Hi,
There is no way to know why it died without a vet running tests. But it’s not uncommon for chicks to die. If this was their first clutch, possibly they didn’t feed it enough. Of course they need the right foods to feed the chicks. Breeding birds need a nutritionally balanced diet like pellets – a seed diet is not adequate and could definitely be the cause if they only had seeds. They also need leafy greens, veggies, some fruit and an egg food. This can be a commercial dry egg food or you can cook an egg with the shell washed and crushed and cooked with the egg. This gives the hen important protein and calcium that she needs and is a very good food for the parents to feed the chicks along with the other foods.
I would remove the nest box now and rest the pair for 6 months. You must do this after each clutch and only allow them to have two clutches per year. If your parents are not eating the foods I mentioned, you should not try to breed them again until they are on a good diet, otherwise the same thing might happen. I’m sorry you lost the chick, but hopefully next time things will go better.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
