The Accidental Breeder **photos!**

[Ravyn]

Okay, so here is the scoop. I’m sorry, I may be long-winded but please bear with me.

I’ve had birds before, mostly parrot-types…I’m fond of tiels and have two now and have had more in the past, and I grew up with a red-lored amazon. I also have a beautiful pair of Rosey Bourkes parakeets (by the way, if anyone knows where to get Bourkes parakeets in Washington State, I’d appreciate it…I’m having an impossible time).

At any rate, about a month and a half ago I became the sudden and unexpected owner of a pair of gouldian finches and a pair of socities. They are currently in the same cage and both have nest boxes. I am in the process of getting them a much larger flight cage that they will share with the Bourkes. Being completely unfamiliar with finches I fell into the myth that finches need to have nest boxes. I know now that’s not the case but the damage has been done. I put two nest boxes in the cage, one for the socities and one for the gouldians.

I was surprised to discover two eggs in the societies nest box. I couldn’t bring myself to dispose of them so I let them sit on them. My gouldians seemed only somewhat interested in their nest box and preferred sleeping outside on the perches, which was fine.

On Saturday my male society seemed suddenly preoccupied with the gouldians nest. He would constantly go in there and keep the gouldians out (though they would go in if he vacated to eat, and then he’d return to his own mate and nest). On Sunday I discovered the reason for this was the gouldians had three eggs in there! My male society had determined the eggs as his.

So, shortly after I made this discovery my male society returned to his own nest and I shortly after saw him cleaning up eggshells. A quick peek with a flashlight told me that one of the eggs had hatched, and a little naked baby society was in there.

Monday morning, another peek showed me the baby was a bit more active, lifting his head a little but not yet peeping or anything. I could see a bit of a yellow belly? So I’m pretty sure he’s still sustaining on his yolk. I found a recipe for egg food and mixed some up so the parents would have something more rich to feed him. The female gouldian eyed it a while and seemed troubled, but the socities immediately started eating it, and when she saw what they were doing she tested the egg food and apparently liked it. In no time at all she had the male gouldian eating it as well.

Shortly after feeding them I noticed an egg laying on the ground near the food dish. I picked it up and saw it wasn’t broken, so I put it in the gouldian’s nest with the other eggs. There are now five of them at least in that nest. I checked this morning but mother gouldian was broody and I didn’t want to bother her, so I couldn’t see them. The baby society is alone…the other egg was apparently bad. Something happened to cause it to crack and it was just yolk. I’m pretty sure its been in there as long as the egg that hatched so I just figure it was infertile. The parents ate the mess.

My main concern right now is the single baby. I read somewhere that socities do best if they have a sibling, and that single babies are sometimes ignored. So far the parents seem to be keeping him warm and paying attention to him, but I’ve seen no actual feeding and his crop has always been empty. If he was born on Sunday do you think he’s still running on the yolk? Does it last that long, or should I be concerned?

Also, any other baby advice you can give would be very appreciative. I’m hoping the Gouldian’s clutch doesn’t get too much larger!

[Ravyn]

Well, the baby was still alive this morning. I couldn't see if it had any food in its crop because Daddy was in the way, but it seemed energetic, and both parents have been filling up on egg food like no one's business.

Still only five eggs but the gouldian female is definately broody. She spent all last night in the nest for the first time and only left for a moment to feed this morning, and the male stayed on the nest. I haven't seen the male socieity in there since the baby hatched.

So, so far so good, I guess!

[Sally]

Congrats on the baby! If it is still alive and active today, after being hatched on Sunday, it is being fed. The babies will absorb and live off the yolk for the first 24 hours, but after that, the parents have to feed them or they will quickly weaken and die. As far as nests, Gouldians only use them for breeding, otherwise they don't sleep in them. Societies use nests for both, but if you provide a nest for a pair, they will keep laying clutches of eggs. If your Gouldian hen is now spending most of her time in the nest, she has started incubating the eggs, and that should stop her laying any more.

Keeping more than one pair, even of different species, usually doesn't work very well. Your situation proves that there are exceptions to every rule! You are doing the right thing in providing lots of eggfood, and in this case, the Societies got the Goulds to eat eggfood, which is really good--some Goulds are picky eaters and won't try anything new.

I don't know anything about Bourke's parakeets, but normally it is not a good idea to house hookbills with finches. From what I have read, the hookbills can bite off the toes or even feet of the finches.

[Ravyn]

Thanks! Bourkes are pretty sedentary. I've read of several people keeping Bourkes and finches together without an issue, but the flight cage I have on order is very large and comes with a partition. To be safe I'll just keep the Bourkes on one side and the finches on the other.

