mating/laying/birth?

[Gav]

hi all
I have 2 special green cheek conures, Goose and Fang (both DNA confirmed)
they both are special because I saved them both. my female (Goose) was saved from a nest that the mother abandoned and it took me a long time to get her to eat properly and get her to be in good healthy ( she was a piece of skin and a beak when I got her, and would not eat) she is the most beautiful bird.
Fang was given to me because he had "NO" bottom beak when born, he is now healthy but his top beak needs to be cut regularly, his bottom beak is slowly growing.
anyway the 2 are in love and mating as I speak! they don't stop! they have a large cage and a box
Goose (female) is now 2 yrs old and Flang (male) is 1yr old
im wondering how long after mating Goose will lay eggs? its her first time, also how long will it take for her eggs to hatch? if they do?
they seem to be doing everything right so far, its just me sitting on the side line hoping everything is ok?

Gav

[Harpmaker]

Welcome to the forum, Gav, Goose, and Fang! and kudos to Gav for saving some neglected/special needs birds.

I'm afraid I can't help you with your question, but we have GCC pair keepers here who can. I would be worried that they are too young to be producing, but they can help with that, too.

Being in the northern hemisphere myself I am not used to birds mating at this time of year, so thank you for reminding me not to be so location-chauvinistic. Especially since parrots aren't.

[Pajarita]

Well, I don't know where Gav lives but it's not breeding season in the Southern Hemisphere either so these birds must be kept at a human light schedule which is not good for their health or even for breeding properly.

Personally, I would not breed these birds, my dear. I don't advocate breeding parrots in captivity (too many given up every day) but, even if I did, I would still not recommend breeding these birds because one has a genetic defect and the other one comes from a bad parent -two things that would prevent a good breeder from allowing these particular birds to procreate. I have nothing against birds with 'issues' whether they are physical or behavioral -as a matter of fact, the greatest majority of my birds came to me precisely because they were not what one would call 'good adoption material' - but keeping and loving them is one thing and breeding them is another. For one thing, the male will not be able to feed the babies or the mother properly and that, in itself, is already a problem even if his babies don't inherit the defective gene that made him be born without a lower beak. And, for another, birds learn in the nest how to parent from the care they receive from their own parents so bad parents produce bad parents and good parents produce good parents. So here you have two young birds (the male is a teenager and, at that age, not 'settled' yet), breeding out of season (not good), one without parenting skills and the other with a genetic defect.

Now, I can tell that you love birds and care deeply for these two and I know how tempting it is to allow birds to breed but, my dear, these two little ones should just be kept as pets and not for breeding so, please, put them on a solar schedule so their endocrine system is in tune with the seasons and working as it should be and get yourself some plastic eggs to replace the real ones that Goose might lay.