Aussie Finch Forum

Evening All,

I have a lovely clutch of 4 12 day old gouldians and the hen is looking unwell. The chicks all look healthy at the moment however I was wondering the likelihood of fledging if the raising was left up to the cock bird? If she doesn't see the night out should I remove them and hand rear? They are in Melbourne and in an outside aviary.

Thanks
Mick

Id dig a small hole in garden.

Unless you have a good cock bird or the birds leave the nest you may lose them with the hen from my experience. Its a bit of wait and see but id back the hole.

Hens will rear youngsters from any age to independence by them selfs,cocks wont, unless the youngsters are at least three weeks old, only then will the cock bird kick in and rear his brood without the help of his mate until they can feed them selfs, however with the domestication of our gouldians it could be quiet possible that some cock birds lost their instinct to dump the youngsters and carry on by them selfs regardless, any possibility to use another pair of gouldians as forsters?

I have once had a cock rear a clutch of 3 from about 8-9 days after losing the hen. He was an exceptional breeder though and was housed as a single pair, not in a colony where other hens were available and potentially distracting from the job at hand.