This Years Hatch Puffing-Up In The Flight Cage

If you have some chicks not thriving in a cage of youngsters, it is not necessarily a sign of illness. The most common reason is that the young females are being caged with young males and are not getting enough to eat.

It is important to separate the sexes as soon as possible. Watching their behavior can be a clue but a faster method is to just take a few minutes and catch the birds and check their weight.

Move the thin ones away from the others into groups with like thin ones. Add lots of perches to limit their need to fly. Feed the thin ones some fattening foods such as bread and sunflower chips/pieces.

Too fat birds get less oily seeds, more greens, exercise (reduce number of perches and move perches so they have to fly more), and in extreme cases petamine breeding formula, greens, and water.

I also use the KD (ladygouldianfinch.com) in the water on two consecutive days each week to keep them healthy.