Robin feeding faecal sac back to chicks- Normal?

[WeLoveWilson]

Hi, we filmed a Robins nest in our garage over Easter, and noticed one instance of the Mum collecting a faecal sac and immediately feeding it back to another chick in the nest- is this normal? I can find no reference to this after a quick look on-line.
Also of possible relevance, on another occaision, the mum is seen with a mouth full of food, and after making lots of noise with little response from the 'dopey' looking chicks, she gives up and eats the mouthful herself. The chicks later died at about 7-10 days old. Maybe caused by these behaviours (inexpereinced mum?) or coincidence?
I'd appreciate any comments as puzzled!
Thanks

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by WeLoveWilson

Hi, we filmed a Robins nest in our garage over Easter, and noticed one instance of the Mum collecting a faecal sac and immediately feeding it back to another chick in the nest- is this normal? I can find no reference to this after a quick look on-line.
Also of possible relevance, on another occaision, the mum is seen with a mouth full of food, and after making lots of noise with little response from the 'dopey' looking chicks, she gives up and eats the mouthful herself. The chicks later died at about 7-10 days old. Maybe caused by these behaviours (inexpereinced mum?) or coincidence?
I'd appreciate any comments as puzzled!
Thanks

This isn't normal. The parent removes the fecal sac, usually while the chick is still pecking/simultaneously with feeding and then remove it from the nest. Further if young chicks aren't begging/alert with open bills, when the parent returns to the nest with food, it's a sign there is something seriously wrong. The combination of these factors point strongly to a shortage of natural food.

Sometimes if a male partner has been predated by a cat or driven off by a competitor, food supply at the nest becomes critically depleted when Mum is needed on the nest almost continuously in the first week to keep the chicks warm.

Unfortunately, cold/wet weather across Europe/UK this Spring has meant loss of complete broods as insects/caterpillars are in short supply. It's not all disaster, with boxes, they can be cleaned out now of dead chicks as it will encourage second broods. Robins, Tits (common victims of wet breeding seasons) will likely start on a new brood almost immediately. With 'natural' nests, the parents may re-use it and clean out dead chicks themselves or build a fresh one elsewhere.

Just an additional point re: the Garage. There's growing evidence that passerines are sensitive to car exhaust fumes. Even if your car isn't being driven into the garage while the birds are nesting, backing up to the garage door can emit an unhealthy dose of fumes/carbon monoxide into the garage and as an area not likely to be very well ventilated compared to an outside space, could very possibly cause carbon monoxide poisoning in very young chicks. Also I presume you haven't been shutting the garage door periodically and the parents have had open access to the nest at all times?!

[Picidae]

Ps anyone with nesting birds can help by providing suet/insect supplements in garden feeding at the moment (just seeds/peanuts isn't much good for chicks, they can't digest them properly and I've heard stories of failed Tit broods with crops full of undigested sunflower seeds!). I've had a pair of Robins in the garden this season and now just one fledged juvenile. They fed themselves and taking food back to the nest from the homemade suet/insect fat balls (ground meal worms/insect feed bought locally/mixed with melted Lard and raw porridge oats)

[rossy]

fair point picadae but moistioned bread is going down a treat with the sparrows , starlings, here, also got suet, fat balls, out and its busy all day long. rossy.

[Elizabeth B]

I provide mealworms in 3 caged feeders - at the moment I'm offering minis as well as the regular size, as the chicks are quite young.

One of the caged feeders can be seen from the kitchen window. The other day my husband was watching, and as I came in the back door there were 4 bluetits, a great tit and a nuthatch queuing up - the GT got in first!

[WeLoveWilson]

Thanks for your reply Picidae- very helpful!
The garage has far too much junk in it to even contemplate keeping a car in there, and there are plenty of roof exits, so hopefully we weren't responsible. As we put out suet & mealworms, I think it must be the lack of a male- I did notice 2 males in the garden at one point so dad may have lost the battle...
thanks again for the info