I think you need to try to increase area of the nest bottom. As Carolyn said, they poop at the edges and in this situation there is nowhere to go (this is what I think but I can be wrong)
Carolyn, would a clean cardboard box be OK for a nest?
Erik, can you buy clean pine shavings? When I say clean, I mean low dust shavings, I used to buy mine in PetSmart ("small animal bedding" in a small bag, usually you can see thru the bag, make sure they look good and not dusty), they shouldn't be expensive
Or you can ask bird enthusiasts in your area what they use in a nest.

Babies eat a lot which means that they also poop a lot!

Thank you Chipper, I'll see if I can get my hands on some pine shavings next time I visit petco

There's another problem, I believe it's much bigger. The oldest baby has "spleen knee" (is that how you say it). He can't stand, his legs are too far apart, and I know this because his younger sibling can stand straight on the ground. I'm not completely sure how I can correct this, but I remember I saw a video once that tied up the chick's legs together with tape.

Could anyone tell me how I can fix this?

The condition is called splayed legs. I haven't dealt with it. Google finds some articles on how to fix it. Sorry I am not very helpful about this
Actually two problems can be related. It's important to have the right floor to help them stand properly

Would it be good to use this method?

There are a variety of different methods. I've never had this problem so I don't know which one is best. That technique looks like it would work.

Here's another technique: http://www.cutelittlebirdiesaviary.com/ ... tment.html

And a video that is pretty much the same thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXRMmzBbHpc

Coco is a good father.



I made the pink bedding they're standing on, I haven't been able to go to petco to get wood shavings. Oh and the baby I thought had splayed legs seems to not have it. I put them on a platter earlier today to clean out the nest box and he seemed to stand correctly, his legs were just a little wiggly, but I guess that's normal coming from baby birds, right?

Baby birds don't control their bodies the same way that adults do, and can have their legs sticking out at angles that would be very unnatural and uncomfortable for an adult. It's not a problem if they're just standing that way for a short time and have their legs in a more normal position most of the time. But it's a problem if they stand that way all the time and are not able to stand in a normal position.

Carolyn, am I the only one thinking that bottom area of the current nest isn't sufficient? Can I ask again about clean cardboard box with flat bottom? ( sorry if I am being wrong)

Erik, make sure he feeds all four equally

He might want to add some space as the chicks get bigger. Right now there's plenty of space for all the chicks and at least one adult. The nests in the wild are usually a lot smaller than this and may have a very uneven floor, so this is actually pretty luxurious.

A cardboard box would work as long as the adults don't destroy the sides, leaving openings where the babies could fall out. A sturdy plastic box would be less chewable. The current container is fine for now, but sides that are a couple of inches higher will probably be desirable in a few more days. It looks like the babies could climb over the sides and fall out when they're a little older, and possibly get hurt. You don't want them to be able to escape from the nest until they're old enough to fly.