beak for food when it's woken is a good sign
3. If you don't have steady hands DON'T GO NEAR THE NEST. Finch babies squirm like no tomorrow so they're easy to drop, if you can't keep your nerves in check, don't handle the babies
4. Finch Babies are very fragile. You have to be EXTREMELY careful when picking up finch babies. If you're unsure, wait until you are
5. Don't handle the nest too much. Finch parents can be very nervous (especially new parents) and may abandon a nest if you mess with it too much
6. Using soft cage litter can save little lives. Sometimes babies fall from nests and if the bottom of the cage is lined with paper, the baby stands a good chance of dying; something soft yet firm enough to catch the baby (I use corn cob)can give it a chance of survival if you catch the infant early enough
7. Heat is essential. Babies can easily freeze to death. If the parents aren't sitting on the babies 24/7, it's up to you to provide that heat

If the space between the bottom of the cage and the nest isn't that much, I doubt you could kill the baby (as long as you have something other than paper lining the bottom) and it sounds like you pulled the infants out of the dish fast enough. I wouldn't worry too much if you can help it. I know I was nervous for my first finch babies and was devastated every time one died. It's unfortunate but it will happen. All you can do when it does is learn from your mistake. If you're very worried, a pair of Societies that can raise babies (most are mature enough after they're about a year old) can be indispensable.