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Post by jeremy on Jul 21, 2005 12:03:00 GMT 10
My pair of Green Cheek Conures have recently started to breed. The hen has laid 7 eggs and there is a BIG problem, she isn't laying them inside the nest box. She laid the first four on the aviary floor so then i put another nest box in and she laid egg #5 and #6 in the box, after about 2-3 days she threw the eggs out onto the ground. Today she laid a 7th egg on the ground and it also looks like they have tried to eat it. What do i do to stop the problem??? Egg #7    |
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Post by billspets on Jul 21, 2005 12:13:32 GMT 10
hello Jeremy
i must admit i dont know a lot about the Conures but i will try to help
what is her diet like as in my experance one reason for the birds to do it is something missing from the diet also have you tried logs as well as boxes as she may not feel secure in a box
is it the female that is distroying the eggs or is it the male
did you buy them as a breeding pair as some times breeders do see breeding pairs that have bad habbits and dont disclose them at the point of sale
hope this helps
regards
bill
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Post by jeremy on Jul 21, 2005 12:29:14 GMT 10
I bought them young from different breeders, the Cock has bred before for the previous owner but killed his mate.
They get fresh fruit and veg twice a day and seed in the morning. Their seed mix is 3 parts budgie : 1 part sunflower seed.
At the moment i have no idea which one is destroying the eggs but i have been told that the Cock tend to destroy or eat the eggs.
The hen likes the box, she is in a fair few times a day and the two of them sleep in there at night
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Post by billspets on Jul 21, 2005 12:39:53 GMT 10
jeremy it is concerning that the male has killed his prevous mate did the breeder say haw and if there was some reasoniong behind it  also do you have calcimun in the cage with them at all ?? what is the age difference between the 2 birds do you have any other males that you can oput with the female regards bill |
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Post by jeremy on Jul 21, 2005 12:54:59 GMT 10
Green Cheek Cocks are known for killing the Hens, it is usually because the Hens aren't ready to breed but the Cocks are so they get aggressive.
There is nothing to worry about with these two though, they got on like a house on fire, and the Hen wants to breed so there is absolutely no aggression.
I don't have any other Cocks i can put in with her.
They always have access to cuttlebone and i also put Calci-Vet in their water
The Cock is nearly 2 year old and the Hen is nearly 1.5 years old.
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Post by macawvic on Jul 23, 2005 8:54:40 GMT 10
Hi Jeremy, I am afraid that this is a fairly common trait with the pyrhhura family. As was already highlighted, several factors may be causing this behaviour: diet, nestbox design and safety. As diet has been ruled out, my next assumption is the design of the nestbox and the location of your enclosure. What type of nestbox are you using? If you can build your own boxes, I highly recommend you manufacture a small variant of the eclectus sized boot shaped nestboxes. If you can't build your own boxes, next suggestion is an A-frame box. Your pair may not feel very safe in their current location. I had a pair of quakers in an indoor enclosure who used to throw out and destroy their eggs regularly. Couldn't work it out so I decided to move them into a new cage. Turned out that their proximity to the door gave them a sense of insecurity. Hope that helps, Jeremy. It's strange but I've never heard of GCC males with a reputation for being hen killers. Usually it's the hens that reach sexual maturity before the cocks and if anything, it's them who are more toey than the cocks (doesn't apply to us humans  ). Rgds Tim |
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