Goodday fellow finchlovers.
I have been a bit baffled in the way gouldian parenting behaviour differ from pair to pair. I have a gouldian pair where only the hen incubates the eggs, and once the eggs have hatched, the cock takes over and does all the parenting duties. This particular cockbird is also the father of another batch of chicks where the hen is doing all the duties. Then I have other pairs where the nestduties are shared 50/50. Recently I set out out a new pair, where the cock bird was so aggressive that I had to put in a 3rd pair, in order to spread the aggression. This cock does all the nesting duties. The eggs have not hatched yet, but it should be soon. My conclusion is that there are no hard and fast rules where it comes to gouldians.
Gouldian nestduties
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MariusStegmann
- Weaning
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Gouldian nestduties
Marius
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Babs _Owner
- Molting
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Re: Gouldian nestduties
MariusStegmann
I agree Marius. Even with the hens. I have a Female (Easy) that can stay in the breeding cage with juvies patiently showing the kids the ropes on the next clutch......
And my most devoted hen Bubbles will MURDER her juvies once weaned if I dont get them out fast enough.
Gouldian pairs require watching & meditating over for sure.
Your multi-clutch superdad must be amazing to watch!
I agree Marius. Even with the hens. I have a Female (Easy) that can stay in the breeding cage with juvies patiently showing the kids the ropes on the next clutch......
And my most devoted hen Bubbles will MURDER her juvies once weaned if I dont get them out fast enough.
Gouldian pairs require watching & meditating over for sure.
Your multi-clutch superdad must be amazing to watch!
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MariusStegmann
- Weaning
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- Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2011 12:20 pm
- Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Re: Gouldian nestduties
Hi Babs. No that bugger is no superdad. He only looks after the chicks that he has with his bonded hen. But the poor single hen is keeping them well-fed. I suppose it was just a way to spread his seed. I have put another cock in that aviary, hopefully the single-parent hen will take a liking to one of the 3 cocks available to her.
Marius
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Babs _Owner
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Re: Gouldian nestduties
MariusStegmann
Ahhh so he's just got a "side-piece". Little booger!
If he does it again, I would remove some of the eggs in the single mom's nest to lighten the load.
Ahhh so he's just got a "side-piece". Little booger!
If he does it again, I would remove some of the eggs in the single mom's nest to lighten the load.-
MariusStegmann
- Weaning
- Posts: 1726
- Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2011 12:20 pm
- Location: Cape Town, South Africa
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Gracie85
- Nestling
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Re: Gouldian nestduties
I have an unwilling"pair", who had to be together because they were the only two left (and I was not going to let her be with her brother or father).
They really didn't like each other at the start. Ended up having to put the divider in the cage for a while. When they quit obviously hating each other, I took it out and gave them a nest, and nesting material.
He poked at it. She took over and made the nest while he just hung out.
She laid eggs, and started sitting. He just hung out, although the second she stuck her head out to indicate she wanted to come out and poop and eat, he was right in there on those eggs. As soon as she came back, which was as quickly as she could poop, eat, and do about 4 laps of the cage to stretch her winds, he was back out.
Chicks hatched. I look up, he's got one by the beak at the far corner of the cage. Rescued chick, returned to nest (but it didn't make it), and after a short while of watching him be very agitated at everything, slid the divider back in.
She has raised the one remaining chick all by herself. (There was one dud egg tossed into the cage a few days before hatching, one dud egg still in the nest, the tossed chick that died, and the live one. If there were others tossed, he tossed them out the back, never to be found again. Because they hated each other at the start, and I didn't expect anything to happen, I foolishly put the nest box in where I could not easily access it for egg/chick checks, so I have no idea how many were there originally.)
Will see, when the chick fledges during this next week, if Dad is willing to feed it, and the divider can be removed. With only one chick, I haven't wanted to risk letting him near it again.
My other three pairs, who got to choose their mates, and one of those pairs a proven pair, built nests but no eggs. Still waiting.
They really didn't like each other at the start. Ended up having to put the divider in the cage for a while. When they quit obviously hating each other, I took it out and gave them a nest, and nesting material.
He poked at it. She took over and made the nest while he just hung out.
She laid eggs, and started sitting. He just hung out, although the second she stuck her head out to indicate she wanted to come out and poop and eat, he was right in there on those eggs. As soon as she came back, which was as quickly as she could poop, eat, and do about 4 laps of the cage to stretch her winds, he was back out.
Chicks hatched. I look up, he's got one by the beak at the far corner of the cage. Rescued chick, returned to nest (but it didn't make it), and after a short while of watching him be very agitated at everything, slid the divider back in.
She has raised the one remaining chick all by herself. (There was one dud egg tossed into the cage a few days before hatching, one dud egg still in the nest, the tossed chick that died, and the live one. If there were others tossed, he tossed them out the back, never to be found again. Because they hated each other at the start, and I didn't expect anything to happen, I foolishly put the nest box in where I could not easily access it for egg/chick checks, so I have no idea how many were there originally.)
Will see, when the chick fledges during this next week, if Dad is willing to feed it, and the divider can be removed. With only one chick, I haven't wanted to risk letting him near it again.
My other three pairs, who got to choose their mates, and one of those pairs a proven pair, built nests but no eggs. Still waiting.
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paul-inAZ
- 3 Eggs Laid
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Re: Gouldian nestduties
I agree that there is no fixed pattern or apparent logic to some Gouldian's nesting behavior. Some didn't read "the book".
With one current pair he was in and out of the nest constantly and she ignored the nest, then seemed to enter only to lay 4 eggs. From then she rarely entered the nest but he did the sitting. After a week of him doing all of the sitting she began to sit tight and now they share sitting when she takes a break. A few days away from seeing if anything hatches.
This pair has been atypical. Most of my Goulds do the expected thing. She sits, he helps etc.
Other than a very rare egg tossing I've had no difficulty with chick tossing or aggression. Touch wood.
With one current pair he was in and out of the nest constantly and she ignored the nest, then seemed to enter only to lay 4 eggs. From then she rarely entered the nest but he did the sitting. After a week of him doing all of the sitting she began to sit tight and now they share sitting when she takes a break. A few days away from seeing if anything hatches.
This pair has been atypical. Most of my Goulds do the expected thing. She sits, he helps etc.
Other than a very rare egg tossing I've had no difficulty with chick tossing or aggression. Touch wood.