Gouldians nesting

[christie99]

Thought I'd let you all know that one of my younger (1 1/2 years old) pairs of Gouldian Finches are sucessfully sitting on a clutch of 5 eggs. The parents are normal red head birds, no splits that I know of.

All five eggs are fertile and hatching should happen in 12-13 days if all goes well. This is their first clutch, and Gouldians are not known for always getting everything right the first time around. The parents will be feeding. I have handfeeding supplies, but that is only a last resort since it doesn't normally turn out well.

My camera unfortunately is DOA, so I will have to get hubby to use his. Too high tech for me! Photos will not start until 5-6 days old when I pull them to band. At that point, they will weigh all of 4-6 grams!

[macawlover]

Best of luck with the babies!

[christie99]

All five eggs have hatched!!! Babies are doing well and parents are feeding, even with me checking on them. Will more than likely band them on Sunday, depending on how fast they are growing, will check daily to make sure the closed bands are staying on and are not causing any problems.

:)

Here is a quick photo I snapped with my cell phone. The chicks were 2 days old in the photo. I know most will say not to disturb them, but like my tiels when I bred them. I made a habit of checking the box daily and talking to the finches, way before they were laying. They are used to me messing with the box and use it as a moment to poo and get a bite to eat for themselves!