Im having Trouble breeding some ringnecks

Dahoun02 · Post by **Dahoun02** » Wed May 10, 2006 7:59 am

hello i was wondering if any one can help me ... every year my pair of ringnecks breed.. but after they have hatched out of the egg the male or the female doesn't feed them.. if any one knows why this is can u e-mail me with some answers thanks

d.hounsell@hotmail.co.uk

bonjoram · Post by **bonjoram** » Wed May 10, 2006 6:07 pm

Hi and welcome.

the male or the female doesn't feed them

So do the babies still get fed by the other parent? Do they get fed at all or do they starve to death?

The chicks usually get by with just one parent feeding them (usually the hen). But like humans, sometimes there are bad mothers. Some mothers pluck their chicks, some even kill their chicks. Maybe you should think about pulling the chicks once they hatch. Maybe you could even have another pair of IRNs foster the eggs (if you have the luxury of having other pairs).

Realistically, I don't think there is any way you can coax the current parents into feeding their young. Maybe a new mate could cause the current hen to behave differently with her chicks. Such as a male IRN who feeds her during the mating, incubation, and feeding stages.

Just out of curiosity, how many breeding seasons had this pair been doing this?

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » Wed May 10, 2006 8:57 pm

Apart from handraising, there isn't a great deal that you can do.

I was told by a very good breeder to put older chicks with a pair who don't feed their young. Because older babies will actually beg for food, it might make the parents feed them, as opposed to younger birds who rarely make a sound.