Nest Box destruction

[Staples915]

Ok this is the second time i have posted this i think so please excuse me for repeating myself... just not sure last post was actually posted..... So I have a breeding pair of GCC and they have 3 new chicks which hatched out this week. My trouble is she chewed right through bottom of box and i also found all 3 chicks on floor... i have put them back even tho they were absolutely colder than god knows but alive.... mom took them back and i temporarily fixed box but i know it isnt a permanent fix... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[SilverSage]

What is your box made out of? chewing through the BOTTOM shouldnt really be possible..

 

[Staples915]

It's a box made of i assume plywood.... one bought from store

 

[SilverSage]

In order for her to chew through the bottom she would have needed to get a beak hold of some sort, so either the box was made of really poor material or it had a gap between pieces. I suggest replacing the box with an identical one, but inspect it first for gaps. Either that or pull the babies now for hand feeding.

 

[Staples915]

I also didnt think they would chew through bottom... they have used this box before and i had no issues and they didnt chew it then... i dont know... i thought of for now using flashing/ sheet metal and glueing it to the outside bottom..... i have never had an issue with chewing through box... last ones that did it to another box were suns and they chewed right through back of box... so now if i have that problem what do i use for nest boxes??

 

[Staples915]

i wont pull babies they are for the time being to small for one and two putting up new box may disturb whole nesting process.. at least thats my opinion....i'd probably loose them for sure if i pulled them now.

 

[Staples915]

your right tho i may have to feed them now. Not what i had in mind tho

 

[SilverSage]

Where are you located? How old are the babies? It sounds like the boxes you are using are not working; your birds shouldnt be chewing OUT of them. You may need to make your own out of untreated plywood. That's what I do. Do you have the supplies to pull? If they are under a week old you will need to feed once every hour until they can hold a full CC and then you can usually go to every 2 hours. Using a pippet at that age is a better bet than a syringe. They are very easy to aspirate when they are that young.

 

[Staples915]

they are 5 days to one day old and I am in Florida and yes i have food to start them i just dont have the pippets to do this. She is sitting on them and i believe feeding them... i just need to know if i can move them to another box or patch this one using flashing on the outside of the box.... this is the first time i have had an issue with them chewing out.... same box i have used in the past

 

[Staples915]

Just an update both remaining babies are doing well and we as of yesterday have a third baby. Mom and dad are doing great and so far no more chewing the box.... I cant wait to see them, as i do not try to disturb them, or as little as possible. The female likes to play peek-a-boo with my husband and does at times take a moment to play thus giving me the opportunity to check on the little ones... I will in about 2 weeks pull them and start hand feeding them... i am sooo relieved.

 

[SilverSage]

Good! I'm glad! GCCs can be ferocious parents lol. I have the scars to prove it!