As soon as these clutches are done I'll take the nest boxes out. I may breed them again but I certainly don't want them having back to back clutches. I've noticed no real issue between the two pairs. Occassionally the female gouldian will chase the male society away from her nest, and the socities guard their own nest if they feel the need, but its little more than a very short chase.

I'll keep you updated!

[Ravyn]

Mama Gouldian has barely budged from her nest all day. She popped out for a quick feed and then right back in. The male joins her sometimes but seems addicted to the eggfood. He eats until his crop almost looks like a pigeon's chest, then stands around and sings. His lower beak however has sort of outgrown his upper beak. It looks like the lower is slightly crooked and doesn't match exactly with his upper. It doesn't seem to be affecting him eating at all but if it gets much longer I'm thinking about taking a pair of baby nail clippers and nipping it down a bit. No worries, I know there are nerves and blood vessels in the beak...I've had to trim a parrot's beak that was similarly overgrown. I've just never done it in anything so small.

I peeked in the societies nest again when I got home. Baby is definately growing, and this time had a clearly full crop! He was also peeping finally, making the first sounds since it hatched. When I peeked it he opened his tiny little beak, wanting even more food despite having clearly just been fed, and I could see his tiny little tongue wiggling around. So dementedly ugly and yet so adorable! So, Momma and Daddy Society are being very good parents.

Quick genetics question. Mama is a normal chocolate pied, and Daddy is a crested fawn pied. I think I read that with a normal parent and a crested parent, the chances were 50% that a baby would come out crested. But what about coloring? Is the chocolate more dominant, or the fawn?

[Ravyn]

Okay, so I was wrong. Just checked the nests again. Baby is doing well, peeping and demanding food and the parents are obliging. However it seems I either miscounted or a couple of eggs were hiding underneath the others or the bedding. Seems the Goulds are now sitting on SEVEN eggs.

Yikes.

[kiwi & mango]

Congrats on all the eggs and a little one

wow...... has your gouldians had a clutch before or is this their first?

[Ravyn]

As far as I’m aware, this is the first clutch for both the Goulds and the Societies. The person I got them from was not very forthcoming with info and I was more worried on getting them out of the situation they were in. Obviously the goulds are at least six months old because both are in adult colors, but neither are close banded so I’m not sure exact age. I’ve had them about two months.

When I got them both had air sac mites. In fact, the female gould was so bad she would only sit there gasping for breath. Fortunately she responded quickly to treatment and bounced right back. It almost seems everything that I’ve ever read about gouldians is being proved wrong with these two. They took immediately to eggfood (though granted, they could have had it before. I have no idea). They took immediately to breeding (and apparently with a bang). They don’t seem to stress easily at all, and recovered very quickly from a very bad case of mites despite the stress of being chased, caught, put in a car, driven, and recaged, then caught and treated with mite medication. They didn’t so much as bat an eye.

A cute note, however. My finch cage sits atop my parakeet cage. My Bourkes are normally very quiet, the male only singing on rare occasion early in the morning or late at night. However since the little newborn society has been peeping, my male Bourkes has been singing his heart out. I hope he’s not getting any wise ideas! He’s not scheduled to breed until spring at the earliest!

[kiwi & mango]

the gouldias sound like they are a tough couple. 7 eggs for their first clutch sounds like a great start I just hope they are good parents.

keep us posted!

[Ravyn]

I'm hoping too, though it makes me feel better that the societies are in there and proving such good parents. Hopefully if there are any probs with the goulds the societies will take to fostering without a hitch. But we'll see what we see

[Hilary]

Chocolate is dominant, though I can't tell you the % chance of getting a frill from the pairing.

[Ravyn]

Pictures! My single society baby is doing so well. I can't believe how fast he's grown in just a week! He should be due for his closed band on Friday provided they arrive soon enough. If not I'll just skip close banding him and give him an open band when he fledges. He's starting to get his spots where his darker feathers will grow in.

The gould eggs, by my calculations, should hatch sometime between Saturday and Monday. I'm hoping they all hatch and thrive at the same time I'm hoping only one or two hatch. Seven gould babies...oy!

Anyway, pictures. They're not very good. I had to take pics fast and the camera didn't want to focus that close to him. The first shot is of Baby the day he hatched (next to the 'dud' egg). The second shot is of him on Monday, at eight days old.


He's the little worm in the front:


Nice full crop!

[Hilary]

Butt shot! That's a full little tyke - your parents are obviously doing a great job.

[FeatherHarp]

What nice baby shots....so naked...so small...so darn cute!

It is fun to hear about everybody's babies being born.....someday I hope to be a "Grandma" too!