# Uh oh...trouble...please help!



## Szafije (Jun 8, 2011)

Hello 
Well our 5 babies are fledging but still sleep in the nest box, and the parents still feed them....but today Skye started to be hormonal again and Sam likes the idea as well!
Oh my what am I supposed to do? I cannot move the babies out yet and I cannot remove the nest box either..or can I? 
Please help


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Have all the babies fledged now or are some still in the nest? If they have all fledged you can take the nestbox out. 

If they haven't all fledged yet you can try using some mild hormone reduction techniques on the parents to discourage them from starting another clutch, but you have to be careful to keep them hormonal enough to keep feeding the babies. But I'll be honest, this NEVER works for me when I'm trying to prevent a second clutch because they're still too motivated. But it works quite well when I'm trying to prevent a third clutch.

You can also give the parents less access to each other, by having only one parent at a time in the cage with the babies and frequently switching them so both parents have a lot of opportunities to feed the babies.


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## Szafije (Jun 8, 2011)

All babies left the nest but they still keep going back especially for the night...I was thinking of attaching the other cage to the breeder cage (it is possible) so they would have enough space without the nest box too. The youngest baby is 29 days old, left the nest, flew a little...do you think it is safe to remove the nest box then?
The problem is that Skye, my female gets hormonal even without the male...what I mean is that she started posing today out of the cage and the male was not even there lol


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The oldest babies are probably skillful enough now to sleep on a perch at night, especially if it's a rope perch or a natural wood perch that lets them get a good grip. If the youngest babies are still very clumsy at perching you might want to make a different arrangement for them, for example sleeping in the nestbox at night with the nestbox NOT attached to the cage, and the hole covered up so they can't come out and get into trouble. 

If the male sees the female posing it will help stimulate his hormones, so interrupt her when she does things like that or block off the view so he can't see her. Maybe take her to a different room for a little while to get her mind off her breeding urges.


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## Szafije (Jun 8, 2011)

Okay I will try that. All the babies are perching however they still go back to the nest box once in a while. Do you think it is a good idea to attach the 2 cages together so they can come and go?
Skye used to get hormonal with my husband...I am not sure it is not the case again and the male is just taking advantage of it? :blush:


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

Expanding the cage is a great idea, it gives the babies more room to explore and learn. In the wild they would have the whole world available to them. 

No matter who your hen is hormonal for, it's going to encourage both her and the male to make more babies. So you need to put a damper on it if you don't want them to breed again.


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## mishkaroni (Jan 6, 2012)

I can only say say good luck since I was not successful in stopping my pair from laying again. But if this clutch hatches, right after they fledge I have a new cage for mama and pap! It has a split down the middle so they can be close but no mating! If this doesn't work I will have to assume my female has a death wish...ugh!


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## Szafije (Jun 8, 2011)

Thanks  I am going to make the changes today. Fortunately Skye has not posed since yesterday evening, but that does not mean she is out of the mood hehe
Our main cage has a divider too so I can try that if things go wilder


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## Szafije (Jun 8, 2011)

Nest box is gone, babies are in the cage...but the parents still want to mate!!! I interrupted her few times but I cannot watch her 24/7 lol
Now I am not sure what the next step should be. If she lays again in a week for example, the babies still will not be able to eat alone.


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## DyArianna (Aug 7, 2011)

How many times a day do you think mom and dad feed them now? I try to keep track of mine and I have a hard time. lol 

If everything is connected and there is access to all.. I'm not sure what to tell you. My gut tells me to not put the nest box back in until you see egg bum or she has laid an egg. I think the babies who are fledged will leave the nest box alone.. or mom and dad will make sure they do. And if mom and dad have access to the first clutch.. whoever is not sitting I would think would still feed. But I think once eggs are laid.. you will see their weaning go rather quickly. They are about the age that it should start going quickly anyway I think. 

Again, haven't experienced it yet.. but I have been wondering about the same situation myself. So, I will be curious what others say.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

They will still care for the babies...well in all reality Dad will still care for the babies. The males are more maternal than the females and its normally the males that show the babies how to eat and where the food and water are and such. So while mom sits on new eggs (if she lays and if its only her 2nd clutch, she most likely will) Dad will make sure the current babies are taken care of.


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## Szafije (Jun 8, 2011)

Oh okay so since the babies already left the nest box, the parents will not pluck them or something, right?
The male does show things to the babies but he almost completely quit feeding them...most times it is the female who does that.


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## DyArianna (Aug 7, 2011)

Yours are a few days older than mine is right? Mine will be 5 weeks on Monday. They will be slowing down on feeding and trying to get them to eat food at this point. Your babies are growing up.. and mom and dad have done a wonderful job so far.


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## Szafije (Jun 8, 2011)

Yep the oldest ones are 5 weeks old now and indeed, Mom and Dad already cut back on the feeding however I am afraid it is a little too soon....hopefully not  Fortunately the babies are nibbling on a lot of fresh food and they eat crushed pellets


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> Fortunately the babies are nibbling on a lot of fresh food and they eat crushed pellets


This would be why the parents are cutting back on feeding them, they want the babies to start exploring the foods around them and learning what real food is.


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## Szafije (Jun 8, 2011)

Okay so I put the nest box back because Skye and Sam was nesting at the fireplace....ripped apart some apple wood chips and shoved them under wood logs 
Now the babies want to go back and the parents hate that idea...they are constantly fighting at the entrance. What should I do?
Thanks


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