FINCHforum

hello, my two canaries have 5 babies that are about a week old. the male is a very gentle bird he would even try to incubate the eggs when the hen left the nest to feed.
but 2 days ago the hen started attacking him. she would accept food from him but will occasionally attack him.
so today i separated them, since her attacks are getting frequent and violent. he was very agitated and kept calling and she was answering from the other room. so when i put him back in the cage with her, he went straight into the nest to feed the babies. when he came out she attacked him again.
what could cause such a behavior from the hen. and should i keep them separated or put him back with her after a day.
i think i jinxed them as i was very happy that they got along and i was only worried because they didnt eat the egg food (today the hen was eating eggfood )

I've had to separate males from the hens for the same reason. Thankfully, a hen can usually raise a clutch by herself no problem. With exceptionally large clutches, it helps to have a foster or two hanging around. Single canary hens generally make wonderful fosters, especially if they are in nesting mode themselves. Bob