My Goffins Family!

I dearly love all my parrots, but the quintuple of Goffins are really special! It began about 28 years ago when my Mom purchased a pair of wild-caught Goffins. The previous owner considered them non-productive breeders having owned them for at least a dozen years. Peanut and Popcorn were "people friendly" but could not be handled. Several cage-changes and a move to another home spurred a breeding bonanza that yielded three wonderful babies, now adults of 18, 19, and 21. That first-born Gabby survived was a miracle and testament to survival will and the dedication of my Mom. Who knew the parents considered parental duties to promptly end 3 days post hatching? My Mom was sick and unable to work, so she checked the Goffins and noticed both parents chilling out on a perch. A silent nestbox begged curiosity, and she discovered Gabby cold and gray, nearly dead, propped against the wall. Long story short, she quickly learned how to hand-feed and did so round the clock, even at work! Abby came along the next year followed by Squeaky two years later, each needing intervention after abandonment within a week.

The family of five has proven somewhat dysfunctional. Gabby and Abby developed a mutual loathing, though each are friendly with Squeaky. Peanut and Popcorn coexisted in bliss for many years until the male became progressively aggressive. Popcorn remains alone in a large flight cage, though he is permitted free-flight in the garage-aviary. Peanut has proven wonderfully adaptive and was placed in the bird-room with her three offspring. She despises Gabby, has bonded to Abby, and is friendly with Squeaky. Peanut has become almost completely tame, loves to cuddle, and is my parrot least likely to bite. I would dearly love to learn her history in the wild! Separated from Popcorn, the four live in a bird-room with ET, the TAG. I strive to rotate them out of the cage for fairly equal time. They are so trustworthy as individuals and a group to permit freedom from cages at night and during the day while alone.

I find the deepest attachment to these little cockatoos! When I look into their eyes there is an unsurpassed level of intelligence and bond.

I love Goffin eyes... they do seem to rotate and stare and really take in the scene.
I love your Goffin story. I love your mom, too, now.
Goffins are awesome dancers, too... as any YouTube-dancing-parrot-junkies will know...

The only time I am able to cuddle four of the five together is at night! For some reason, they can be placed on my shoulders and chest during low-light conditions and coexist well. Between their mutual grooming and my stroking of their feathers, it is nirvana! There is no doubt they are each aware of the others, but perhaps the darkness subsumes their jealousies.

I guess night-time is a time for gathering and roosting and being peaceable.
Even the Rbird is a little sweeter at dusk.

Do you find they have really different personalities?Or are they similar ? I have a " Touched," Goffin I have a feeling this is not how they really are .

Scott, I've loved Peanut, Popcorn, Gabby, Abby and Squeaky's story since the first time I heard it. I have tremendous respect for your mom and for you, My Friend. Thank you for sharing your family of goffins with us and for giving them an amazing life and the best of everything. Looking forward to more stories.

Pinkbirdy said:

Do you find they have really different personalities?Or are they similar ? I have a " Touched," Goffin I have a feeling this is not how they really are .

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Each of the five have significantly different personalities. If you could blindfold me and cuddle with the four who are hand-tame, I could accurately discern the exact bird within a few seconds. The response to touch and general mannerisms are near instant giveaways! Gabby loves to cuddle and is the smallest, Abby enjoys the closeness and makes little cooing sounds, Squeaky is the most independent and least clingy, while Peanut will softly click her beak during cuddling. All are good and accurate fliers, but wild-caught Peanut and Popcorn do so with far more ease and grace. The offspring are more labored and seem to flap in a more vertical prose - lots of wing movement per foot flown forward.

What a great story of your little family of goffins They all sound like such characters. Were the parents a couple in nature, or were they paired up in captivity? If Popcorn (that's the father bird right?) isn't hand tame, how do you get him back in his cage? Does he return on his own/on command?

Goffins have always been one of those 'different' Parrots to me. I have several friends that when we are together, quickly pass their Goffins off to me. And of course, they just as quickly make their way to my shoulder and then lean Heavily against my neck. Kind of like an instant neck warmer. They seem just contain sitting there and watching the World go by. Like they are the observers' of the Avian World.

Thank-you, for your Story of the Goffins of your life!

Scott, what an amazing story! Your Mother is such a wonderful person, just like you are, my Friend. Gabby's survival is speaks volumes about your Mom's perseverance, dedication and love.
I can't tell you how much I love the fact that you kept and still have every baby...that so warms my heart!

Scott said:

Pinkbirdy said:

Do you find they have really different personalities?Or are they similar ? I have a " Touched," Goffin I have a feeling this is not how they really are .

Click to expand...

Each of the five have significantly different personalities. If you could blindfold me and cuddle with the four who are hand-tame, I could accurately discern the exact bird within a few seconds. The response to touch and general mannerisms are near instant giveaways! Gabby loves to cuddle and is the smallest, Abby enjoys the closeness and makes little cooing sounds, Squeaky is the most independent and least clingy, while Peanut will softly click her beak during cuddling. All are good and accurate fliers, but wild-caught Peanut and Popcorn do so with far more ease and grace. The offspring are more labored and seem to flap in a more vertical prose - lots of wing movement per foot flown forward.

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What a thought Lol .I wonder if I could tell them apart blind folded.

Allee said:

Scott, I've loved Peanut, Popcorn, Gabby, Abby and Squeaky's story since the first time I heard it. I have tremendous respect for your mom and for you, My Friend. Thank you for sharing your family of goffins with us and for giving them an amazing life and the best of everything. Looking forward to more stories.

