Strawberry and BCCB Babies - Fledging

Post by **Sally** » Wed May 14, 2008 4:55 pm

My second pair of Strawberries has been sitting tight, so I was hoping for something any day now. Today, I found a Strawberry hatchling on the floor, still in half a shell and still wiggling. I put him with my Society fosters. Went out to check a while ago, and no baby. I found him in the nestling food cup on the back side of the cage, 18" away, still alive, still wiggling, still in half a shell. I'm surprised my fosters carried him out of the nest. Then I checked the Strawberry cage, and there was another hatchling on the floor, alive and kicking--into the Society nest he went. The Strawberries were both out of the nest, flying around pretty wildly, so I checked the nest. Four eggs in there. They have failed the parent test with two tossed babies, so I moved the eggs to the Society nest.

Now these two male Societies have been sitting on BCCB eggs. When I candled them, 5 looked to be fertile. This morning, one of the eggs was half broken open, but the baby inside appeared dead. That leaves 4 BCCB eggs and 4 Strawberry eggs, plus the 2 Strawberries that have hatched, total of 10 if they all hatch, which may very well not happen.

I'm torn on whether to leave these Societies with this possibly huge family, or move some of the eggs to a male/female pair of Societies that are sitting on eggs right now. They are not proven fosters, and I'm scared to lose any of my valuable babies. What to do?

jamezyboo21 · Post by **jamezyboo21** » Wed May 14, 2008 5:00 pm

Dang, that stinks. Im hoping and praying your society's take care of the eggs for you. i wish your strawberry's did the opposite and actually try to raise there clutch. Well, Good Luck Sally!

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Wed May 14, 2008 6:45 pm

Wow Sally your lucky to have these eggs. Especially the strawberries.
It is so hard to find these birds. Best of luck and please keep us all updated. Hopefully the socities will come through for you.

FeatherHarp · Post by **FeatherHarp** » Wed May 14, 2008 6:47 pm

Yes....good luck!!....I hope you get some Strawberry babies. I am sure it would be worth all the effort you are putting in to make it happen.

Post by **Sally** » Wed May 14, 2008 7:06 pm

Checked the birds again (I just can't stop peeking, thank goodness the Societies tolerate it), and found a third Berry has hatched, but again a baby was on the floor. I am such an idiot!

There were still 3 LG weanlings in the Society cage, I've been meaning to move them all week and hadn't gotten around to it. I'm sure it is just too much commotion, and I'm sure those LGs have been peeking in the nest. I caught them up and moved them to my juvie LG flight cage, and now my Society boys are settling down to business.

I am so excited I can barely sit still! I hate to get my hopes up, all the babies could be dead by morning, but keep your fingers crossed for me. It would be wonderful if I could get a mate for my little juvie Strawberry, sex unknown at this time.

jamezyboo21 · Post by **jamezyboo21** » Wed May 14, 2008 7:17 pm

i almost got a male strawberry today from someone selling him for a hundred dollars. there was no female though and i didnt want to keep him by himself.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Wed May 14, 2008 7:31 pm

I don't usually buy from pet stores, but there is a pair of strawberry finches at the Petco close to me. They are 60 dollar each, but no one knows if they are male, female or related. I would love to buy them but what do you all think?

Post by **Sally** » Wed May 14, 2008 9:12 pm

It is hard to spend $120 on birds with so little information. Do they both look like females? They say that the male (out of breeding plumage) will still have a redder base of the tail and the white dots or spots will be more prominent. I just looked at my eclipse pair, and I can definitely see those differences, but they are easy to tell apart--she is bigger and he is permanently bald! I just love my Strawberries, so I would be tempted, but then I have other birds I could pair them up with, as they might be related.

I just did the last bedcheck on the birds, and the Society boys are now sitting quietly on 4 babies! One baby is darker than the others, so that must be one of the BCCB eggs hatched. I will be holding my breath tomorrow morning to see if they made it thru the night.

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:32 am

I'm sure your societies will cope fine if all the eggs hatch Sally. just have to pray that you can cope with the extra food they will need lol

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:40 am

. Do they both look like females? .

It is hard to tell Sally since I don't really have anything to compare them to and I have never had strawberries. (But have always wanted them)
They look really healthy. I bought my silverbills from a pet store and I am SURE that they are related. They have tried twice to have babies and there have been problems with them both times. So I don't let them breed anymore.

Best of luck with your new hatchlings!

Post by **Sally** » Thu May 15, 2008 10:30 am

Update on the babies--I found one Berry baby dead this a.m.

, but the other two are alive and kicking, and another BCCB egg hatched, so that makes 2 Berries, 2 BCCBs, and 5 eggs to go. The boys must be thoroughly confused--the Berry babies are pink and naked, and the BCCBs are darker and so covered with fuzz that they look like two wads of lint! Holding my breath still.

Donna, that is the downside of buying birds from pet stores--it is often hard to get a history. I always worry that someone takes their clutch of juvies to the store, and the buyers have no way of knowing that they are related. When I used to have Zebras, I would put split leg bands on them. The place where I took them usually had a cage full of Zebras, and I would tell the store that they shouldn't sell any of the ones with the leg bands as pairs, since they were brother and sister, but who knows if they followed my suggestions.

Post by **Sally** » Thu May 15, 2008 5:48 pm

Update on the babies. As of this afternoon, I have 3 Berry hatchlings, 3 BCCB hatchlings, and 3 eggs to go. It is so hard to tell how they are doing that first day, as they mostly live off the yolk they absorb, so the Society fosters are pretty much just keeping them warm. I won't be able to relax till tomorrow, when I can see if they are feeding them. One foster will leave the nest readily when I want to peek, but the other boy is so protective that I have to pick him up and move him to take a look. Still on pins and needles.

jamezyboo21 · Post by **jamezyboo21** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:28 pm

I HOPE THAT EVERYTHING GOES WELL. I ACTUALLY HAVE SOMEONE DROPPING OFF A MALE AND FEMALE PAIR AND THERE 2 BABIES AND SHE IS NOW SITTING ON A 2 CLUTCH OF 7 EGGS.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Thu May 15, 2008 7:11 pm

[, but the other boy is so protective that I have to pick him up and move him to take a look. Still on pins and needles.

[/quote]

Sally, my societies are the same way. I have to pick them up and move them off the eggs or babies. Don't you just love them?

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Fri May 16, 2008 5:37 am

my societies are the opposite. whenever I enter the aviary they come from where ever they were straight to the live food dish and the fresh food dish. they are always the first in line for a feed lol. but as soon as they have eaten its straight back to the nest