Is it not a good idea to interrupt them mating? I am tempted to come close and tap her beak saying - Hey Cuddles, go feed the babies!

You really worry me.
Why don't you start to sort out the problems you have with your birds?
It seems, you don't take any-ones advise,
I'll not be answering your posts after this one! Read threw the 46 pages, you may realise all your question have been answered, you ask the same questions a different way around over and over.

It's OK to interrupt, and sometimes when there's some hanky panky going on I'll break it up by sticking my finger out and asking the male to step up. It's totally hilarious because he always stops what he's doing and does the step up.

Jan, I can feel your indignation. It's up to you if you want to participate in discussion or not.
I am assuming you are very experienced with birds, but I don't know your background with breeding. It's just not possible for me to know everybody very well.

It was answered (not by me) during the very last pages why it's not advised to separate the parents, as well as why I can't put them on 14 hour sleep.
The only thing I feel I can do in the near future would be rehoming the older kids, and I will be doing it eventually. At this very particular moment I am departing to the library to finally work on my project, after spending 2 hours handfeeding birds. Also, my child asks me to take her swimming, so I am deciding between library and her needs. Also, every morning she asks me if she has a pair of clean socks and underwear, and often the answer is No. I have mentioned that I had a bad experience rehoming pets in the past, when the pet had died as a result. All this you can find on 46 pages.

Opposite to your feelings, I feel that I am gaining some experience that helps me feel more confident than before.

Today in the morning, while some babies were still in the box, hen got inside and stayed there some time. She looked like she had some business to do. I waited for her to get out, thinking it's better to give her the opportunity to lay an egg and then to remove the box. She didn't lay any eggs. I hope she is realizing this thing can disappear any time.

I certainly don't want rush older kids out of the house to later regret about it. I want to keep one or two but I need to be certain on their gender, so I won't think later - I kept the wrong bird! I am figuring out if I should perform DNA or if it can be figured out without it. I have a pied chick that I am thinking to keep.

Haha!



No... she won't.




Isn't the DNA test like $20? If you can afford it, just do it and as soon as possible. That will be a great first step at getting all this stuff sorted out.

I know that you have a lot on your plate with family and school and you put a lot of time and care into taking care of your birds and the babies, which is why I think the sooner you start getting serious about getting this whole situation under control, the better. Everyone will be happier. The birds all sound stressed out too due to all this mating and wanting to have more babies and the babies getting stressed out by not getting fed properly, etc. Once the baby making factory is shut down, things will be so much happier all the way around. But nothing is going to change unless you change it and it will probably not be easy or simple but I don't know if there is an easy and simple way out of this. It's easy to see this simply as a third party observer.

Good luck!

Thanks. Even having had only 2 clutches, I can see where you can be wrong Not way arguing or anything.
Certainly I agree on a large scale and when it comes to results, but it's a long way to this.

she might though. That's what breeding basics (and Tielfan) tell me

sometimes it never shuts down. Ask Diane. Her bird doesn't even have a mate.