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Terry57 said:

Scott, what an amazing story! Your Mother is such a wonderful person, just like you are, my Friend. Gabby's survival is speaks volumes about your Mom's perseverance, dedication and love.
I can't tell you how much I love the fact that you kept and still have every baby...that so warms my heart!

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My Mom is the real hero in this story! Hand-feeding a chick from the first few days is incredibly challenging, not just from the logistics POV. She was in her early 60s and working full time! IIRC she would sleep for 4 hours or so at night, and feed every 2 to 3 hours during the day - at work! Her boss was incredibly accepting of this and allowed her to keep the babies in her office. Feeding was accomplished between patients or sometimes during discussion. (she was a therapist working for the county) After the third baby (Squeaky) was born she decided to remove the nest. The only other live hatching during the period was to a deformed chick that lived for about one day.

Kiwibird said:

What a great story of your little family of goffins They all sound like such characters. Were the parents a couple in nature, or were they paired up in captivity? If Popcorn (that's the father bird right?) isn't hand tame, how do you get him back in his cage? Does he return on his own/on command?

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The previous owner represented them as wild-caught but not necessarily a pair previously bonded before captivity. They were mature adults when purchased a dozen years prior, so the timeline places them at 40+ years. Not sure what the standard of the trade was in the mid 1970s. My guess it was not very pretty.

Popcorn's cage door is opened in the morning and he has free flight until mid afternoon. At times he will return to the cage willingly, but most of the time I approach him with a perch and he generally steps up and willingly returns. Doesn't always get off the stick once it is placed inside the cage, so I'll just let him be and retrieve the stick later. Popcorn (male) and Peanut are exceptional fliers. Extraordinarily nimble, they can levitate upwards and almost hover. Never fly into a window or wall. For this reason I strongly believe they both learned to fly in the wild. Their offspring are very safe fliers, just not as graceful.

SailBoat said:

Goffins have always been one of those 'different' Parrots to me. I have several friends that when we are together, quickly pass their Goffins off to me. And of course, they just as quickly make their way to my shoulder and then lean Heavily against my neck. Kind of like an instant neck warmer. They seem just contain sitting there and watching the World go by. Like they are the observers' of the Avian World.

Thank-you, for your Story of the Goffins of your life!

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Thanks for reading, Steven! They are very observant and extremely tactile. Love to be with their people and cuddle, but generally not as neurotic as other toos. It is possible for me to handle them in a session and then they are ready to be alone or with their peers. I really, really believe Goffins and perhaps other toos do better in pairs or small flocks!

Strange. I'd responded to this thread months ago, but I guess I must've been interrupted before actually pressing the post button. But I love the story of your 'toos, Scott! Everything from your mother's dedication and perseverance in keeping the abandoned babies alive to the intimacy of your knowledge of each individual bird so that you could tell blindfolded which is which. Your love for them comes through with your description of the little habits and tendencies of each one.

Sounds like an amazing flock, my friend. Any chance of you sharing some updated pics of the Goffins Gang? (As well as the rest of the flock! Lol!)

Thanks so much, Stephen! They are really a special flock of Goffins! Will try to post some iPhone pics that will be properly positioned!!

Love this, Scott! Sorry I'm just now getting to read it. Despite that the flock is not always in perfect harmony, I'm sure they love having the opportunity to be a flock. I'm a strong believer that even if certain birds don't get along, they still get mental stimulation from having flock-mates.

I just saw this thread,Scott As you know,my brief encounter with a Goffin( or ANY 'too for that matter) was with my little beady-eyed monster Jonesy.

The Cockatoo Man ( as he called himself,he would say "I'm a good cockatoo man ") was originally BB's Uncle DJ's fid. That's how I met him. Arleen,my ex girl friend is DJ's sister,and she told him that my precious Smokey had flown off to Rainbow Bridge,and me having had two kid's (Amy and Smokey) for almost thirty years asked if I'd like to adopt the little monster. I was depressed,and Amy was also,and the house was just too quiet,so I said SURE

Well you know the rest of the story lol. I had never interacted with any type of 'too and I was clueless on what to expect. EVERYTHING you have mentioned about your 'too's fit Jones to a T lol.
It took him about a week to settle in. Thinking back now,thinking BB is such a cuddlebug,always wanting to be with me,Bonesy was the same way. He and Amy became best of bud's. I'd often find them together,Jonesy on Amy's play pen or vice verse.
The best story I like to repeat about him is the one where Arleen had called me to the living room and gave me the "SSHHHHH" sign and pointed to Amy's mansion. As I strained my eyes to figure out what Arleen was pointing to I saw it...Underneath Amy's house are newspapers on the floor to catch all the debris and I could see the papers lifting up..all of a sudden this little white head poked out from under them,"hat" high in the air. Jonesy looked "this way"and "that way",then stopped dead in his tracks as he stared straight at Arleen and I. All of a sudden he beats-feet from under the papers doing his cockatoo hop and making tracks back to his condo.. He was CAUGHT red handed lol! I still get a kick out of that story!!

I give you,and your MOM tremendous credit for even attempting to deal with not only one,but FIVE of those amazing creatures lol. Well done my friend (and MOM) Well done!

And yaaa..updated photo's would be awesome!



Jim

Thanks everybody, recently created an Imgur account and will try to figure out how it works and post updated pics!!

And sorry for the late responses, should check this forum more often!!

Picture update!

Brothers Squeaky and Abby doing a synchronized split!


Abby and Squeaky in foreground, mama Peanut watching over. Evidence of Abby's hyperactive grooming. Not actually plucked!


Looking at shadows.


Peanut after bath. Quick, get the blow dryer and styling gel!


Gabby overseeing chop day. Yes, I can eat every noodle... or at least take a bite and drop!