I put a box with cam up last year and this year have had nesting bluetits - i have some fantastic video footage. Eleven eggs were laid, and definately ten of them hatched. Perhaps after a week or so, we only had 7 or 8 left but i expected to lose a few and thought that was still a decent return. However, in this last week, we've been waking up to find yet another dead chick (well formed with feathers etc) in the nest book, almost daily. Two days ago we had three really healthy looking plumpish chicks- as i watched, one of them just laid on its side and died. I now have only 2 left from 11. Is that still considered a good return ? And has anyone any ideas why they have been dying. Both parents have been very attentive bringing in food all day, every day.
hmmm thats not a good return from that many chicks i'm afraid... especially if both parents have been attentive and feeding regularly... where is the nest box situated? we have had some very varied weather and the chicks can get prone to falling to over heating if the box is in direct sunlight or the cold if the box leaks and they get wet...
It could possibly be something like harmful bacteria in the box - did you clean the box out with boiling water after last years brood??
Fingers crossed the remaining 2 fledge successfully, it can be gutting when this sort of thing happens...
Hi Pete, and welcome to the forum.
What an awful shame, and to actually watch one keel over and die must have been distressing. I am absolutely no expert, but it does sound like an illness to me. Maybe someone else could help more.
Cheers, Linda.
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Hi Goose
Yea i did wonder about the indifferent weather we've been having. We had 2 or 3 days which were really hot and the chicks did look a little hot in there. As for cleaning with boiling water, this was a new box so it wasnt there last year. I've captured video from day 1 of the nest building process to day 56 (today) with the intention of producing a dvd, mainly for our local primary school children where my wife works. But now i'm not sure what to do since so many died. Watching the female carrying dead chicks out of the nest is not a pretty site.
The other thing i wondered about - i did see a lot of flies around inside the box in that last week. I didnt know if the dead chicks that were still inside the box were attracting them and if so, whether that might be a problem.
Sorry, forgot to say - the hole to the box is facing west !