Help! GCC and FSC - Unexpected Clutch

[Chris_Envoy]

Hey everyone,

I have a 5 year old Green Cheek Conure and a 3 year old Fiery Shouldered Conure.

Up until now, for my GCC, I never knew her gender of until this year when she started laying eggs. The Fiery Shouldered was a surgically sexed male.

She started laying eggs a month or so ago. I took away the first few and removed what they were using for nesting. They quickly found a new area and laid eggs again. Knowing that laying eggs over and over again can potentially affect the health of the bird laying them I let them keep these last 4-5.

I know that they are both in the same genus, but are different species. I did not think they would hatch and today 1 of them did. I have not seen the baby, but I hear the cheeping/chirping of one.

They have both been taking turns sitting on the eggs and switching off when my green cheek goes to eat and drink my FSC goes in and sits.

Basically, I did not expect for this to happen, and now I at least know better for the future...

What can I do to ensure that these babies survive and also when can I start to interact with them so that I can socialize them.

Both of my birds are pretty territorial of the nest.

They each have their own enclosure that is 3'Wx2'Tx2'D. The egg laying stated when I left to travel abroad about a month ago. I just got back a few days ago.

 

[PeppysPal]

 

[karen256]

They are fairly closely related species of about the same size, so there's a very good chance the babies will be healthy and do well if the parents do their job. Health problems in hybrids tend to occur when the two species have different dietary needs, are different sizes, or are not in the same genus. That said, it's very important that anyone you may sell or give the babies to understands they are hybrids. There are so many GCC color mutations nowadays that they could possibly be mistaken for pure GCC.

For now, since it seems the parents are taking good care of them, there isn't a whole lot to do besides make sure the parents have access to plenty of fresh foods and aren't disturbed too much. If you can, fresh foods (veggies, cooked mixes, ect) should be offered a few times a day, as they are easier for the parents to feed to the babies than dry food.
You might want to consider getting a package of handfeeding formula and a simple brooder setup (a heating pad and aquarium will do ok) - just in case the new parents need some help. Sometimes new parents might not feed babies quite enough, or might not feed the smallest babies.
For handling and socializing the babies, you can start when their eyes begin to open around 10-14 days or so - just a little bit of handling at first, more as they get older. But you'll want to check in on the babies before daily to be sure they are being fed and cared for.

 

[Chris_Envoy]

Thank you so much for the reply!

The one chick has its eyes still closed but has little white down feathers on its back.

We're offering them lots of food and water and veggies. I also added the Kayte brand molting and conditioning supplement. If it's just the 1 baby we are going to keep him/her... But I don't think I can handle 5 birds hah.

Is there a way to prevent this in the future? They secretly made a hole in a box that we did not catch in time.

They seem to be good parents and are both very social with us even now. Just slightly protective.

I'm secretly hoping that the other 3 eggs don't hatch, but will be leaving them in case.

So leave them for now with lots of access to eggs, veggies, food and water (like normal)?

 

[Chris_Envoy]

Forgot to include - I do have a 10G and a heat pad and some Kayte Exact weaning formula on hand in case!

 

[melissasparrots]

For now I'd just let them be. I try not to handle super young babies at all until they are at least a week old. Exceptions made if I don't feel the parents are doing a good job and I feel capable of raising a day one baby. If you don't feel capable of raising a day one, then there really isn't point in handling the chick. Its not as though handling it will help it. In fact, if I'm leaving them in the nest to be parent raised, I don't even think of handling them until they're eyes are starting to slit open. Even then, I go based on the parent's response. If its making the parents crazy, then I either leave them alone 100% and just know that I'm going to have wild untame babies, or I pull them and hand-feed if I feel its important for the babies to be tame. If the parents are accepting, then you can start very short handling and cuddling sessions when the babies start getting their eyes open and a few pin feathers coming through.

 

[Lady Jane]

Wishing you well with this venture. There are dummy eggs available should you want to go this direction.

 

[Chris_Envoy]

Thank you so much for the answers. I plan on leaving them together.

I've learned a lot from your answers. There is not a ton about this online...

Thanks everyone. I'll post back with any questions or updates, but I greatly appreciate your help!!

 

[Chris_Envoy]

So a second chick hatched. The first is still alive (3-4 days?), should I assume that they are taking care of them?

Is it normal that my GCC gets "puffy" (defensive) with me when I peek in? She is normally super nice. She just turned 6. (And was thought to be a boy until this year... >.>).

The FSC was a surgically sexed male (by the breeder) and bonded to my GCC who was bonded to me. I originally got the FSC to help with me being out of school and working full time an hour from home. So he has never been one to like being touched, but will come over on his terms and land on me.

When their eyes open should I worry about diet? I have the Kaytee Baby Bird formula but do not feel comfortable hand-feeding.

Should I add anything to my bird's diet to help them ensure that the babies get everything they need and more?

At what age is it acceptable to remove them (to their own cage) from the parents? (Obviously a while still, but so that I have an idea).

