On video, my gouldian dad tosses his chick. Disturbing

[Babs _Owner]

lovezebs

Just checked

All 3 wobbleheads are still doing fine under mom. 2 more due to hatch.

woot!

[lovezebs]

Babs

That's good news indeed.
If it's a clutch of five, she can manage just fine on her own Babs.

Let hubby/daddy dearest watch and learn. At some point some dorment instinct should kick in .

[Babs _Owner]

lovezebs

Im contemplating putting in the divider once mom looks like she has things under control and the kids are vocal (so she wont abandon)

Then when the kids are about 10-12 days old and he cant budge their butts anywhere, letting him back in and see if he helps feed.

He may have to be separated with the dividers each clutch with new hatchlings. That shouldnt be a problem if that is the case.

I'm hoping.

[lovezebs]

Babs

Or he might just be fine with future clutches, once he's figured out what those ugly little aliens in his nest really are, lol.

[Stuart whiting]

Hi Babs, Although I've got Australian finches I don't actually keep gouldians so I can't really make comments or suggestions as regards to what is wrong,

If anything in all fairness I'd say that Debbie is yer most reliable source

At the very least though I'd say you've done the right thing in removing the cock gouldian as there's absolutely no reason why the hen shouldn't rear on her own, most species of hen finches are quite capable of rearing themselves without having the cock bird to assist,

In fact a few years back I used to deliberately breed green finches this way by allowing the cock birds to tread the hens to fertilise and then once the 3rd egg is layed in the nest me cock birds would all be taken out to allow the hens to incubate, hatch, rear and wean entirely on there own, also some very experienced Uk canary breeders breed like this aswell,

I'd definitely have no issues or problems with removing the cock gouldian.

hope all goes well with yer little nest of babies

[andiok]

Stuart whiting@Babs
Babs, Stewart is absolutely right. I use the same exact method and that is only way i breed canaries, goldfinches, european greenfinches and most of other european finches.
I keep males till the 3rd egg is layed and then remove the cock, possibly where the female cant hear and see him for a couple of days and them bring them back to the aviary obviously. Breeding birds for their song doesnt allow me to have multiple different songs but only one that is decent, so i've always had a couple of males going with all the females available. This is called jump breeding the males.
Now, as you know i've never bred gouldians but i can assure you that if the hen is feeding the babies she will be fine with raising 4-5 of them.

[debbie276]

Gouldian hens can raise a smallish clutch on her own in a pinch but it is not a good practice. I personally found gouldians learn much from their parents. Such as how to tend to the nest and young to learning how to sing from dad for the males. Gouldians share nest duty and raising chicks. I would not overly stress the birds by constantly removing the male for no good reason.

[Stuart whiting]

Stuart whiting@Babs
Babs, Stewart is absolutely right. I use the same exact method and that is only way i breed canaries, goldfinches, european greenfinches and most of other european finches.
I keep males till the 3rd egg is layed and then remove the cock, possibly where the female cant hear and see him for a couple of days and them bring them back to the aviary obviously. Breeding birds for their song doesnt allow me to have multiple different songs but only one that is decent, so i've always had a couple of males going with all the females available. This is called jump breeding the males.
Now, as you know i've never bred gouldians but i can assure you that if the hen is feeding the babies she will be fine with raising 4-5 of them.

Spot on, well said andiok

I used to regularly only use 3-4 cock canaries to breed with as many as 20 hen Yorkshire canaries many years back, these were the days when I was well into the breeding and exhibiting me canaries aswell as me British birds,

Now I'm back into me birds once again after a few years break I now just specialise in me Australian and parrot finches, no doubt there'll be a few times were I'll happily allow just the hen to rear if I happen to get any awkward cock birds

[Babs _Owner]

debbie276

Yep, Debbie I agree. This is the first time I have had to pull a parent bird. The hen looks nervous to me without the male standing guard or sleeping in the nest like normal.

My goal is to reintroduce him with a divider (its a breeders 30in) when the chicks vocalize in a few days. Then after another day or two open it back up (removing the divider) and let Dad in on the joys of parenting (kids will be too big to toss).

If mom rejects her mate at that time, should I assume this is the result of a pair not truly bonded?

[lovezebs]

Stuart whiting andiok

There is a big difference between Canaries (where many males are not involved with chick rearing) and species like Gouldians, where both parents are actively involved in incubating and rearing the chicks.

[debbie276]

Sounds like a good plan Babs just watch that he doesn't harm them. If he becomes aggressive you will have no choice but to remove him for good. I have complete confidence that you will be pro active should the hen need help.
Best of luck

[Babs _Owner]

debbie276

Thanks Debbie those words mean a lot to me!

I wont schedule the reintroduction until I can sit and watch the pairs uninterrupted for most of the day or two, on the other side of the livingroom on the sofa.

Thats where I where I meditate on each pair, and flight each evening/weekend. Its a very large livingroom, so when I sit on the couch they revert to normal behavior. It's a perfect time to see patterns, relationships with peers and mates.

Any sign of that back-forth banging, kicking the female out forcefully, hen becoming distressed.. will lead to him getting pulled immediately. I promise . ;)

Catching his aggression patterns and her responses on video so I know what to look look out for now.

At night I will watch for his normal position by the perch at lights out.

Lets hope this fellow assumes his role.

[kyle]

Babs
I think something like this happened a few weeks ago when I found my babies on the bottom of the flight. This pair of birds have successfully raised their first clutch but the second clutch someone tossed the chicks. They have started a new clutch and after watching your video when the babies hatch I will be keeping an eye.

[Babs _Owner]

Stuart whiting andiok

Thanks for all the well wishes! Crops are full with my nightly quick peek, and my hen (named Easy due to her personality) has no issues with my nest checks.

We named her "Easy" because it was love at first sight for her with Butternut (the naughty male), but he was hesitate.....she crept in on the branch with him each night inch by inch. A wee bit closer each night. She's a perssistant, but considerate hen.

He was hesitate, but each night she went closer (Easy does it)......closer.....closer. Until her beak went the darkest black of any female I've ever owned. Within weeks they were side by side each night. Nest was introduced, then within hours they had a blast.

After trials with two other females who didnt want him he wasn't used to the attention.

He's the only bird in the kitchen. But he will have to be separated completely from her sight and sound so she can focus on the kids. And I'm keeping him from mingling (only bird I've had to do this to) in the hopes, his devotion to his hen and his nest will bring him back in focus when I put him in with the divider.

The bonded pairs are all so different in their dynamics...its really a wonderful and wild ride.

lovezebs


Don't worry, I haven't given up on him yet.

[Babs _Owner]

kyle

My best hen Bubbles (OMG SHE IS AMAZING). The handraised kiddo from the season before last.

She tossed 3....but I had to look at it further.

I left her juveniles in with her from a previous clutch, and they scrabbled the coco fiber so much the poor girl couldnt find her kids in the mess. They died from starvation due to my negligence, not her.

I let her double-clutch, trusting she had it down....her juvies scrabbled that nest and those eggs like mommas-italiana Pasta Cafe) Now my pairs get a mandatory 2 week rest between clutches. Nests are cleaned and weaned juveniles removed beforehand. I put in fakes if they lay on top of their kids. It means my babies molt later, its not the norm. But the hens seem happy with the break.

I have a habit of "what did I do wrong?" And somewhere in that equation, I find it was actually the problem was ME (hate those days )