Hammy bred with brother Merlin oh my!!

[Babs _Owner]

Ahh so much happening this weekend.

Well despite my efforts at creating a breeding-free cage for the two of them, they still managed to breed. I found an egg on the floor of the cage Thursday.

Now there is NO way I am chancing Hammy getting eggbound, so I got out the eggs shells, liquid calcium w/ vitamin D for the water. I then pulled out a little canary nest I had in a drawer packed away for some unknown reason to give her a comfortable & safer place to lay her clutch yesterday.

While getting out the bag of fake eggs to swap , I reached into Hammy's nest to retrieve her two eggs and bless her little tame heart she plopped into the nest beside my hand, went broody and all-out attacked my hand to fend me off.

This is my baby, my darling tame sweet girl begging me to not take her eggs. So I felt incredibly sad. Then it struck me. I have a society hen laying as well!!

After a quick slight of hand Hammy's eggs were removed and replaced with two pen-marked society eggs (so I know the difference if she lays more). Then Hammy's eggs went into the trash, the society got fake eggs.

So if Hammy has a chance to have beloved children. How can I deny her that? They just won't be gouldians.

[Shannylee]

Oh Babs I'm so glad that you had society eggs to put in place of hers. Merlin is looking so "I did not have relations with that woman!" in the picture! LOL!!!

[lovezebs]

Babs

Jumpin' Jehosaphat !!!!
What on earth is going on down there, woman???

Not at all sure that your girl will raise Socie babies (?)

Personally I would have allowed her to have her eggs, and seperated the 'happy' couple after the babies were raised.

The odds of two headed Gouldians, are greatly exagerated, lol.

An accidental clutch, can happen, and these kids would more than likely be fine, as long as they are bred out to completely unrelated lines when they grow up.

[w.l.]

So you have a Gouldian foster Societies - funny!

[Babs _Owner]

lovezebs

My friend, I had to really meditate on this one. And you're right, one inbreeding session can hardly mean the death of the gouldian community. But as I suspected, she is in the beginning stage of learning what being a bird is. She's scared and confused.

She was broody all day (eggs probably incubated) shes on the perch tonight huddled against Merlin. Try as I might to guide her back to the nest at lights outs, she would not leave Merlin.

Shakespeare would have loved these two.

I have to give this gal a trial run, my friend. We have to wait and see if she's so domesticated that she cant raise a clutch.

I think you would agree it's far easier for me to handfeed societies, than gouldians (which are so much harder to hand raise) or even to plop the societies back in the society nest in case she freaks out (which is probable since she is tame).

I have a minor heat lamp on the nest to keep it warm whilst she doesnt sleep on the nest. She has more eggs on the way with the rate she was gnawing on the cuttle bone today.

Want me to leave her a few of her own? Your call girlie. All we can do is try.

[Babs _Owner]

w.l.

Yep, I have an incredibly domesticated gouldian HOPEFULLY about to raise societies. This is going to be quite a challenge. And she's my GIRL, my daughter I never had, I would break all rules and lift up mountains for my Hammy!!! I would LACTATE for this bird! (yes feel free to smack me)

I adore her.

[Sally]

I had an accidental incest baby, an Owl finch resulting from a brother/sister pairing (they were only 3-4 months old, I didn't think they could have babies that young). That baby turned out just fine. I agree with Elana, the occasional 'forbidden' pairing usually will come out OK, as it is only when the line breeding continues that you run into problems.

[lovezebs]

Babs

You know me....shrug....
I would leave a couple of the eggs.

I am presently watching a show on ancient Egypt, and as I recollect they're royal siblings, used to....well you get my drift, lol, and Egypt did very well for many many years

[lovezebs]

The marriages between first cousins, are still quite acceptable in some cultures to this day. I personally know two such families. One was an arranged marriage between two first cousins, where the parents of the bride and groom are brother and sister. This marriage has so far produced two daughters, who appear to be fairly normal. The second, was a love match, with the marriage producing four children (two of which had to have blood transfusions at birth). All four children are now adults, with no residual health issues, who are very intelligent and highly succesful in different fields.

Normally, I would be against the idea of breeding sister/brother, call it Judeo/Christian morality, or simply call it yucky. However, in this particular case, seeing as it is already water under the bridge, closing the barn door after the horse has escaped won't change it.

I would allow this one clutch, see what happens, then remove the nest.
Follow the youngsters if any hatch, to see how they develope and grow, and make sure to breed them with totally unrelated individuals in the future.

[Babs _Owner]

Sally lovezebs

Okay, if she lays more, I will give her those eggs......but only to keep as pets . Deal? Deal.

[Sheather]

My dove's parents were clutch-mates, brother and sister, and he's a totally healthy dove, but on the other hand we had a few accidental half-sibling society finches come out a few years ago... three of the four had deformities of their feet.

Being tame, I'd suspect your girl to actually be a good mother. She won't be frightened of you and she's used to a captive household environment. My hand-fed cockatiel at least is a magnificent mom and would feed her young chicks literally while you held them.

While I don't know of anyone who's tried to foster societies under Gouldians because it's not usually necessary, in my experience finches seem happy to raise whatever hatches in their nest. I had Javas raise zebras and societies, at the same time. I wouldn't be surprised if she cared for society chicks just fine - the lack of those bright reflective nodules on the nestlings' mouth might be an issue, but if she's in a canary nest it should be bright enough already for her to easily see where to put the food!

[lovezebs]

Babs

Really looking forward to see if more eggs are laid, and what or who will come popping out of them

[Sally]

In answer to a request, I have removed the posts that had nothing to do with the topic, since they added nothing to the conversation. The discussion of allowing related birds to breed can certainly continue, as long as it stays on topic. Thanks!

[lovezebs]

Babs

Now to the BIG AND IMPORTAN QUESTION, do we have anymore eggs??? That's what I'd like to know

[Babs _Owner]

Sally lovezebs

Thanks Sally!

Elana, she had one more egg. She gets Broody for a few hours a day, chases poor Merlin around at that time like a crazy woman (he looks so perplexed).

Then she's like "What eggs?"

So I pick her up, take her to the nest again. Push the eggs around with my finger. I tell her what a good momma she is and to sit on her eggs. She plops back in, then after I walk away, she jumps back out.

Its so sweet and comical really. I think shes just playing house. I had a feeling this is how it would go. Im giving her a few more days to see if she sits tight.