Trying to breed goulds in aviary

[lovezebs]

Babs Ricardo Ronsini

Makes you wonder what on earth goes through their itty bitty tiny brains when they make these decisions (?) TO TOSS OR NOT TO TOSS AND THAT IS THE QUESTION!!!

Does Dad come home to the nest, look at the kids and says: You look like me, you can stay....the rest of you look like the neighbor, out you go (?)

I mean honestly!
These are healthy perfect little chicks

The next one is for Ricardo...

[Babs _Owner]

lovezebs

Those pictures!!! That first picture describes it perfectly.!

Yeah, the kids she throws are usually healthy and are fine when hand fed . I have 4 of her rejects all grown up in the juvies flights. Weird.

[lovezebs]

Babs

That's what I can't figure out, why toss some, yet keep others?
I wish we could delve into their silly little heads, and understand the thought behind it.

The only time I've had Gouldians toss, is when the Societies invaded and took over the nest with the Gouldi eggs/chicks (many moons ago ) which is why I started setting up in their own cage to breed, rather than community breeding.

I think once the Socies took over, the babies smelled like Socie butt, and the Gouldians didn't know them anymore as their own .

Same pair, later had several clutches in a breeding cage, and were excellent parents.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Babs lovezebs

Nooooooo, i shall never sleep with my window open again!

I really don't know what these bird brains are thinking, i guess we can only suppose; Maybe because they thought that there wouldn't be enough food, or perhaps because they just are unsure about what to do with the new hatchlings, or because they felt threatened, or stressed out.... Or are just nuts anyways.

I think it is like with human beings, where we have good parents, regular parents and those that should never be allowed to breed.

As it was their first try, i will let them breed again, but if they mess this up, there won't be a third chance

[lovezebs]

Ricardo Ronsini

Yes, but why be good parents to some and not to others.

I mean why fatten up one, and toss the other four? You end up with this in the end....

20170418_194141-309x358.png (119.5 KiB) Viewed 760 times

. There's just no sense.

If things don't work out in the aviary, place them into breeding cages for breeding, they might surprise you.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

lovezebs

LOL, exactly that.

Maybe they see things that we don't, or perhaps, it is just a matter of who is luckier.

The other pairs are doing better than i expected actually, so i think it will work.

[lovezebs]

Ricardo Ronsini

Well all the best of luck

[lovezebs]

Ricardo Ronsini

Good day Ricardo,

How are the Gouldian kids coming along?
Any new babies, any fledglings?

[Ricardo Ronsini]

lovezebs

Hi Elana.

We had some problems with the first try, some tossed chicks, fights among the pairs, and some inexperienced parents as well.

I had 24 hatchlings from 5 pairs, but only 9 survived, 4 blues and 5 greens, all weaned and thriving.

Now we are in the middle of the second breeding cycle, and so far i have:

- A pair with 5 chicks who just fledged;

- Another pair also with 5 chicks, almost ready to fledge;

- The third pair with only 2 chicks who are about 16 days old and growing healthy;

- And my half-sider girl who is raising 6 fledglings all by herself.

Until now, 2 dead out of 20.

So, both the birds and i seem to be learning from our mistakes

[lovezebs]

Ricardo Ronsini

I think you are doing , or rather "they" are doing very well for first timers and or second timers.

As you said, you are learning, and they are learning.

What are your plans for all these babies, are you going to keep them ?

[Ricardo Ronsini]

lovezebs

Yes, i sure want to keep some, and already have family and friends trying to steal them from me, but not until they finish their first moult

[Vera]

Richard, congratulations on all those babies! How exciting.
I only have four babies all doing well, they have left the nest and eating on their own and are at least as big as their parents.
They are in high demand - a little girl I know is taking two, and my soon to be bereaved aunt will be taking the other two. I did want to keep a pair so I think it might be back to the drawing board.
I understand they can leave their parents at six weeks of age but we dont know what their final coloring will be which I understand is after their first moult? Any suggestions on how to sex them?
I dont want to breed again until these have left so there is enough room in the cage?

[Babs _Owner]

Ricardo Ronsini

Yep my first year was a nightmare of handfeeding abandoned and tossed chicks. This year only a handful of handfeds and loads of juvies coloring up as I type.

Not only do they learn, but I SWEAR they "talk" to each other from flight cage to flight cage. I would assume its even more-so in a colony.

I even had 2 gouldians males structuring the exact same nest designs as one society pair clear across the room in different cages all at one time.

They are plotting behind our backs, Im convinced. ;)

[lovezebs]

Babs

[ac12]

I'm late to this thread.

I had one pair that tossed every single hatchling in 3 clutches.
I put the chicks back 2x, after the 3rd toss, or if the tossling is injured, the go to the societies to foster.
It was only the last chick that I put back the 2nd time, that they stood looking at the hatchling/tossling and may have given up. Maybe thinking "They always seem to come back into the nest after we toss them, might as well keep this one." So they raised the last chick of their last clutch that year.

Year 2, and it was like they were different birds. Not a single toss

I currently have a first time pair with 2 nestlings a week from fledge, and none were tossed

They all are treated and fed similarly so I have no idea why some toss and some don't.
All of my breeding is separated pair in their own breeding cage, to avoid any issues with other birds.