Sounds like my first Gouldians hatched....?!?!?!?

[B CAMP]

Thats the best in my opinion just wait and see,if there ok you don't want them to stop setting because your looking in the nest ,good luck

[atarasi]

Gouldians aren't always easy to breed. Sometimes it does require an occasional nest check which is why it's important to have the nest box on the outside. Anyway, like Bill said, just wait and see. If it's only been a week you could be potentially be waiting for another week for them to hatch. Another good reason to check the nest is to make sure they aren't wasting their time sitting on infertile eggs. I always check around the 5th day of incubation to count how many are fertile. If it's only one egg that's fertile then I'm prepared on if the parents don't feed the lonely chick.

You're right about them probably not wanting to spend time in the nest if the chicks hatched and died.

Gouldian chicks don't really chirp when they are tiny....it's more of a "pssst, pssst, pssst" and you really have to be listening for it when they are 3 days old.

[Nipper06]

My Gouldian pair is still a mystery! Today, both the male and female were together in the box for quite a while. Then the male was outside again, as usual, to sleep on his perch tonight. I know with my doves, both parents often get in the nest right before the eggs hatch - but I don't know if that is the case with Gouldians.

I'm still not seeing lots of action as far as the parents getting food and bringing it in the box. They are just feeding as normal and are mostly not touching the eggfood. They were ignoring the sprouted seed for a while but now they seem to like it.

Maybe they are just still sitting and I got my time wrong? Well, I guess there's no point in disturbing them now - as long as one of them is continuously brooding the eggs, it can't really hurt if they sit longer if some / all are infertile. I probably won't inspect the box now until it's clear that they are loosing interest in incubating the eggs. And until then, I'll keep supplying fresh eggfood and sprouted seed.

Yes, an outside box would have been easier. The next time, I will definitely go that route. My other breeding finches are Green Singers right now. Their nest is inside but they have an open cup nest so it's easier to inspect from outside.

[bonnies_gouldians]

From what I have read it can work either way. Both in my pair sleep in the box at night and most of the day with the female taking more breaks than the male, but never do I see them both out of the box as of late. Either way, I wouldnt be too concerned as long as at least one of them is in the box at all times.

[atarasi]

With an experienced pair, the hen incubates at night. The cock will relieve her in the morning so she can stretch and eat. Sometimes they will both be in the nestbox during that day, but it's usually the cock keeping the hen company while she incubates.

When the eggs are close to hatching, both parents will be in the nest cleaning and discarding the eggshells. Some pairs will eat all the eggshells, some will toss them on the floor of the cage. An obvious sign the chicks have hatched.

If nothing comes of this clutch, you can always relocate the nest on the outside of the cage and the pair should start on their second clutch in about a week. I started mounting the nestboxes on the side so they could watch me enter the room, but it makes it awkward to peer into the box and I feel it's more conspicuous.

Fingers crossed for you. Let us know if anything happens.

[bonnies_gouldians]

Thanks for the info Atasari. I guess my male just doesnt like to be lonely, they are always both in the box...only see them one at a time for a few minutes, then back in they go. They make better parents so far than most people, what a nightmare to be bed ridden weeks without so much as a beep the entire time from your little babies!!