Eggs Will Come - The Gouldian Saga

[MariusStegmann]

Good luck Karen.

[KarenB]

Thanks, MariusStegmann.

Well, guess what? Lady is now sitting on the four eggs I left in her nest (glad I didn't take them all out), and the societies are NOT sitting on the other four. Ugh. Now I'm not sure I'll be able to sneak the other four back in with the others. I'll probably give it a go, and hope they are still viable - if they ever were!

[KarenB]

One day I think she's sitting on her eggs, then the next she's not. When I last looked, there were seven eggs in the nest. Add the four I took out to put with societies, and that makes 11 eggs. That's a lot of eggs. And last night no one sat.

So apparently she is in egg laying mode, but I'm not sure she will ever actually sit on any. I still am not sure whether they are fertile. I haven't seen the male mating with her, only singing. So unless she actually sits, I guess we won't know.

Not sure how long I should leave the eggs in the nest. I'm afraid if I remove any that she will just lay more to make up for it. Meanwhile I'm giving plenty of eggfood, calcium in the water and cuttlefish bone and mineral mix. I'd be really upset if she got eggbound.

[lovezebs]

KarenB
Not an eggspert Karen, but I would leave those eggs alone for a while. If she keeps laying, then you never know when one or two might just happen to be good and maybe she'll decide to sit at some point. Let them practice and figure iut what they need to do.
Good luck.

~Elana~

[KarenB]

I wish we could send our finches to Birdie Parenting 101 class.

[MiaCarter]

I wish we could send our finches to Birdie Parenting 101 class.

Right?!
That would make life so much easier!

I was hoping for my own little parenting class for my three Gouldian juveniles.

I was hoping they would learn something watching the parents raise the new baby (who just opened his eyes today! So cute!) but he's so low-maintenance (there's just one) that he never really begs vocally and he's always well-stuffed. I'm sure after three babies, one seems like a piece of cake to the parents. I think they're very underwhelmed and they don't need any sort of help, so.

The juvs are very curious about the little creature in the nest.
None have helped in any way. But maybe they've learned something from observation. It's the perfect opportunity since they're all allowed in the nest, which is unique. Usually it's mum and dad only. (Unless you're talking societies! LOL)
I think they're just too young to "get it."

[KarenB]

MiaCarter, The juvies are probably watching to see how the parents do it, but they don't feel compelled to help since there is only one?

Remember Beans, the lone survivor of my first societies' first clutch? He will make an excellent parent some day as he helped out quite a bit with the clutch of six right after him. I ended up selling him when I got a pair of chocolate selfs and another pair that the breeder just gave me. So I didn't have space for Beans any more.

[MiaCarter]

Aw, little Beans. I hope he went to a good home.
I wish I lived near you. I'd have taken him off your hands! LOL Such a cutie. I get too attached to give my guys away!

I hope my guys do learn something. Such a great parenting class opportunity! (Especially important for gouldians, as they have a reputation for being not-so-natural parents in all instances.)
They're always hanging out in and on top of the nest (and peeking in the doorway), so if it's possible for them to pick up insight from watching, then they're surely gaining insight.

I'll be curious to see if any of the juveniles feed him when he fledges and starts begging from anyone and everyone.
I saw my Squeepers doing that once with his siblings.

I think that's the only real way you could do parenting lessons --- with the parents. I wonder if they'd still let them be involved and inside the nest once they're mature? I'm planning on leaving them together and just extending the cage so perhaps we'll see what happens! (Assuming they have another clutch before the juvs are full fledged, fertile adults.)

[KarenB]

I do miss Beans in that he was such a sweet one, but he went to live with a friend of mine who wanted to try her hand at societies. She ended up getting a friend for him, but I haven't heard whether it ended up being another male or a female. He certainly will make a good daddy some day if given the chance.

I guess I REALLY wanted the chocolate selfs more than trying to hold onto Beans. This way I can have now three bloodlines to try out. The one female of the third pair is a dilute pied fawn and the male is a pied chocolate self, and they throw pretty babies. I'm hoping to get some nice babies from The Selfs and pair their offspring with the other hen and see what I get.

[lovezebs]

KarenB
Sooooo.....
Is anyone sitting on those Gouldian eggs, or not? We sort of got side tracked. Sometimes among the vast bunch of eggies, there might be a couple of good ones (I hope) .

~Elana~

[KarenB]

Well, unless they are just pretending not to be sitting when I am around, no. So far as I can tell, the hen, Lady, is only going in the nest to drop eggs, and they all look to be freshly laid. So, if she is sitting, none of the eggs are viable.

I haven't seen Gent, the cock, doing any dancing ot mating, either, just singing.

[KarenB]

We are now up to 14 eggs total. Craziness.