New baby questions

[Arcellnt]

Hi all! I have a pair of gouldians who bred last breeding season but would not keep their baby in the nest. This season one baby hatched and is 14 days old! I was hoping for input as to if he looks like a green back or a blue back. Also any advice for fledging time would be appreciated, as far as what to expect and anything I should do to the cage or food to prepare. Thanks!

[Babs _Owner]

Congratulations on the baby Mine fledge around 23-25 days. Provide plenty of mashed boiled egg and millet to keep the parents feeding it heavily (baby looks a bit underfed). No eggshells.

[Sally]

Congrats on the baby! I don't have enough experience with Gouldians to be able to tell what the baby might be.

Welcome to the forum! There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on finch care.

[paul-inAZ]

No eggshells.

Interesting. Could you expand on the rationale for that?

Rapidly growing youngsters will need calcium for bone and muscle development.
I feed fledgelings a half teaspoon of so of crushed eggshell every couple of days. They eat it eagerly. That plus the usual egg food etc.

[Icearstorm]

paul-inAZ

I've heard some birds tear or puncture their crop lining by eating eggshell; the risk seems quite low, but cuttlebone would probably be a better option as it is soft and powdery rather than hard and sharp.

[paul-inAZ]

I've also read about that but have never seen it. Do you know of an actual case?
They eat their own egg shells as soon as the chicks hatch so it can't be very much of a risk. Maybe more internet lore than reality.

I crush mine up fairly small and once in a while put them into a cheap coffee grinder to reduce shells to pretty fine powder. These are given when laying and to the juvies. Not so much at other times.
Mine also have access to cuttlebone at all times but seem to prefer the crushed shells.

[Babs _Owner]

paul-inAZ

Hun, I take cuttle bone and scrap a nice powder over the boiled egg when they are feeding the youngsters. ;) I probably should have mentioned that.

[Sally]

My birds also seem to prefer eggshell to cuttlebone, and I've never had a problem feeding it. In fact, I do leave the shells on the eggs when I chop them up in the food processor, so there are bits of shell all through my egg food.

There is always the chance of something happening, no matter what you do. Birds get hung up on bands, so some people refuse to band their birds. Birds get hung up in wicker nests, so some don't use them. Birds get hung up in plastic plants. The list is endless. You just have to do what makes you comfortable, but my philosophy is that I try not to overthink everything, I am quite laid back when it comes to my birds.

[Babs _Owner]

Sally

Yep I agree. I think it's more about what bothers me than the birds. I noticed the eggshells they ingest from the hatchlings are much thinner and less sharp than chick eggs..

One interesting thing I noticed is all my hens love to gnaw on the cuttlebone . (first sign they are going to lay soon.


When I added cuttle bone power to their boiled egg, it actually got my hens that were resistant last year to eating boiled egg (if you remember that) to actually begin to enjoy boiled egg. The cuttlebone powder attracted them and now I have a second generation all eating boiled egg as a result.

Amazing how different our finches are. Little characters, they are.

[debbie276]

I've noticed that the shells that you microwave are much more brittle and sharp then the shells from a hard boiled egg.
Absolutely agree with Sally ... "You just have to do what makes you comfortable, but my philosophy is that I try not to overthink everything, I am quite laid back when it comes to my birds.
"