Cordons deserting young

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Krebsj
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Hello every one

Just hoping you can help. I have a pair of Cordons which over the last several weeks have frown their young out on the floor. I feed maggots twice a
day. When there are young in the nest the cock gathers grass stems and displays to the hen. When the pair have young is it that, grass material is
still available, and a problem in that he might be driving her back to nest ?. Perhaps I need to retire this pair ?
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vettepilot_6
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More likely not enough livefood. .has to be ontap for atleast 2 weeks of young in nest
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Rod_L
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Are there any other birds in the aviary? If so they might be getting too nosy and chucking the babies out. If not perhaps add some small peaceful finches who can breed and might draw the male cordon's attention off the female a bit.

Mice and ants can cause young to leave the nest. Make sure there none in the aviary. Same with cats at night.

Is the nest under shelter? Rain can drip on the nest and cause young to hop out if its too wet.

Make sure there are some plants in there to help them feel secure.
death to all cats & ants
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wagga
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Hi James,
I would not break or stop a breeding pair. Do you still only have the Gouldians in that aviary? The live food situation is normally were Cordon's can be a bit tricky. Where is the nest located compared to the door. Do feed the birds through a external door/hatch or do you enter the through the main large door?

AL
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Krebsj
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Thanks AL

Hope you are well, there are other than Gouldians Orange Breasts , I feed through a cage front, the desertion occurred while I was a way and Rowan was feeding the birds. I do minimise entry through the large door. The nest is located on the back wall in brush.

thanks James
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Krebsj
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Thanks Rod for your post other than Gouldians in the aviary there are Orange Breasts. I bait for mice and control ants with ant rid. I don't suspect other birds to be interfering with the nest or at least that is what I have observed.

thanks James
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Krebsj
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vettepilot_6 wrote: 20 Mar 2018, 22:27 More likely not enough livefood. .has to be ontap for atleast 2 weeks of young in nest
Thanks I have had live food provided but not so it is available all day, this I will try.

thanks James
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Shane Gowland
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Is the nesting area adequately secluded? When I had problems with cordon abandoning nests, adding sight barriers helped a lot.
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Rod_L
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Krebsj wrote: 21 Mar 2018, 07:16 I feed through a cage front, the desertion occurred while I was a way and Rowan was feeding the birds. I do minimise entry through the large door. The nest is located on the back wall in brush.
if the cordons have successfully raised young before and this is the only time they have kicked the young, I would say it has to do with Rowan feeding the birds while you were away. Perhaps he entered the aviary, maybe he didn't provide live food, maybe the birds just don't like him. But it seems odd that it should happen while you are away and someone else is caring for the birds.

For everyone who feeds through hatches/ small doors, if you spend time in and around the aviary each day and the birds have a positive experience while you are in there, they get use to people being in the aviary and are less stressed when you go near them, and less likely to abandon young. This applies to all birds, not just cordons.

I use to spend several hours a day in and around the aviaries. The birds saw that I wasn't a threat and in fact I was a provider of food, and they just went about their day to day activities while I was there. If your birds are shy and retiring, spend more time out there and let them get use to people being around.
death to all cats & ants
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collector_and_buyer
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Agree totally with Rod L.Your birds may not have been fed the same way you do or perhaps not enough.Also,birds are quite smart and can recognise their primary carer and may have felt vulnerable with a stranger in the aviary.The more time you can put into your birds the better off it is for the birds and you.When approaching my aviary,i whistle out loud and the birds know it is me approaching them and are all expecting me,waiting for their treats.If your Cordon's were successful before,it was probably the fact you were not there looking after them.IMO.
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