Male Pulling Hen Off of the Nest

[Rosa]

I have a pair of German roller canaries, and they have an issue that Google can't seem to help me with. This year they have hatched out two chicks, who are now two weeks old. They are very good parents, but just recently, the male has decided he doesn't want the female on the nest anymore. Whenever he comes up to feed the babies, and finds her in the nest, he will grab her by the wings and pull her until she flies out of the nest. He then proceeds to chase her around the cage, though it takes him less than a minute to give up and go feed himself or his offspring.
The odd thing about it is that he doesn't appear to be in an aggressive state of mind when he does this. There is no fluttering of the wings, opening of the beak, or even slight flattening of the feathers. He seems to be quite calm throughout the whole ordeal. The female is, obviously, annoyed with the actions of her mate. But she doesn't seem to be incredibly stressed, and the pulling out of the nest doesn't seem to cause her any pain, or loss of feathers, for that matter. Neither does it deter her from going back on the nest at every possible opportunity.
I might also add that none of this behaviour is negatively impacting the babies, as he still feeds them regularly, and they have enough feathers to keep warm on their own. I'm more concerned for the well-being of the hen.

Is he doing this because he wants to mate, and the babies prevent him from mounting her in the nest? Is he frustrated that he can't feed the babies as easily with her in the nest? Or perhaps, something else?

[Ricardo Ronsini]

I think it is just his gentle way of saying "get out of there you lazy bones!"

It is more common that when the female is in the nest, the cock will feed the hen, and then she gets up and feeds the babies, but some males will enjoy feeding the babies themselves.

Plus, he might want her to get some food to help him on the feeding.

I wouldn't worry as long as there is no real aggression.

[lovezebs]

Rosa

Agree with Ricardo.

I think he wants access to the chicks, and is telling her to stop acting like a baby. Go take a bath, get some food into you, and lets feed these kids.

[Rosa]

Thanks for the replies guys, it's reassuring. Some things just can't be found in a Google search, can they?

He sure loves his babies. He's always been the primary feeder, they don't even have to ask for food and he gives it to them. A bit grandmotherly in that sense. Mom just likes to keep them warm, though that can't be too comfortable for her at this point....

[Dave]

If the chicks are two weeks old, do you think he's expecting her to start another nest? Does your hen have access to another nesting bowl?

[Rosa]

It could be a possibility, the chicks will start to fledge soon, after all. I don't think more than one clutch is convenient this year though, so I have not provided her with a second nest.

[Rosa]

Update: kind of urgent, kind of not.
I've been watching them throughout the afternoon, and noticed that the male has been pecking the females beak when he pulls her off of the nest. I wasn't too worried, as the beak is the hardest part of a canaries body, and he never pecked any higher than the beak. However, this evening I noticed spots of blood on her forehead. I took her out to get a closer look, and the source of the blood seemed to be the skin connecting the head and the beak. It was a very light blood flow, by the looks of it, and she doesn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort. Missing a few tiny feathers that would have slightly covered the beak, though only noticeable through careful inspection.
I'll keep a close eye on them, and update in the morning, no doubt.

[lovezebs]

Rosa

If there is any form of injury, I would seperate them.

I would pull him and watch to see if she's feeding herself and the chicks. If sh's not feeding the chicks, I would bring him back, and take her out.

Once again, I would watch very carefully to see what's going on.

When and if you seperate them, put them in a different cage, in another room.

Just as an after thought, is there any possibility that your female has mites?
Here is some information to read...

http://www.finchroom.com/articles/mites.html
http://www.canaryadvisor.com/red-mites.html

[Rosa]

Pulling at my brain, I think I can remember a similar event happening last breeding season as well. I will keep a close watch on them, and if he does anything again, I will definitely do as you have instructed.

Reading up on the mites, this does not appear to be a huge possibility. The only area bleeding was a barely visible nick above the beak, the rest of her person has healthy plumage, and none of the other birds are having any problems. No excessive scratching, restlessness, or feather loss for any of them. I'll keep a watch for mites anyway, though.

[lovezebs]

Rosa

Good luck.

[Rosa]

Thank you, something about this situation seems very déjà vu...of course, last year their weren't any hungry chicks involved.

[Rosa]

Update:
Watched them all morning, all afternoon, now most of the evening. He appears to have stopped trying to pull her off of the nest, and their behaviour towards each other has returned to the state it was in when she first started sitting: he sings for her, he chases her, she runs away, he attempts to mate when she is snuggled in the nest, occasional kissing when he can catch up to her. No pecking or wing grabbing today, though he did use her as a balancing post while he was feeding the babies this morning.
Also, I did follow instructions on checking for mites, there don't seem to be any there.

On a lighter note, the oldest baby has almost all of its flight feathers in, but just can't seem to muster up the courage nor the motivation to make the big jump. It's only 16 days old, and I know that the smaller the clutch, the longer they tend to stay in the nest. I suppose I'm just curious as to the behaviours leading up to the decision to explore the big wide world. They've both started preening their feathers, and the older one has started to peer out of the nest. How soon can I expect them to fly the coop?

[Sheather]

Mine have usually fledged around 20 days.

[Rosa]

Great, thanks! Now, I know everyone says to put food trays on the ground when the babies start wandering about, which works out great because that's where I put their seed and egg food anyway. What I was wondering is this: should I put a tray of water down there as well? If so, should I lay it down as soon as they fledge, or later?

Thanks so much for you're help guys!

[lovezebs]

Rosa

If the parents are feeding the youngsters, they should be alright. The parents will show the kids the ropes of where the food and water stations are.

Once they fledge, I usually will hang spray millet close to the perches where the younglings like to hang out. Also slices of cucumber, a spinach leaf etc. At some point, they will begin to nibble at these soft foods.