Green Cheek Conures - Our two new additions! 3 more to come!

[bmsweb]

Finally managed to get a picture of the little one. What I found interesting about this picture is the size difference between the 6 Day old Chick and the newly hatched one. Its also worth noting that at 6 days you can see the ear hole forming. At this stage they also have an eye opening (Not that they can see anything yet). The white stuff on its beak is mummies food

[entrancedbymyGCC]

If I were designing this mode of reproduction, I'd make the egg stretchy and they'd stay inside another week or so! It is just amazing they survive. They must be amazing parents.

[bmsweb]

Yes the parents are truly mind blowing in so many ways. I honestly couldn't put my appreciation for them into words. They are under 24 hour surveillance with the IP Cam so I pretty much know what goes on and when. Only mistake I've made is not making an allowance for a Night Vision web Cam in the nest box. I think it would have been fascinating to see what goes on in there.

In any case took another video this morning. I cut it short because she was feeding and stopped as soon as I opened the box and as she was going to get up I stopped filming.

[Michael]

It looks like one is clipped and the other isn't??

If I were designing this mode of reproduction, I'd make the egg stretchy and they'd stay inside another week or so! It is just amazing they survive. They must be amazing parents.

That's not the point though. You see some birds are altricial and others precocial. Precocial eggs are larger and the babies hatch more developed requiring less or no feeding/help from the parents. Altricial hatchlings (parrots included), however, require extensive feeding and metabolic support from the parents. Not only does this make the egg smaller, but it also requires less nutrients to be pre-stored in the egg. The most advantageous part of this all is that once the altricial chicks hatch, they can grow at a tremendously quicker rate and have the potential for greater brain development than their precocial rivals. Believe it or not the altricial system is newer and evolutionarily more advanced than the larger and more developed precocial one.

[bmsweb]

It looks like one is clipped and the other isn't??

No I haven't clipped the babies . . . . Oh sorry you're talking about Trinity Sorry I couldn't resist.

Both Neo and Trinity are fully flighted, she's just dropped those recently, so I assume some nice blue feathers on there way soon.

[Michael]

But I don't see any primaries on one of those birds.

[bmsweb]

I would love to say I will examine her, but my hands are going no where near her at the moment

[bmsweb]

Hi Guys, this will be the last update for a little while. I finally managed to get a picture of all 5 of them.

Chick 1 Egg 1 = 6 Days Old
Chick 2 Egg 2 = 6 Days Old
Chick 3 Egg 3 = 4 Days Old
Chick 4 Egg 4 = 2 Days Old
Chick 5 Egg 5 = 0 Days Old (18 hours approx)

[BirdbrainJan]

Thanks for your detailed pictures and posts, this is fascinating! They're adorable

[Michael]

I'm curious, have you started marketing yet? Lined up any perspective buyers? What's gonna be your retail strategy?