Trying to breed goulds in aviary

[Ricardo Ronsini]

GouldianGuy

Yes, i'm breeding them in an aviary, there we have 11 adult birds, with 4 breeding pairs.

As soon as the chicks are bigger i'll take some pics

[Babs _Owner]

Ricardo Ronsini

Amazing numbers and enthusiastic parents! The louder the chicks get the more reliable the parents become.

Just remember to keep the nutrients and food coming. You are not only feeding the kids, but the exhausted parents making those trips to and from the nests.

You have a good sized aviary, so it's more work for them than in a flight cage. Which in the long run is much more healthy for your hens to be getting the exercise after sitting.

[GouldianGuy]

Wicked!!!!

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Babs

Now that we have babies i'm providing thrice the amount of food i used to, and dads are helping a lot, they stay inside the nests as much as the females do.

Well guys, unfortunately the joy didn't last much, for today i found 3 more babies on the aviary's floor

I don't understand why, the parents seem to be doing all right, they will stay with the chicks, eat the eggs, eggfood, kale, eggshell, seeds and pellets i provide them with, and yesterday when i checked i could see that the babies were being fed.

I don't know, i guess it is just too much for first time breeders.

[lovezebs]

Ricardo Ronsini

Sorry about the losses Ricardo, but that's part of a breeders life

How large are the openings to your gourd nest boxes?

[Ricardo Ronsini]

lovezebs

I know Elana, but it is always sad.

About 5 cm (2 inches) of ray. But i don't think it is accidental, the nests are large and deep, and they also had made nice funnels with coconut fiber and dry grass.

[lovezebs]

Ricardo Ronsini

I was worried, that maybe they are getting dragged out accidently, or just falling out. However with things as you describe, that's unlikely.

Remember, I was concerned that some of these clutches might be simply too large for first time parents to handle, sigh....

At this stage, there is really not much you can do, unless...

Are there any Gouldian nests, with infertile eggs in there, where the parents are sitting? You could possibly remove a chick from the nest where they are tossing and sneak a chick a day into such a nest (removing one of the eggs as you go along). This may possibly work, if you are very stealthy, and do this very very early in the morning.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

lovezebs

Yep, i thought i could do that too.

Thanks for the helping, i will keep up updating.

[lovezebs]

Ricardo Ronsini

Put on your stealth clothes and tip toe into the aviary in the pre dawn darkness...
Just don't give your birds a heart attack....

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Don't worry, i have a disguise.

[lovezebs]

Ricardo Ronsini

Tee hee hee....

Looks like Jackie Chan's grandson, lol.

I was thinking more along the line of...

On a serious note, how are things coming along?
Are your parents feeding?
Any more tossed chicks?

[Babs _Owner]

Ricardo Ronsini


That might work. Except with societies. They would all get broody on your head and try and hatch you.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

lovezebs

So, things are a-okay, despite of the 5 tossed chicks that i found out were from the same nest, where we had 6.

Now, parents are taking care of their big and fat only child. Why they (probably only the male) decided to kill all their babies but that one, i don't know

The nest with 8 is doing fine, all chicks are growing up to be heavy metal rockers great parents, especially mom.

[Ricardo Ronsini]

Babs

That's fine, as long as they don't try to feed me

[Babs _Owner]

Ricardo Ronsini

Hahahaha!

I understand about the tossing. I have a female named aptly "Brat". One clutch she raises them all, next clutch she looks at them says " I like you, you and you. But YOU.....you can die "

And off into the brooder the tossed go for handfeeding.