Colleague breeders part 1

Here will the findings be placed from breeders who want to share their experiences with others.

One of these colleague breeders is Jose . She has a couple kakariki’s since June 28 2002. She bought the male herself and the female is originated from me. She bought a big indoor aviary so her kakariki’s live indoors.

The first 14 days they hardly looked at each other but after that things got better with Tinus (the male) and Toos (the female).

After about a month they sat next to each other when they were sleeping and they started to feed each other. In the meantime Tinus and Toos settled down quite nicely. They started to react to noises and voices. If someone stood in front of the cage they came to them immediately, but stayed on a safe distance. They are indeed very curious birds, because they want to keep up with everything.

I also have a couple of Zebra finches and sometimes I have the idea that they have whole conversations with each other. At those times it is hard for us to exceed.

End of August, the 24^th to be exact, we suspended a nest box on the cage. We were very curious if they would in fact lay eggs indoors.

Within 9 minutes Toos sat in the nest box, talk about curious! And on Thursday the 4^th of September the first egg!!!!!!!!!!!

On Saturday the second and on Monday the third egg, Tuesday the fourth and Thursday the fifth and Saturday September the 13^th the sixth egg.

Toos remained a lot of time in the nest box from day one, but at first Tinus didn’t like it very much, since he took her out every time, but the last few days he leaves her be a bit more. And when Toos comes out of the nest box, Tinus starts to feed her very enthusiastic. And now we wait to see if the eggs are fertilized.

Thursday September the 18^th

Tinus and Toos are doing well. Toos is still laying eggs every other day, so we have a total of 8 eggs now. There is still nothing to see at the eggs, so the doubt if they are fertilized stays.

Next to that Toos still isn’t really brooding, for Tinus makes it a sport to obtain Toos from the nest box, although that happens less and less.

Sunday September the 28^th

On Friday the 20th the 9th egg and on Sunday the 10^th egg en than Toos found it enough.

So did I, since I didn’t expect this at all, for a first breed. As from egg 9 Toos started to brood seriously. Tinus was not really exited about this, but at this moment he regularly keeps her company in the nest box and she accepts it. We then look at an empty cage, but that is a side issue. When Toos comes out of the nest box, she quietly accepts all attention of Tinus. Toos seldom eats alone. Tinus made it his job to feed also Toos, even when she is out of the nest box. So far we know that 3 eggs are fertile. I was very happy about that. At the end of the week we will check again, I am very curious if it are only 3 or mayby even more.

Saturday October the 4^th

Unfortunately there are just 2 eggs fertilized, so in stead of more eggs it is one less.

A few eggs have been removed, so Toos can keep the other eggs better warm. In any case, she is brooding well. So now we wait till the first young announces itself.

Thursday October the 8^th

The first young!! It probably hatched this afternoon. I immediately started with egg-food, which Tinus appreciated very much, for he finished the whole dish, and next started to feed Toos..

Sunday October the 12^th

The second young is there also, so both fertilized eggs hatched.

The first young is still alive, so I think that Tinus and Toos take their task serious enough to raise both young. We still have to await. Toos is very protective, she already starts to shout when nothing happens yet.

I hope both young survive, I will keep you informed.

Saturday October the 18^th

Both young grow very good. Toos is a great mother and Tinus takes his task as father also very seriously.

Toos comes out of the nest box a little more, and if she stays out a longer time, than Tinus goes into the nest box. He also checks out very faithfully when the young squeak to much or to long. Both young have been ringed today.

Thursday October the 23^th

The little ones are doing well, they grow tremendously. Toos is a lot out of the nest box since the last 2 days en she is picking up her normal live again, she is bathing regularly, takes her time to scratch.

Today we hung up the second nest box in the cage. Tinus first inspected it thoroughly from the outside and than Toos came around. She thought the inside was more important and she went in after 3 minutes. It sounded like she was busy to rearrange some.

When the young need to be fed, than Toos and Tinus do that together, gradually Tinus becomes more important.

Tuesday October the 28^th

Sad report: Last Sunday Tinus died.

Busy one hour and the next hour it was over.

Toos then crawled into the nest box and we didn’t see her the first few hours. Later the evening she came out and there was a bit panic in the cage. She started to flutter and she shrieked but unfortunately, her pal did not come back.

Also the next day she remained in the nest box a lot, but at the beginning of the evening she re appeared.

And since it is a bit better. Of course we were very curious whether she would feed the young well and up till now she is doing a good job.

Every time when we check the young have a quit full crop. We will keep watch and if necessary we will feed extra by hand.

