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I have a young pair of Zebra finches who are sitting on their first clutch. 6 eggs! One hatched yesterday and the parents aren't feeding it. I didn't even figure the first clutch would be fertile! I used to raise the bigger birds and hand fed them. Nothing smaller than a Lovebird or Parrotlet. I'd have no idea how to feed this small of a baby. But, it still breaks my heart to know this little one will probably die.

Leave the chick with them and try not to disturb them at all. This means no looking in the nest for a few days!

Give the parents lots of soft foods......thawed green peas, corn, mashed boiled egg, sprouted seeds, shredded zucchini, etc.

Often finches don't feed until the second chick hatches, especially if it's their first clutch. Plus, each chick will slowly absorb the yolk sac (yellow patch on tummy) and once this is absorbed is when they will show a feeding response.

BTW, six eggs isn't unusual for Zebras.

LOL six for a first clutch is odd for any I have had in the past. I have boiled egg, mashed sweet corn, nestling food, LaFabers Finch food which is like a mashed pellet, Giving them pieces of Wheat grain toast, millett, they just play with the romaine. Never heard of giving them sliced zuchinni...hmmmm. Or sliced cucumbers. Thanks for the info!! I'm just alittle out of practice..lol

I am always panicked with each clutch that the parents aren't feeding the babies. I've been wrong every time. As Ann says, they may wait a couple of days to start feeding, plus the pair's teamwork often makes it hard to tell if the babies are being fed or not.

We don't worry about disturbing our zebras. We pull down the nest, inspect the chicks, etc. etc. etc., and the parents just keep on doing their thing. That said, I wouldn't DARE try it with any of other other species. They're all much more persnickety about their privacy...

Cheers & hth,
Pat

Well, Baby #3 hatched today. I was worried about the yolk sac on the tummy running out! But, Mom and Dad started feeding before #2 hatched. they're really cool for Zeebs. They sit on my hand when I put goodies in for them. Now I gotta find a pair of Goulds
I ended up running all over town looking for nestling food. I guess no one carries any anymore. I've been out of birds for 4 years. So, found enough good stuff to make my own, plus soft veggies and stuff.