So I got her a nestbox....

[fiddlejen]

At this point i'm rather worried about Jefferson. If I could, I probably would take him to vet. However as usual he is too smart for his own good. He knows if he goes inside cage, I can capture him. So instead, he remains outside on top. I can get close but I canNot capture him. He is not actively bleeding but I think has been cut on or just-above the cere. He turns away when I try to get a good look. He is quite subdued. Calliope pecks at him when she gets near.

And, I am not certain whether Calliope is actually feeding the babies now. Maybe she's trying to force wean them? Or maybe just feeding a little less & I might've missed it?

I expect that I can capture Calliope and put her into the separation cage. But if Jefferson continues staying outside the cage, the babies would certainly not be fed. Riker is 5 weeks old now. Tiny is 4 weeks, although I think still a little behind. I wonder if I should separate Calliope, and then plan to hand-feed all the babies for a week or two?

EDIT:
----Okay Calliope is indeed still feeding them. I'm relieved about this. I'd rather Not try to take over the feeding. I think she's just feeding less often. I have seen little heads poking out the nestbox.

----I assume Jefferson will go into the large cage tonight to sleep as usual. My plan will be to move him to separation cage at that point Once there, I can keep an eye on him, & can take him to vet if he gets any worse than I've so far observed.

 

[Kitekeeper]

Hi,

Don´t worry it is normal that things still demand some level of management at that point.

First, I would keep Jefferson separated until all the babies are out and weaned. Calliope already showed us she does not trust Jefferson around. Some females are just like that, they just can trust the males or any other budgie near their babies. They shall remain aggressive until they are weaned, so I would keep her in charge of feeding the babies. Consider yourself lucky as some females can beat their own babies...

I am glad to see Calliope still feeds them. Indeed she might feed them less from now on and if your are in doubt you can take the baby in your hand and feel the craw pressing it gently between your thumb and index finger. If you feel a mass, the baby is fed.

On the other hand, if Calliope is feeding them less, she most likely will not make difference between the three older babies and Tiny. This could be a big problem for Tiny as he is nowhere near the others and still need to have his craw filled 4 times a day. You might consider to restart reinforcing Tiny by hand feeding him.

In case you need to separate Calliope from the babies, as you suggested before, I would not trust Jefferson to pick up the baby feeding efficiently. It is true that budgie males participate much more feeding the babies when they are out of the nest, feeding babies efficiently is an acquired skill however. As Jefferson was kept out of the whole process for his own safety, now he would be a rookie father trying to learn to feed four big mouths. More so, I would not be sure if he developed a strong father-baby connection as he was not part of the process so far.

 

[fiddlejen]

Kitekeeper, thank you So Much for your advice! I feel so much more comfortable about keeping Jefferson separated. I did check an hour or so ago, and the baby's crops were definitely all full, & Tiny's was especially full. But before I checked, I had made sure I was prepared, ready to prep their food & feed them if needed. (I was very glad it was not needed!) I will continue to keep an eye & will be ready to feed them if necessary. Thank you again!

 

[Laurasea]

Awwww.. just look at those gorgeous babies!!! Look at them!! Tiny is growing up!
I don't think dad needs a vet at all.

Will be hanging on every post for new eye candy @ great Job!

 

[fiddlejen]

Just a quick update from this morning. Couldn't get a pic... seems my camera won't always focus well thru cage bars, past cage toys, and ignorning window & curtains behind... anyways!

Baby Number One is OUT and ABOUT!!

I had repeatedly seen Two and Three poking their heads out the cage, while Riker tended to just chill in a corner. So I was kinda wondering whether Riker planned to live inside the box forever... ... I really think this was Mama's doing. I think she more or less went in the box and said, "Hey you, Jefferson Junior, Get Moving!" and ushered him out.

Then, out of the cage, I think she's working on a weaning process by feeding him less-digested food. That is, she's going to seed dish, taking few bites, and then going to Riker immediately to feed him.

Seems Patchouli and Three are still being fed Through the Nestbox Opening, and I believe she is still going into the cage to feed Tiny.

(I will continue checking on Tiny; if additional feed is needed, will do so.)

I hear interesting noises from their cage now ... wonder what I'm missing while I type this...

 

[fiddlejen]

Riker Out and About:

 

[fiddlejen]

Aaand…. We have FLIGHT!!!

 

[Laurasea]

O love him!

 

[fiddlejen]

Mama showed Riker the nutriberries on top the cage.

Papa Jefferson has been acting depressed so I was glad to see him do his frantic Let-Me-Out dance.
“What’s going on out there?!!? Please let me come help!”

Papa cannot come visit Baby Riker so Baby Riker will come visit Papa. “I cannot preen you but I can preen WITH you!”

Second Gen budgiie WILL stand on my hand. And, will eat spinach. While standing on my hand!

Baby Number Two, Patchouli wonders when it will be her turn.

The other babies waiting patiently while Patchouli investigate

Shall we take a break Riker? Ok everybody, back in the nestbox now.

