Aussie Finch Forum

Thought I'd start a discussion on odd fostering......

I thought my Yellow Rumps were nesting........heard noises which were a bit sus.........a couple of weeks ago two young Black Throats fledged....one died 2 or 3 days later, the other is about two weeks old now and going strong..........well cared for by its foster parents.....the Yellow Rumps

I have observed them alot and have refrained from mentioning it too quick....but yes, its true.

I'm not that surprised as I've seen plenty of finches give assistance before.....There are about 10 Black Throats in the flight with the Yellow Rumps and the BTs lay eggs everywhere and in the last 12 months have only raised 5 young........I figure that the BTs parasitised the YR's nest and the YR's completed the job ......They still feed the young BT without any interference or assistance from the BTs........

PS: I've started to split up the BTs into pairs to be individually housed to get them going properly........

Any other unplanned fostering stories?

i had a pair of RH goulds hatch 2 baby painteds. once they fledged they ignored one of them however, so only one of them survived to maturity... was very strange though. again, no assistance from the biological parents.

I have a mixed aviary and occassionally get the odd foster. I've had Cordon bleu raise two cuckoo'd Zebras and another pair of my CB's are currently raising a Gouldian... go figure. Imagine the surprise when I opened the nest of the CB to find a dilute Gould inside. Fed and toasty warm too. I cannot seem to get any CB's hatched, but both my pairs are quite happy to play house and feed others babies.

It hatched but two days ago and the parents are still quite happily caring for it and their own dud eggs.