When can I remove the nest after the babies leave?

livinonaprayer · Post by **livinonaprayer** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:33 am

I don't know when to remove the nest once the babies leave, which looks like any time now. There's a bunch of old eggs in there too.

Will they go back to the nest after they've come out?

Sheesh. Can you tell I'm new to this?

fairestfinches · Post by **fairestfinches** » Wed May 07, 2008 1:03 pm

Since you didn't mention what type of finch you are breeding it's hard to give you a hard fast answer. Our Society chicjks will use the nest as long as it is available, Bleu Capped Cordons never return once fledged, and Gouldians vary. We usually leave the nest in for 2-3 weeks before we remove it so the chicks can use it to roost in and stay warm at night if they need it. I would simply observe the chicks to see if they are returning to the nest and when you see that they aren't I would give it another day or so then pull it.

livinonaprayer · Post by **livinonaprayer** » Wed May 07, 2008 2:04 pm

They're zebras. Does that make any difference?
I don't want any more eggs right now. Especially new ones on top of the old ones.
I guess I'm secretly hoping that they stay out of the nest. But I'm sure the chicks need that little security at first.

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Wed May 07, 2008 2:55 pm

Get rid of those eggs now and give the chicks about a week, if you have them somewhere warm they'll be ok.This is why I have a bit of fir in my cages....gives the chicks somewhere to roost and feel safe.
Paul.

livinonaprayer · Post by **livinonaprayer** » Wed May 07, 2008 3:03 pm

How do I get rid of the eggs without disturbing the chicks?
I don't want to scare them out.

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Wed May 07, 2008 4:59 pm

You say they are about ready to leave ...just wait a bit till they do.
Paul.

livinonaprayer · Post by **livinonaprayer** » Wed May 07, 2008 5:42 pm

Will do.
Do they come out at a certain time of day, or whenever the feel like it?
I can't wait. $\:D/$

Post by **Sally** » Thu May 08, 2008 1:07 am

I think all of mine have fledged fairly early in the morning--guess that gives them all day to build strength.

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Thu May 08, 2008 5:57 am

the chicks will come out of the nest when they want, if only we could predict a time but then that would take away some of the pleasure of having birds, the constant surprises are great.

definetly get those eggs out as soon as possible though. if the cage is indoors with a steady enviroment then I would give them a week with the nest before removing it, but if outside in an aviary the I wouldnt worry about removing the nest at all. but leaving a nest in an aviary depends upon many varying things do you want the parents to breed again or not, how badly does the nest need to be cleaned or is it a throw away nest, do you have the space to let the parents breed again, will the parents pick on the fledglings ( male cubans will do this) could go on for hours here lol.

with birdkeeping ( or should that be being kept by birds) comes down to the individual and what it is they want plus what is in the best interest of the birds.

livinonaprayer · Post by **livinonaprayer** » Thu May 08, 2008 11:45 am

Well, this morning they popped out for one second for a quick look around and back in. It was funny. It was almost as if they thought
"not yet, too scary."
These guys pretty much stick to their calendar schedule. With the help from all you guys and my calculating they were due out today or tomorrow.
As soon as they're out I'm going to clean out whatever is in the nest and put a little piece of towel in there for them. (We're indoors, Midwestern seasons).
Then if I understand this right....give them roughly a week to see if they go back in the nest at night.
Also, they should continue feeding them for a week, right? Actually, the father does the feeding. Mom just sits with them and looks cute.
Next week is weaning time?

Post by **Sally** » Fri May 09, 2008 12:28 am

Zebras like to sleep in a nest at night, so even after the babies fledge, they will usually all cram back in the nest to sleep. Unfortunately, if they have a nest, they will also start another clutch of eggs, so unless you want to keep having babies, take out the nest within the next week. They will sleep just fine on a perch.

I couldn't remember how long it took for my Zebras to wean, so I looked it up again at the FIC, and boy, those babies sure do wean fast! I have species now that are much slower to wean, and need to stay with their parents much longer, so I had forgotten how quickly Zebras grow up.

livinonaprayer · Post by **livinonaprayer** » Sat May 10, 2008 6:15 pm

They do grow up fast!
At first they looked like little erasers. Then they had the bony feather heads, and now they're toddlers. I even saw the smaller one going in the food cup today. I don't think she knew what she was doing there, but she just had to follow dad.

The babies are still in the nest a lot. But they do sneak out when they're bored.

Next week the nest is coming out.
Thanks.

williep · Post by **williep** » Tue May 13, 2008 1:43 am

I think you have the correct strategy, leave the nest another couple of days. My black cheeks also fledged during the weekend but still sleep in the nest at night. Like sally said, as soon as you notice them spending most of the day outside, remove the nest or you WILL have more babies. They do fine sleeping on perches.

livinonaprayer · Post by **livinonaprayer** » Tue May 13, 2008 11:32 am

I did remove the nest because the father kept trying to fight with the mother. I was advised that doing that may cut down on the aggression and it did.
Someone thought that maybe dear ol' dad wanted to start another family again. Sure enough, there he is today doing his little dance in front of her.
She really wants no part of it but he's a persistent little devil.

He won't start going after the female chick will he?
(I'm pretty sure that one of them is female)

Post by **Sally** » Tue May 13, 2008 12:15 pm

One thing to watch out for with this male, since he is so in breeding mode right now, he may start feather-plucking the babies for nesting material, even without a nest in the cage. Just keep an eye on him.