Now that this happened... I'm curious as to what the babies will look like .

Should I worry about this every year? It looks like there are 3-4 eggs left, one previously broken, and 2 babies. 6-7 in all. I know that egg laying takes a lot out of a bird. I used to work at a PetsMart and we would give the finches stones as egg replacements so that they did not lay more.

 

[tastybeets]

Welcome, welcome!

I'm afraid I have no helpful advice, but congrats on the babies! I hope you share some pics when they're a bit older.

 

[Chris_Envoy]

I will gladly share pictures. My GCC and I are very close, she and I went through some amazing times together and she was there for me in sad times.

So I'm nervous and excited (is this maybe what being a grandparent feels like? - at 25 haha).

Here are the babies now. She only leaves them to eat and drink and instantly flies back after!

 

[tastybeets]

I will gladly share pictures. My GCC and I are very close, she and I went through some amazing times together and she was there for me in sad times.

So I'm nervous and excited (is this maybe what being a grandparent feels like? - at 25 haha).

Here are the babies now. She only leaves them to eat and drink and instantly flies back after!

Too friggin' cute! I can't wait to see the coloring!

 

[webchirp]

Hoping all goes well!

Tagging @Monica as I am sure she would like pictures...our hybrid person

 

[Monica]

Babies should probably end up looking like green cheek conures with some extra coloration. Tails could be darker or could get coloration of both parents. Beaks might be darker like green cheek or somewhere in-between?


It's pretty normal for the parents to get defensive of their nest, regardless of how tame they are with humans. I'ts natural behavior, so yes, the puffyness and open beak are normal.


Extra protein is beneficial for the chicks! If they eat pellets as part of their diet, there are "breeder pellets" which have higher amounts of protein and fat in them. Fresh and cooked food wise, you can feed cooked eggs, sprouted *healthy* grains and legumes or cooked grains and legumes. Honestly, sprouted seeds, if you have the time, would be a great addition! Plus lots of healthy vegetables and some fruits!


If you don't mind the chicks being wild, then I'd recommend leaving them be if you aren't comfortable hand feeding! That said, it would still be a good idea to have an avian vet(s) and some breeders on hand in case the chicks *do* need to be hand raised!


The chicks should be weaned around 8-10 weeks of age. If the cage is large enough and the parents don't bother them, it's possible to leave the chicks with the parents. Once fully weaned and eating a healthy diet, they can be moved then, too, although I would recommend putting the chicks cage next to the parents so as to reduce stress on them.



It can be an issue every year, even multiple times a year! The best way to prevent breeding is to figure out the triggers to breeding and removing them. In this case, one of those triggers is a nesting site! There could be other triggers, too, such as diet, lighting, temperature, or?

 

[camelotshadow]

Hope they are healthy babies!

 

[Chris_Envoy]

Little update:

I think there are 3-4 now. All seem to be alive. This is the only picture I could take in time haha.

Apollo (The FSC/Dad) took a bath and Lucky (my GCC/Mom) -I think- did not recognize him all wet and kicked him out haha.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

If you don't want chicks next year, let them do what they are doing now and remove the eggs and replace them with fake eggs. Or, you can do what I do: remove the eggs, replace with eggs I know are duds. Then refrigerate the eggs you removed for at least 12 hours, and next year they can be used as duds. The cold of the refrigerator and the frost free feature of the fridge will dehydrate the eggs as well, killing the chicks painlessly and quickly.

The purpose of all living creatures is to create more living creatures. Fighting the instincts and behaviors that tell the birds to do that is like fighting city hall: you won't win and you will have an unhappy pair of birds and you will be stressed out. So, let them do what their instincts tell them to do and practice population control by removing the fertile eggs. Let them sit on the duds till they are tired of trying to hatch them and your pets will eventually return to being pets instead of breeders. The birds seem to accept not being able to hatch live babies and when their hormones decrease again, they are pets again. This technique works really well for me and I have had very few chicks hatched in the last 20 years. Now and then one of the hens will hide eggs I can't find and I will suddenly hear my free flight cockatiels feeding a baby... I can abort them in the egg, but I cannot kill a live chick. So Cookie Monster wins and she gets to raise a live chick.

But usually the ravenous eggs eater (me and my broom) win the fight and no chicks are hatched. It is much harder to keep Cookie from raising chicks since the birds are free flight in the birdroom. When I keep everyone in cages, all I had to do was check the bottom of the cages and the nest boxes and remove the fertile eggs. But all Cookie needs is a three by three inch opening, anywhere, to hide her eggs.... And she did it again this year. Sigh...

 

[Jazzy*]

The babies are so cute!
Will be following this thread for more pics

 

[metalstitcher]

I wish you the best of luck with your babies

 

[Chris_Envoy]

Hey guys, some more pictures! Seems to be 3 babies, one egg was kicked out of the nest.

They look like little aliens haha. It's been over a week and they're still going strong (I think??).