unexpected egg

[allen]

ok i noticed this week poly and max were doing the dirty deed the 2 chicks have not even started eating seed yet they will be 5 weeks old this weekend well seems they been mating longer then this week as it apears poly laid an egg tonight the chicks just started sitting on the perch today but dad has been aggresive to them what should i do now

[Aly]

Parents will start their second clutch before the babies are weaned. Normally, you would remove the mom before to prevent that and allow the dad to feed the chicks. If dad is being aggressive I think you should remove him before he causes any damage. The problem is mom already started her second clutch and will be left by herself so..if you have faith in dad you can leave him to help mom with the second clutch and remove the chicks (you'd have to take over the feedings) OR you can remove dad and allow mom to continue feeding and tend to the second clutch. It'll be hard for her with no help but then again if dad is aggressive that's also not helping. See what the others say also.

[allen]

i do have a spare cage and the 2 males i got the one that is in the big cage has a history of bringing up other chicks as in feeding them till they are weaned i,ll talk to my breeder and see if she can come over and show me how to hand feed them they have all there feathers and are now starting to sit on the perch

[Aly]

It sounds like that's the best thing- just remove the chicks and place them in their own cage-just have her teach you to handfeed and that should be fine. Then make sure the mom is getting enough vitamins and calcium so she can be strong for the 2nd one. Also, watch the dad and make sure he doesn't follow the same pattern with the new clutch. My guess is he just started to be aggressive towards them because the second clutch is on the way and he may be stressed- not because he's just aggressive himself but either way monitor him closely to make sure. After this one I would rest them for a good while-having all those babies drains them.Goodluck!

[xxxSpikexxx]

good luck, let us know how it goes :)

[allen]

ok looks like dad was just pushing them to the floor where i spread some seed the one is just starting to eat the seeds

[nic bike]

Sounds good that he's eating well!