Tucking feathers in his rump

[salderm1]

I gave Link some paper to chew today and usually he just shreds it up, but today he shredded and tucked a few in his rump feathers. Iwent back and read a post that this might mean he is a she? Is it true? The posts didn't confirm this for sure....please tell me that my sweet little bitey boy is not turning into a nesty little she!!!!

Thanks,

Sheri

[kimsbirds]

Ok, I won't TELL you that your boy might be a girl....


I'll TYPE it :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Males don't typically have much luck with shredding and tucking, they more or less chew, roll, spit !!
Mind you, there ARE males who CAN do all these things nicely, but they don't tend to be too populous (is that a word?)

[salderm1]

Oh No!!! I guess I better go back and start paying attention to the nesting indications and advice!!! Darn! Just when I thought I had this little guy er girl halfway figured out!!!

Sheri

[butterfly1061]

Just when I thought I had this little guy er girl halfway figured out!!!Wait until your little "girl" fathers three babies :whistle: Yep, happened to me. Daisy has been the best father I could've asked for. I'd go for the DNA testing (walks away with head in the clouds) :blush:

[dmj64]

Yep, shredding and tucking is a prominant hen characteristic, but someone will always have an exception! Go ahead and start banging your head against the wall!:p

[salderm1]

Wait until your little "girl" fathers three babies


Ok, I know this is a stupid question but....the eggs won't be fertile unless there is a male right???

Sheri

[butterfly1061]

Ok, I know this is a stupid question but....the eggs won't be fertile unless there is a male right???

Right. My Daisy is paired up with a female named Olivia. I know Olivia is a female because her mutation is a sex-linked mutation according to the breeder. She was right. Olivia laid 6 eggs for her first clutch and 3 hatched. Daisy has been a wonderful father and Olivia is a very good mother.

[salderm1]

You scared me there for a minute Jackie!!! I'm just getting used to him being a her without the thought of babies!!! lol Now that I now I got a little girly bird, I'm not opposed to getting a mate eventually, since I know I gotta deal with the whole nesting issues anyways!!! I figure I'll wait until she lays her first egg and see how she and I do with that, before I start thinking about the baby issue though!!!

I can't read your posts without smiling, about "Daisy being a good daddy"! To funny!!!

[michael]

Just thought we'd say hello to Mr. MOM.....Goofy

[salderm1]

Well, he or she didn't tuck today, but Link does shred the paper into strips, I keep looking and hoping for spitballs!! Cmo'ne Link I know you can do it!!! A spitball!! You can do it!!! Everyome think together....spitball, spitball, spitball!!!! lol

[Peachy305]

Hello everyone.Im not sure if I am posting this in the right place sorry if Im not.I have a quick question.Today I was playing with my lovie but through the cage as the wings are not clipped:( and I had a piece of paper and she was playing with it, making holes through it with the beak and then tearing it off but not the pretty shredded papers:( hehe.. I was wondering is it harmful if they swallow it? If Im not mistaken i believe a small piece was swallowed but the others were just chewed and spit out.Should discontinue the playing with the paper?Thanks to all inadvance.

btw it was plain clean white printing paper nothing was printed on it.

[Blue's Mama]

My "Pedro" has been tearing any paper he can get his beak on for months and tucking it up his rump for months. I thought he was trying to make "his" tail feathers longer like "his" brother Blue ( ring neck). How cute and smart my little boy was ! :clap: ... and then he laid an egg! :blush:
By the way, when I first examined the Kleenex box ( Pedro was spending all his time in there ?? ), the only egg I saw was a small plastic Easter egg that Blue had gotten some how and dropped into the box. After removeing it and clucking at blue for taking something he shouldn't I saw the real egg. I'm glad I found this site, since it's clear I need a lot more birdie education.:confused: I've read " The Bird that owned me" and it made me look at my birds with a lot more respect, patience and love, and would highly recommend it to all bird lovers.
Lori

[graushill]

The first time my Pontus laid an egg I was totally unprepared for it, despite the fact that I had seen "him" sitting on a corner at the bottom of the cage for several weeks making what I innocently thought where pretty mounds with shredded paper, cardboard, string, branches, etc, etc. Never for a moment did I suspect that Pontus was preparing to lay an egg >o . Anyway, hindsight is 20/20 like they say.

Nesty hens spend a lot of time preparing their nests before that first eggie is laid. Once that happens, hens will typically lay one egg approx. every second day until a clutch of 4 to 8 eggs is laid. After the second egg is laid, they will spend all their time sitting on their eggs, coming out only occassionally to poop and stretch and (particularly in the case of single hens) to eat and drink a little. One thing that I've learned at this forum is that it is particularly important for hens to get sufficient calcium in their diet since they need it to make all those eggs. Broccoli, figs, kale and cuttlebone are rich in calcium and good for hens. Egg (either boiled and cut in tiny pieces or scrambled without butter or salt) is another good food.

Anyway here's wishing Pedro the best of luck with her first clutch. And thinking about Blue trying to help Pedro increase the number of eggs in her nest made me :).

Gloria

[BarbieH]

Your story got me thinking about my prima donna shredder, Gracie. So, I switched my avatar to show her in action. George (her mate) is in front; madame Gracie is wearing her lovely extensions. :lol