PLEASE HELP.....give me some suggestions

[nosaj76]

I have a mixed colony of natives, and my one pair of Blackhead Common Gouldians are sitting on there second clutch for the season. As well I have amother Pair the cock is a Common Redhead and my Hen is a Redheaded White Breasted and they too are on their second clutch for the year. The thing is the Black's successively fledged their first clutch with 4 fledglings and it looks like they are going to do the some number again.....BUT the other pair did the opposite their first clutch they decided to turf the whole lot out the nest one by one and I would find the dead chicks on top of the bird feeder as if she wanted me to find them there. In the end they abandoned the nest and left one egg that never hatched, and now they are starting to do the some thing again I found the first one on the bird feeder today. I am not to sure if it is them or the pair of Double Bars I have cos they have a nest below the Reds, all the chicks have fine white feathers.

So can someone tell me if I am doing something wrong or is it the mutation that I have paired up or what........

[Buzzard-1]

Are the chicks dead or alive?

[POLAR GOULDIANS]

Hi Jason, it is unlikely that you are doing anything wrong or that the DB's are the problem, it is more likely that the RH pair are first year birds ? This can happen with birds breeding in their first year, it does happen with older birds as well, but is not as common. There is very little that you can do except keep putting the babies back in the nest if they are alive, and hope for the best. However it is unlikely that they will stop this behaviour on this nesting, it is entirely possible that if they have another clutch they will raise them with no trouble. I have one pair which have done the same thing and are on their 3rd lot of eggs at the moment.
Good luck, but don't stress too much about them.

[nosaj76]

Thanks for your responses Guys

Buzzard - The Chicks have definitely passed on haven't been fortunate yet to find one alive....

Polar Gouldian - Thanks for your help it makes me fell better that it that it might not be me, but it is still very disheartening to find dead chicks at such a high rate
when you know they have potential to produce a clutch especially when you definitely know they have at least five fertile eggs

[SamDavis]

I am not to sure if it is them or the pair of Double Bars I have cos they have a nest below the Reds, all the chicks have fine white feathers.

I'm not sure what you mean by this? If the chicks have fine white down then it sounds like they're double bar chicks rather than gouldians. Gouldians are bald until pin feathers start to come through on the wings. Are you sure the chicks came from the gouldian's nest box? If yes, then maybe the double bars have laid eggs in the gouldians box. Never heard of this, but stranger things have happened and it might explain why the gouldians have tossed them out.

[Tintola]

At what age are the chicks being tossed out? How far from the nest is the bird feeder? Some Gouldian pairs have a bad habit of ceasing to brood and sometimes even feed the young at late pin feather stage. The hungry young ones then glamber out of the nest and are so weak they die on the ground. This only happens from late pin feather stage on to fledging. Very frustrating

[nosaj76]

Hi guys haven't seen any more dead chicks in the last couple of days.......Sam as to your question about the white down feathers the chicks I am finding have definately have fine (fluffy) white down feathers, thats why I had to ask if it might've been my double bars

Tintola as to your question they are only a day or two old they have NO PIN Feathers they are definately to small to get out of my fortress like nesting boxes. They would have to have been put on to the bird feeder it is about 2 foot away from the nearest nesting box.

It really has me baffled as to what is going on

I could take a picture of one but I think some people would object to me doing that.....

[Buzzard-1]

The Chicks have definitely passed on haven't been fortunate yet to find one alive

If they died in nest the parents will remove them (Most the time) Which opens up a line of new questions. Are they young parents? Did they get a night fright (Mice) and abandon nest and not return till morning? etc

[nosaj76]

Hooray .....I am having a good season, my Black Head Gouldians have just fledged their second clutch, and my Double Bars have also fledge their young with much success. I am over the moon about the DB's because I have put so much timed and energy to get these guys to breed and they finally have, but the cheeky buggers must of had a decoy nest because where they had set up and camped every night and where the chicks are living and still roosting at night is not the same

Anyway I would like to thank everyone who answered my post and tried to help......

[SamDavis]

Great news! Well done...