Finches dying

Question
Hi Megan

Thanks for taking the time to read my question.  My Dad has bred finches for many many years but has recently come across a problem he doesn't know how to deal with.  He has spent a lot of money in the past taking dead finches to the vet to be checked for pathology and often they come back with no particular answers.

Currently he has Cordon Blues, Orange Breasts and Ruddys and more recently has included some Black Throats (Australian native finch)(excuse me if i'm not spelling them correctly). We live in Brisbane Australia.  

Since the beginning of this year he has had a problem mainly with the female birds where they would fluff up and die. Sometimes they would raise a next of chicks and it was as if they'd become exausted and pass away from the stress (most women could probably relate!). For some reason it was the females only (of all breeds in the large well equipped cage he has).

Since then, there are about 2 females out of 30 or so birds which are looking a little sickly but the other adults seem ok.  The problem now is that across the breeds none of them have been successful in bringing out a full nest of chicks.  They seem to be hatching and caring for the chicks ok, but then within about 2 days of emerging from the nest the chicks die.  Of the 3 or so that have survived (2 from one nest of 4 and 1 from another nest of 4) they seem to be 'retarded' in some way.  They're having difficulty flying - one in particular seem to have one bung wing and spends a lot of time on the floor. He appears to be improving over time but I'm sure there must be seriously wrong.  

I think the most significant discovery so far is that the healthy Black Throats that Dad bought a couple of months ago were at first robust but now have succumbed to this unidentified problem.  This is making me think it's something contagious.  Is there any disease you can think of which would cause chicks to die after emerging from the nest and/or leave them disabled?

Any insight you might have would be appreciated.  The number of babies he's getting is down 2 thirds and it's worrying him day and night. (He has a little burial ground which is getting fuller by the day).

Kind regards

Anne  

Answer
This is strange. Normally I would suggest certain types of diseases or parasites they may have but seeing as how he has taken them to a vet already, it would be pointless and a waste of time.
I'll have to start at the beginning (basic care) so please don't take offense to my questions. I'm going to have to use a process of elimination here.

What kinds of food does your dad feed them? Parents need food high in nutrients when raising chicks. The fact they are so thin would lead me to believe that they are undernourished. Does the food he buys come with nutrients added to it already? Does he buy his food from reputable pet stores? Do they have fresh food once every couple of weeks? Are there enough food dishes to supply the amount of birds in the cage? Is fresh water given on a daily basis? Does the water have nutrients added to it (such as calcium, iodine, or something else along those lines)? Has there been any problems with the water?

Is the nesting material changed between clutches? Sometimes diseases come from the material (since the babies do poop in there and they are sitting in their own filth). After a bird dies is the cage cleaned with a bleach mixture (I don't know if this helps but it's what I do when one of my own dies. Just in case they had something)?

Have they been checked for air sac mites (vets don't always know what they're looking for when it comes to this)? The best way to check for air sac mites is to hold them up to your ear and listen for clicking. If there is clicking you can treat it with Scatt (I will have a website at the bottom of this email). Make sure you DO NOT treat air sac mites with Ivamech (I don't know if that's how it's spelt)! Ivamech kills as many birds as the mites do. Scatt is Ivamechtin (or something along that line) and is made for little birds.
Have they been check for worms? This would cause a significant decrease in weight and kill the birds. I'm not sure how to check for worms other than major weight loss. Again, a cure will be provided in the website I give you if you decide to try and treat them.

That is all I can think of for now. One other thing I can recommend you try is an egg food mix. I have a recipe on my website www.finefeatheredfinch.com. It is high in protein and once the birds get used to it, they will love it. This should help them with their weight if nothing else.
The other sites I recommend are www.ladygouldianfinch.com and www.ladygouldian.com. Both are located in the states but they have excellent products for birds.