Aussie Finch Forum

So my 2018 season hasn't started too well.
First clutch 5 chicks; 4 normal coloured 1 blue, blue chick died a day off fledging, other 4 going well.
3 nests with lots of eggs but no-one sitting.
1 year old male blue died.
Nest with 14 eggs, 4 hatched.
Nest of 8 eggs, 7 hatched.
Another 2 big clutches no-one sitting.
Another nest with 4 eggs no-one sitting.
Split blue pair that had the first clutch with 4/5 surviving currently sitting on 5 eggs.
Got some Moxi plus and dosed the colony 5ml/litre water, got 2 Painted finches to add to the colony. Since discovered shouldn't really dose during breeding season or while chicks under a week old in nest.
Found the nest with 7 three day old chicks with 4 chicks tossed the next afternoon, 4 on the ground 1 dead, popped the 3 live ones back into their nest, were all still in nest in the morning, came back between shifts to find remaining 6 all tossed, popped them back in the nest, went inside to get their soaked seed and thaw their fresh frozen grass seed, go back out 10 minutes later a chick has been tossed - go in avairy to pick it up and hen bird comes flying out the nest box with another chick to toss, pick that one up and she's got another one so I pulled out the other remaining 3 chicks and pop all 6 chicks into my other nesting pair which had 4 chicks about 3 days older - probably not the right thing to do but didn't really have any other option - not that I could have sacrificed any of the clutch (I would make a very poor farmer). This pair is first time parents, so not sure if this just the reason, or was it the Moxi plus, or introducing the new pair of Painted finches (I wasn't planning on adding more birds to the colony - but got offered them from my Uncle in Victoria).
So that's where I'm at for now, after a reasonably relaxed season last year apart from stressing over the cold nights.
Hopefully no more dramas for the rest of the season - will keep you posted on the clutch of ten - here's hoping this doesn't end in heartache too. Parents doing a great job feeding them all, making sure I have soaked seed twice daily to help get them through this busy time.

Life as a birdkeeper is either all smooth sailing, or all drama. Hope the Pair with 10 cope fine.
LML

get some zebra finches and foster the eggs out if you get birds abandoning the nest. And if you have the zebras with the gouldians the young gouldians will be able to grow up with other young gouldians and hopefully develop normal Gouldian behaviour

This is a very frustrating and disappointing aspect of finch breeding. There are so many reasons for chick tossing and most of the time the true reason is none too apparent. If I find a dead chick on the floor, dehydrated with an empty crop, I can accept that sub-optimal conditions, disease or young parents may have contributed to its demise... but, when a strong healthy chick with a full crop is paddling around the floor on its wing stumps after being chucked multiple times, then I find this absolutely exasperating ... there is no point in putting it back ad infinitum. For me, the futility of this is hard to take.

If it was me I would be removing the hen that was chucking the chicks out for this season at least.
Jack

I agree with Jack,the hen isnt properly paired to the cock bird and is just going through the motions,have had the same thing myself a few years back,cheers garyh

It appears the 10 chicks are being fed by 3 adults - not sure if the original nest tosser is feeding them - I know she had a black head, this afternoon a red head female also busy feeding the chicks alongwith a red head male - have 3 other red head males, so not sure if more than 1 male also feeding them.
Maybe they will have a good chance after all...

Maybe their daddy is doing the right thing even if their mummy isnt?
LML

......and today....
Yesterday afternoon noticed my hanging seed container had snapped off at the plastic and dropped onto the ground, they could still feed out of the feeder so went and bought a new one this morning, after salvaging some of the seed into the new feeder, glanced down and find a dead squashed red head female gouldian
Not sure if she was one of the hens feeding the nest with 10 chicks - haven't had much time to observe nest feeding today or will have tomorrow, but have seen black head hen and cock bird feeding them today.
Hopefully no more dramas this week.
Only consolation from this accident; was just the one bird, wasn't either of my blue females or my new Painted finches

Time to buy a Lotto ticket, your luck is due to turn arround.
LML