nesting preferences?

[catherlee]

Hello all, I have a pair of Gouldians, and I know they are not always reliable parents especially the first couple times. They are several months old, and the male is doing his courtship dance and it is so cute!

Just in case, I'd like to have a nesting box or whatever ready for them. What kinds do you like? At a bird show, I saw lots of little boxes where you can remove the top and check on them. I also had a grassy ball with a hole in it but I threw it away because it was covered in droppings! What size is advisable? I'm in Florida, USA.

[paul-inAZ]

I use the wooden boxes like you describe. They are around 6 or 8 inches on a side. Nesting material is paper from my document shredder.
"Several months" is still too young even if his hormones are feeling frisky.

[CathyCraftz]

Yes, if they are several months old they are not ready to breed yet, as it may lead to stress and in females, egg binding. To prevent them from laying eggs, remove all nests from the cage until they are at least a year old. They can sleep fine on the perches.

[catherlee]

OMG today when I came home from work, I saw the teeny tiny remains of an egg on the floor of the cage!

So I'm ordering a wooden box ASAP for the little pair! I know they're probably infertile eggs, and the first clutch has a low probability of surviving... but I'm so excited!

Since the egg broke, I put in some calcium supplement. Any other advice?

[paul-inAZ]

You're doing the right things. Sometimes young hens will break and eat a perfectly good egg or two until they figure it out.
In addition to calcium give them egg food. I use the dried commercial egg food.
For calcium my preferred method is fairly finely crushed egg shells.
Put both in daily. They will eat only what they need.

[Fraza]

catherlee I would start feeding egg mix, fresh veg and grit/cuttlebone and if they are inside a large cage stick a wooden box and another type of nest in (some pairs like a variety of choice ) and then let them begin ! Good luck

[catherlee]

The female is not sitting on the eggs. Last night the pair was on a perch

[paul-inAZ]

She won't start siting 'tight' [24 hours] until she has finished laying eggs. Before then one or both may do some casual sitting during the day.
Could be any number from 4 to 6 eggs.

[Fraza]

They usually sit after two eggs

[paul-inAZ]

Really? My Gouldians may not have read the same instruction manual.

[Fraza]

paul-inAZ Ohright sorry I’ve never had gouldians I was just going off my birds

[catherlee]

*sigh* 4 broken eggs on the floor of the cage, and ONE egg in the nest.

I guess this is normal for the first rodeo?

[paul-inAZ]

Maybe not entirely normal but all too common for a young hen.
I have seen that repeat itself twice before a successful clutch. Makes me wonder if it is simply immaturity or inexperience or if she somehow senses that the eggs are not fertile and pitches or eats them.
I also seem to see this more commonly with red headed parents who are known have fertility difficulties.

Give her some time to see if she sits on the single egg or lays more. If by the end of next week she hasn't, remove the nest for a few weeks then restart the egg food and eggshells and put the nest back up.

[catherlee]

Thanks so much. The encouragement and information on this site is very reassuring!

Yes, they are both red-heads. I think those are the most beautiful!

[catherlee]

6 broken eggs on the floor of the cage... ONE egg in the open woven nest. Although it now looks pinky-beige. Not as white as it used to. I haven't seen the hen sitting on it very much at all. I wonder how long this can go?