 

[fiddlejen]

Oh, another baby is out of the nestbox now! (With Mama spinach-face Calliope watching from the nestbox hole,)

 

[Kitekeeper]

Wow!!! What an explosion of life! Thanks a lot for sharing all the news!

It is an exciting phase now, they will explore and present their personalities to you.

Interesting how the greywing mutation dominated the clutch. It seems all three greywing birds have a different shade of blue. BTW, Tiny color feathers are out...I was so curious about it, he is really beautiful, all four are!

If Tiny gets too similar to three or Patchouli, you can always distinguish them by the cheek dark spots which I am almost sure are like the individual fingerprint. You can see how the black spots in the cheek of papa Jefferson are different from the ones of Riker... or Jefferson Jr

 

[Scott]

I'm overjoyed with your flock progress, so much goodness within this thread!

 

[fiddlejen]

Mama and two babies today:

Tiny and Three still in the nestbox.

 

[Kitekeeper]

Beautiful family photo!!

Riker is so full of herself, so confident! I love it!

 

[fiddlejen]

And Baby Number Three has left the Box!!!

(Mama was occupied with the other two “out” babies whilst Three was exploring the dish.)

 

[LaManuka]

What gorgeous, adventurous little souls they are, just magic! Can't wait for Tiny to take his first independent steps into the big wide world!

 

[Laurasea]

Beautiful birds. As big as mom!

 

[fiddlejen]

So, it turns out Jefferson had more than just a scrape on or above the cere.

I had thought his subdued movements were just a response to that injury. But I did let him out yesterday and today (moving him back to separation cage at night, though). Yesterday I thought he seemed to have a limp or else just a wobble. Today, with a lot of difficulty I managed to get a look at his feet. His right inner back claw is missing! !!! I am not sure but almost looks like a little bit of the toe might be missing too... although only looks that way from particular angle. Other angle looks like only the claw. It is hard to tell because I can only get a brief glance before he realizes I'm looking and tucks the foot away.

I got the silver sufadiazine cream they gave me for the first injury, and managed to apply some of it tonight (while he screamed bloody murder). I'm really hoping it's only the claw that's missing. (Do they grow back? Like fingernails?) I feel so sad to watch Mr. I'm The Man Jefferson with a wobble and limp.

Tonight, shortly after I applied the cream & deposited Jefferson into the separation cage, aka birdie jail, Calliope then began to pick on Riker. !!! This is the second time in two days. I start to wonder if Mama has a prejudice against Green Stripey keets?

So baby Riker also gets temporary protective custody. (Riker goes back to the main cage during the day, however, as he still occasionally seeks feeding from mama.)

I'd like to let Riker share the cage (jail cell) with Jefferson, they seemed happy yesterday for the few moments I tried it. However, although the babies Appear as large as their parents, it is really ALL FLUFF. What this means, is Riker easily squeezes head & shoulders Thru the Bars of the separation cage. Definitely Not Safe! So Riker must into one of the smaller cages, of which I have a couple, which for budgies are otherwise too small for anything but transport or a baby.

It is rather disheartening to me that Jefferson is being endangered by Mama's protectiveness of her babies. I mean, I guess i did know this was the danger all along. But the only reason I let them breed is because Mr. Jefferson, my high-spirited, I'm-In-Charge, highly-active, opinionated Jefferson has only ever wanted two things in life. One is to fly, and the other is More Birds.

And now he's living in birdie jail, and he's lost a claw, & possibly part of a toe, over it.

I'm currently thinking that once babies all leave the nestbox & not seeking Mama for food, Calliope is the one who should live in separation cage. On a more permanent basis. I mean, not 100% certain of that. But it's what I'm thinking right now. I mean, she has been the aggressor; why should it be Jefferson who gets sentenced instead of her?

 

[Laurasea]

The two older ones are old enough and fully feathers to move out. I think moms start driving them away so they can re clutch.
But obviously I haven't bred birds...so its just stuff I've read

 

[Kitekeeper]

Hi jen,

This is a delicate moment. Right now the babies are nearly able to eat by themselves except for Tiny. In Calliope´s view, it is time for them to move on and stop asking for food. It is her instinct to to make things less comfortable for them. Most mothers will just ignore the grown up babies´ calling but some can be aggressive.

Once I was called to help a baby that has just got out of the nestbox and was attacked by his mom . She destroyed half his mandible and there was nothing we could do to save him.

I am worried about Calliope. She is a great mother, but she has a strong temper. Maybe the best thing to do would be to let Jefferson with the babies to teach them to eat by themselves and you take over Tiny feeding for the next couple of days. Tiny is almost ready to get off the nest too. In that configuration, Calliope would be put alone for maybe a month until her hormones out and she is recovered of fatigue. When all the babies are eating by themselves and there is no nestbox, she could be returned to the flock.

At this point, Tiny would require just four meals for day and might not need a source of heat (unless it is too cold where you live).