i havn't had this but was told today how important it is to leave a chick or 2 in the nest.
our local expert has been breeding birds of all types for 15 years, he told me that if you constantly take all the chicks for every clutch the hen gives up.
they will still breed fine but will walk off the nest if you don't take them, he has a pair of king parrots that seem to have never raised babies for more than 2 weeks.
2 weeks after hatching the hen will abandon the nest.
for the sake of your hens and babies, please ensure you let the parents raise chicks too.
parents abandoning chick because of handraising.
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parents abandoning chick because of handraising.
Adam and Dude
I would like to hear a little more about this or any research done for parrots.
Kings are very very different to Indians with their capacity regarding young. Kings are difficult and very fussy to breed with from what I have heard.
Friend had a pair of Indians that never raised a clutch older than 4 weeks before up until last year when he suffered health problems. They were 12 years old. Out came 4 very healthy... if not unfriendly young.
I would say its completely up to a) species and b) parents personal abilities that guide the situation no? I have heard stories of part clutches being taken and the parents killing the remaining offspring in spite. I have also heard about people who tried double clutching, after a while parents just eat the eggs instead of letting them being taken away.
All from very experienced breeders and these were infact a tiny minority. I personally could not let my parent birds raise wild bubs. I dont have the time to train parent raise babies to sell as pets.
Unless I had someone who was interested in avairy / breeding young I would not let my parents raise completely the young.
Kings are very very different to Indians with their capacity regarding young. Kings are difficult and very fussy to breed with from what I have heard.
Friend had a pair of Indians that never raised a clutch older than 4 weeks before up until last year when he suffered health problems. They were 12 years old. Out came 4 very healthy... if not unfriendly young.
I would say its completely up to a) species and b) parents personal abilities that guide the situation no? I have heard stories of part clutches being taken and the parents killing the remaining offspring in spite. I have also heard about people who tried double clutching, after a while parents just eat the eggs instead of letting them being taken away.
All from very experienced breeders and these were infact a tiny minority. I personally could not let my parent birds raise wild bubs. I dont have the time to train parent raise babies to sell as pets.
Unless I had someone who was interested in avairy / breeding young I would not let my parents raise completely the young.
not sure entirely of the details, i have known mark for quite a while, he is the closest thing to an avian specilist in the area. he runs a wildlife park, and even that is mainly filled with birds.
his resumae is huge, including working with steve irwins father at his "croc ranch" later to re named aus zoo.
his resumae is huge, including working with steve irwins father at his "croc ranch" later to re named aus zoo.
Adam and Dude
I don't know about IRNs, though while I was helping my friends out they told me the same thing in regards to their lovebirds. Every few years (3-5 years) they would let the parents raise babies to weaning, and every first clutch from a new pair would be parent raised. Some of their older pairs that had never raised chicks would stop after a few weeks, as that was when the babies normally 'went away'.
I always considered it a learned behavior (leaving the chicks at a certain week of age), especially for parents who had never raised chicks to weaning.
I always considered it a learned behavior (leaving the chicks at a certain week of age), especially for parents who had never raised chicks to weaning.
Last edited by Melika on Thu Nov 08, 2007 3:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I've been called 'birdbrained' before, but somehow I don't think this is what they meant. say:hah-nay
in spring a my young pair done 5 eggs, ( it was the first time). many days later i saw an egg with small breaks on it, the baby tried to go out.
after 3 days the breaks remain but no bird was borned. So i crash a part of the egg and i left it in the nest.Two hours later lazaros was borned.
after that i was affraid if parents feed enough lazaros so i was taken him few times a day to see and feed him. Two weeks later the hen leave him and nest. So i take him home to handfeeding.
my conclusion is that the hen maybe left his child because i was taken him from her.
It was my first time a hen to leave her babies and it was the first time too to i take baby from nest and parents many times.
after 3 days the breaks remain but no bird was borned. So i crash a part of the egg and i left it in the nest.Two hours later lazaros was borned.
after that i was affraid if parents feed enough lazaros so i was taken him few times a day to see and feed him. Two weeks later the hen leave him and nest. So i take him home to handfeeding.
my conclusion is that the hen maybe left his child because i was taken him from her.
It was my first time a hen to leave her babies and it was the first time too to i take baby from nest and parents many times.
The parents job as parents is not learned behaviour ^_^ Its instinct.
Thankfully it seems a pretty small occurance (saying small... but have not experienced any myself nor know someone who has here in south australia anyway) that parent Indians ditch their young... and its mostly due to heat.
I know many species of birds can be fickle with their young.. and even ringnecks have been known to eat their eggs if you double clutch often... or kill their young if you take them repeatedly.
I just dont think its worth stressing about unless you actually come across the problem. I know a handfull of Indian breeders here in SA. All of which have been breeding them for over 8-10 years. None have had more than a tiny percentage of an occurance of the above situations (and none from the hand rearing issue). But I dont know everyone here
Its just it never even seemed to be a problem.
If people here know others with this issue its deffinately worth looking at. Possibly due to the way things are done on the breeders side... or god knows what.. but worth looking at in more detail.
Thankfully it seems a pretty small occurance (saying small... but have not experienced any myself nor know someone who has here in south australia anyway) that parent Indians ditch their young... and its mostly due to heat.
I know many species of birds can be fickle with their young.. and even ringnecks have been known to eat their eggs if you double clutch often... or kill their young if you take them repeatedly.
I just dont think its worth stressing about unless you actually come across the problem. I know a handfull of Indian breeders here in SA. All of which have been breeding them for over 8-10 years. None have had more than a tiny percentage of an occurance of the above situations (and none from the hand rearing issue). But I dont know everyone here
Its just it never even seemed to be a problem.
If people here know others with this issue its deffinately worth looking at. Possibly due to the way things are done on the breeders side... or god knows what.. but worth looking at in more detail.