Dead Blue Tit chick in box - should I remove it now they've fledged?

[Sylvan]

I have a nestbox (with cam) that was fortunate enough to have a brood of Blue Tits in. Things went generally well, six chicks grew up from eight eggs. A pair of chicks left at what felt like the right time, however four of the chicks lingered much longer (five further days) and one died (from sibling bullying). As of this morning the last of chicks has now finally fledged but the body of the dead chick now lies in the bowl of the nest (it died three days ago). I worry that this will clearly deter re-use of the box this season. My question is, should I:

A) Remove the dead chick but leave the nest material intact.
B) Remove the dead chick and also all the nest material so that the tits can start afresh.
C) Do nothing and let nature take its course, only clearing the nestbox come the autumn/winter.

Oh, and why did four of the chicks seem so reluctant to fledge? Could it have been the recent poor weather?

Any advice is most welcome.

Regards
Martin

[shei111]

Hello id clean the whole lot out , cant see any bird wanting to nest where one lay dead or the box stinks of dead birds. !! sheila

[PMG]

Clean it all out! But I have known them build again over a used nest and dead chick and unhatched eggs - birds are not known for a sense of smell so they say! And a box is a very desirable home.........

Pauline

[witham]

I would remove it as if flies get into the box and lay eggs on it, it will soon be crawling mind you the other birds will probably the maggots as extra food, but I wouldn't have thought it would be very nice to lay eggs on and apart from anything else it will smell in such an enclosed space, although as PMG says they perhaps can't smell, the blackbirds who nested in our shed had one egg that didn't hatch and before they started to lay again in the box and I was dithering about should I shouldn't I remove it, it vanished so either they removed it to revamp the old nest or some other critter did but the nest is fairly inaccessable so it's a mystery

[Sylvan]

Thanks everyone. I removed the dead chick today ... it was almost fully grown when it died yet so unbelievably tiny. I decided to leave the nest material there as it was in good condition and the two parents had looked so exhausted and bedraggled by the end of the last brood that gathering material for another nest would probably break them. So here's hoping for a second brood (do Blue Tits often have a second?).

Cheers
Martin

[linnit]

Thanks for the answers, can you tell me if blue tits nest more than once a year?. (:

[Jenny W]

They won't nest again this year. Blue Tits very rarely second brood in the UK and when they do, it's only really when the first brood has failed (been predated) in the egg stage, early on in the breeding season.