what do u think?

[DJ]

ive found newly hatched yb,s dead in 2 different nestboxes within the last 2 days from pairs that have bred before without any problems  ive sprayed the loft with chlorcarb today as i thought it may have been red mite irratating the birds causing them to leave their yb,s overnight and the yb,s freezing to death :-/ but if it is/was red mite wouldnt they have driven the pairs off their eggs causing the eggs not to hatch? both of the nestboxes are at floor level, what do u think?   debbie

[Guest]

could well be the weather conditions Debs?? a little too early to breed in my opinion.   andy.

[greenlands]

I would look for the simple things first ,starting with something disturbing the birds. Mice ?

Lindsay

[Guest lenwadebob]

Has someone got security lighting that shines in your loft. Birds may not come off while sitting but may come off with youngsters. My other thought is because it is so cold a draught may be coming through vents you may have at floor level.

[Guest JonesyBhoy]

Maybe a cat..??

[boxer]

I WOULD SAY ITS THE WEATHER ITS VERY VERY COLD AT THE MO.

[DJ]

i did wonder about the weather andy  i was breeding the young,uns as a favour for someone else so maybe it is the cold but as lindsay says it could be mice especially with the nestboxes being on the floor   il set a trap tonite  debbie

[Guest]

i did wonder about the weather andy  i was breeding the young,uns as a favour for someone else so maybe it is the cold but as lindsay says it could be mice especially with the nestboxes being on the floor   il set a trap tonite  debbie

 

make sure the birds cant access the trap , ive found "chocolate spread" to be an ideal trap food . good luck.            andy.

[W.D.]

Have you been using nest felts in the nest?

[David048]

too cold i reckon - i don't like having boxes on the floor though - don't think the birds like it either they feel vulnerable - usually best to have the bottom boxes at least 18 inches off the floor. Mek sure your water hasn't frozen over cos they might stop feeding if dehydrated.

[hoodedclaw]

could it be a rogue cock going in

[Guest frank dooman]

could any one of a number of things weather rats /stoat etc even a pesistant cat scratching at the loft nest felts salmonella are the old birds just yearlings?

[Novice]

I doubt if red mite would be very active in these temperatures.

Probably a temperature thing.

[THE FIFER]

it doesnt take long for very young birds to die with cold when parents are off feeding etc,its far too cold just now, same with eggs

[pjc]

check under the nest bowls for red mite but doughbt thats your problem!

If the birds have bred before then most likely they have been disturbed or just a coincidence you've had 2 die in different nests.

[DJ]

no its not security lighting disturbing them as i or neighbours havnt got any,also i dont use nest felts cos heard bad things about them, i spose it could be a rogue cock? and none of the breeding pairs are yearlings? i do have a vent running along the bottom of the loft though so maybe its that? one side of my loft is closed in underneath so maybe its the mice doing it-doesnt salmonella come from mice? my drinkers have been freezing up overnite but they are always sorted b4 i leave for work so it isnt due to dehydration, i did find a fox in my back garden at first light some weeks back so thats a possibility  the traps are laid now so il see tomoro   debbie

[Geraint Parry]

used to wath the birds in the street , young ones in the nest november/december , sitting in the nest on the ledge of a building, feezing conditions. Is it because they have become 'hardier' ? I think healthy pigeons will breed in this weather. Plenty of food, un-frozen water, they should breed ok. I had the above probelm one year, it was like the parents had squashed them, looked fine, just dead in the nest. never did find out what it was, all was ok after.

 

 

Tip of the day - when breeding have a full bulb of garlic in the water, and just top up each day until it becomes mushy. then replace with another bulb. any questions about this pm me ;-)

[Guest shippy]

not security lighting lad over the back has a very strong one shines in my lofts and i have no bother sorry i cant be of more help like members say could be one of many things hope you get sorted

[Guest frank dooman]

geraint might have just hit the nail on the head the y/birds might have been squashed with the old birds sitting too tight for the cold snap and the eggs might just have got a chill when the birds were off feeding let us know how the rest do

[blaz]

i would also say frozen .

[Guest Owen]

When it is cold like it is now, mice will come into the loft. You said that it is the lower boxes. That would be consistant with it being mice.

I would not dream of rearing youngsters this time of the year because I am not prepared to provide the extra light which is far more important than heating. The nights are very long and cold so unless you tool up for it your youngsters will not be up to much.

Geraint said that the street pigeons will rear their young in very exposed places. But usually they do that in well lighted places. Been reading up on Ad's stuff Geriant?

[kirky]

i have birds that have nested on floor ybs doing fine, wont be red mite at this time of year,as said most likely mice.

[DJ]

first id like to thank everyone who has replied to my post  every time i have a problem i know i can get sound advice on pb which started a few years back when a stray decided to make my garden shed its new home (its still here) anyway back to my problem, i set two mice traps last night but when i checked them first thing this morning one had failed to go off but the bait had been taken and the other trap has just dissapeared?   any ideas anyone    debbie :-/

[Guest stb-]

i would also say frozen .

 

GOT TO AGREE WITH THAT

[pjc]

first id like to thank everyone who has replied to my post  every time i have a problem i know i can get sound advice on pb which started a few years back when a stray decided to make my garden shed its new home (its still here) anyway back to my problem, i set two mice traps last night but when i checked them first thing this morning one had failed to go off but the bait had been taken and the other trap has just dissapeared?   any ideas anyone    debbie :-/

 

Probably a rat that has gone off with the trap attached!