Gouldian female chasing the male - is this normal?

[Nipper06]

I have a normal Red-Headed Gouldian pair - I've never bred them before - they tried once but no babies hatched. I put the nest box back in and I believe they are sitting on eggs - the male and female take turns. Perdiodically, I see the female chasing the male around the cage. Is this normal? If so, what's that all about?


(and don't worry - this photo is from several months ago - I know better than to chase them around with a camera now that they are attempting to breed!)

My pair has one of these large cages to themselves. So I don't think crowding is causing the above aggression. And the birds in the cages next to them are doves and Green Singing Finches, which they show no aggression towards.



To help them out with raising babies, I have provided them with fresh sprouted seed, millet spray, live meal worms, dried insect and egg mixes, and fresh egg food (made from hard-boiled eggs + Miracle Meal) - in addition to their regular finch seed / pellet mix and grit. Did I forget anything they need?

From reading other posts, I see that Gouldians may take a while to "get it right" and lay fertile eggs and successfully raise their own babies. So I am being patient....

[L in Ontario]

Nice sized cages there. Do you have iodine for them, powdered kelp or cuttlebone for calcium? Sounds pretty good!

[atarasi]

Sometimes a hen will chase the cock around the cage until he finally gives in and sits on the eggs.

[Nipper06]

Reply to both L and atarasi:

My gouldians have cuttlebone and mineralized grit. But I forgot about the iodine and kelp supplements this time. I will have to incorporate it into their diet asap!

The chasing may have to do with whose turn it is to incubate. Do Gouldian's follow a regular schedule, for males versus female incubation time? I know my doves always switched around 5 to 6 p.m.

[chrischris]

I have a pair that always cohabitated well but when eggs are laid and they are sitting tight the hen sometimes comes out and chases the male. In my case I don't think it's because she wanted him to sit on the eggs but just that he was making too much noise/disturbance for her. This happened usually in the night 1-2 hrs before the lights went out. The chicks hatched without problem but I think the hen was more interested in raising the clutch than he was.

Chris