Baby Birds

Includes Species Profile
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cookey
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Posts: 160
Joined: 06 Oct 2011, 17:22
Location: Canberra ACT

Found a dead baby Red Cheeked Cordon on the floor of the aviary today. I have two pairs of Gouldians nesting (one pair approx 13 days on eggs) so thought it might have been a Gouldian. Picked it up and on close examination it was a baby cordon.

The Cordons have been hanging around a nest for a couple of weeks now but I wasn't sure if they were actually nesting (I took the advice of forum members and didn't go near the nest). They obviously were!

Glanced in the nest to see what was going on and there are another four or five hatchlings. I have read about some species tossing babies out of the nest and was wandering if Cordon's were the one of those species or perhaps the dead one was sick or deformed??? The dead bird was a long way from the nest. Definetely recently hatched as eyes still closed and no feathers.

Although i'm excited about my first ever baby birds, I'm very worried. Any thoughts?
"If your surrounded by yes men, one of you has to go".
Colin Powell
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vettepilot_6
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Joined: 07 Aug 2011, 17:50
Location: Childers
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Cordons spook very easily...or parent may have accidently pulled it from nest when something has disturbed them...
The Bitterness of Poor Quality Remains Long after the Sweetness of Cut Price is Forgotten
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Trilobite
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Joined: 03 May 2011, 17:28
Location: Brisbane

Cookey, RCCB's are very good parents once they settle down so if this your first batch dont panic and dont be disappointed in what they might do. I have found that a young pair may take 1-3 clutches to settle down but once settle down they go for it and will constantly give you 3-5 in a clucth. I used to run 2 pairs in an avairy and although there was a but of territory bickering they got on fine. I found that once they settle down they are generally fairly tight sitters, often you think the hen has died somewhere until you really disturb her. One fault in the early clutches is they they can come out of the nest a bit early and so will flounder around for a week or so - if you know where the nest is the chuck them back in each night. I wouldnt be worried about the odd one being turfed out if you have 4 in the nest healthy and growing. I found a dead baby (unknown) in the feed tray the other day which is no where near nests so you are often left wondering sometimes. If they are constanly tossing babies out of the nest then look at a) diet or b) watch the nest and see what if anything is doing things they shoudlnt be doing. I would pu tmoney on a) most times when young are being chcuked out early. good luck
Cheers
Trilobite
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SamDavis
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Joined: 03 Jan 2011, 14:01
Location: Douglas Park NSW

Hope you're feeding plenty of livefood. They'll pretty well eat as much as you can provide. You can tell when cordons have chicks because the parents basically camp on the livefood tray. Without sufficient livefood they'll chuck out chicks and it's unlikely many will survive I'm afraid.
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cookey
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Joined: 06 Oct 2011, 17:22
Location: Canberra ACT

Thanks. I'll ramp up the live food. I've been feeding mealworms and they are very keen on them.
"If your surrounded by yes men, one of you has to go".
Colin Powell
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Trilobite
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Joined: 03 May 2011, 17:28
Location: Brisbane

if meal worms are all you have then that is all you have but try and get some maggots going, mealies have a very unbalanced ca:p ratio so you may cause problems in your young chicks. Alternatievly termites if you can source them easily.
Cheers
Trilobite
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Faza
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Joined: 15 Dec 2010, 12:00
Location: Sydney Sutherland Shire

My cordons always chucked the babies out when fed on mealworms alone.
Good luck
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djb78
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Joined: 26 Apr 2011, 08:11
Location: melton vic

When finding dead RC on the floor a good chance there isn't a sufficient amount of live food but not the only reason. Mealworms alone only ever got me 1-2 young out of 4-5 eggs the rest of the young were found halfway across the aviery. Maggots work a treat to give them a choice of live food. If your up to the challenge if feeding maggots give them ago and watch them devour the maggots before they touch the mealies.
Danny
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cookey
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Joined: 06 Oct 2011, 17:22
Location: Canberra ACT

Okay. I'll have to find some maggots or termites. What about ant eggs?
"If your surrounded by yes men, one of you has to go".
Colin Powell
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SamDavis
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Joined: 03 Jan 2011, 14:01
Location: Douglas Park NSW

Not sure about ant eggs - never tried them. Also I'm not sure how you'd collect sufficient to cater for their needs. They literally eat hundreds of termites/maggots per day when feeding chicks. You're welcome to some of my maggots - I've got plenty of extra at the moment but I'm a good 2 hour drive from Canberra.
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