Tuesday November the 4^th

Oki and Doki are doing well.

Mother did a fine job, the young are being fed separately, but get more than enough.

Every other day we take them out for a little while. They look around real good, it looks very funny, when they reach out their little necks to see it all and at a certain moment they start to climb to finally come to rest on my shoulder. Especially Oki (the oldest one) likes to sit there and than tries to crawl into my sweater.

It is striking that Toos pays very well attention when we take them out of the nest box, but than approves and sits down at its ease to eat.

We will continue to make photographs, so that one can follow the growth.

Sunday November the 9^th

Oki and Doki are growing very well. The changes are big. After 2 days not checking and the difference is already very large. They get more active. It is very hard to hold Oki and Doki together, it requires some skill. Oki is the best acrobat of them, he climbs and walks everywhere when he gets the chance. A few days ago he crawled away underneath my sweater, at this moment he doesn’t do nothing rather than to find the highest place and then make sounds. We have to watch him closely for he doesn’t really see danger. The communication also started since a few days. The mother calls them regularly and they respond by squeaking. They also call to each other regularly, especially Doki has a good volume. That is very surprising when they sit on your shoulder right next to your ear.

This afternoon Oki and Doki spotted Puk and Muk (my Zebra finches) and that was very interesting. The squeaking from both sides lasted for some time.

Monday November the 24^th

Oki and Doki have left the nest.

Last week Oki sat in the opening of the nest box and finally she took the plunge. So last Thursday Oki left the nest and the following day Doki also left the nest. Of course he couldn’t stay behind. They leave the cage a few times a day, but they can’t really sit still. Meanwhile they have found a favourite place in the living room so that they can see everything well.

Toos started a brood last week, but unfortunately for her and us it nothing will become.

Next week Oki and Doki probably will leave and Toos will have a new partner.

Sunday November the 30^th

Last Thursday Oki and Doki left.

The day before Toos and Oki had a bit of a quarrel, it didn’t go real well anymore.

Thus we decided that they went to Henk on Thursday. At the moment that Oki and Doki went into the transport cage, Toos became a bit panic as if she sensed that something special was going on. In any case, she was not happy about it.

Oki and Doki are doing fine and in the meantime Toos is also fine.

Toos now has a new partner: Macho.

It took about 2 days for Macho to settle down, but now he is to its sense.

It looks like Toos is entirely piece of Macho, but Macho has little interest for Toos, so far.

But we quietly wait for now and if there is something new than I will certainly let you know.

Monday December the 8^th

Macho en Toos: A new beginning.

Macho and Toos have found each other. At the beginning of last week had the seduction attempts of Toos suddenly success at Macho. The first days rather clumsy but already rapidly the two found each other.

Last Saturday I saw that Macho started to feed Toos and from that moment on they stayed close to each other.

Yesterday we installed 2 nest boxes. They have been inspected and checked out al day long and Toos hopped from one box to the other.

But today she made a choice. She is in abundance busy with a nest box. She is gnawing and the inside is being reorganised. Macho gives comments so now and than when she stays away to long, but he is not used to this of course. So now we wait until the first egg has been laid.

Monday December the 12^th

Macho is unfortunately also no longer in our middle.

He lay dead in his cage al of a sudden in the morning.

We immediately start searching for an other male and the next day we bought Tommy.

Tommy en Toos Sunday January the 4^th 2004

Toos doesn’t have trouble with her ‘new man’. Because also with Tommy it went well as from the first moment.

The day Tommy arrived Toos laid an egg, but that turned out to be nothing.

Tommy at first was very dominant and Toos had to get used to that very much, for until now Toos has been the one who was in charge, but not with Tommy. Tommy likes to have Toos around. She wasn’t allowed to brood by Tommy. He constantly took her out of the nest box and he even sat on guard so she couldn’t even go in to the nest box. Maybe because it was an egg from Macho?

We temporarily removed the boxes and will return them in a week or so.

Hopefully it will work out better than and that Tommy will last longer than Macho did.

Sunday January the 11^th

Tommy and Toos are accustomed entirely to each other.

In the past week they have made love a lot, so it is going fine with them.

Today we replaced the nest boxes in and on the cage.

Until now they have not shown any interest, but we wait quietly.

Saturday January the 17^th

The nest boxes hang almost 2 weeks now. The first few days Toos did not have any interest, yet Tommy started to inspect them.

The past 2 days there is some more interest, at least Toos has been busy in the inner nest box, she already has it a little in order.