Sunday, August 1, 2010

Splendid Results Not So Splendid...

Jewel, a Splendid hen, does a good job covering her five eggs.
Checked the nest boxes of the two Splendid hens. It appears that one has infertile eggs. I didn't disturb the other hen, and there should be signs of hatching, but nothing...no broken shells, so probably no babies for her either.  These two Splendid hens are very flighty, so I tend to leave them mostly alone. The males are friendlier.

I've had much better success with the Bourkes, and many of the Bourke hens are so used to me that I can lift them off their eggs and settle them back down without any fuss from them. Can't do that with these two Splendid hens.

Dad is Rainbow Junior, son of Rainbow Sr.
Wish I had a happier update about the Splendids. They've been given special diet aides and everything possible, even switched mates. Each pair accepted the other spouse. Males have been feeding hens and they've appeared to try to mate. But in the end, their mating attempts appear to have been a non-contact sport.  

Splendid Reflections: 40 Years of Grass Parrakeet Husbandry  Amazon.com link for a book by Alec Mizen

1 comment:

neversink7 said...

That certainly is unfortunate news. I don't suppose the Splendids are too old? I'm glad your bourkes are doing well - your babies are so brightly pink! I love the white faced pinks but have also fallen in love with the rubino, but they cost so much more than a nice little pink bourke. I can't wait until my pair is old enough to try for babies. Good luck with the next round with the Splendids.