|
|
Post by Loz on Jan 21, 2023 15:08:51 GMT
Chocobo gave me a momentary scare earlier.
She popped out for a quick forage and I noticed a big bare patch on her belly - no feathers at all! Previous nestings have left her a bit bare, I recall but this looked extreme. The skin looked healthy, not angry or damaged.
I tied to get a photo but she is a bit self-conscious I guess and she disappeared again.
A search through the Net indicated that this is likely normal for a broody/nesting female! Every day is a school day.
|
|
|
|
Post by tweetiepiesmom on Jan 21, 2023 16:21:40 GMT
Can you tell from experience or her behavior when this current egg laying/nesting cycle might be over? I had read somewhere that budgie hens may get a bald patch on their tummy when sitting on eggs. I wonder if that's to optimize heat transfer to the eggs?
|
|
|
|
Post by Loz on Jan 21, 2023 17:12:31 GMT
Can you tell from experience or her behavior when this current egg laying/nesting cycle might be over? I had read somewhere that budgie hens may get a bald patch on their tummy when sitting on eggs. I wonder if that's to optimize heat transfer to the eggs? That's exactly correct, TPM. The lightly-feathered/bare skin is necessary for correct incubation. I know when the nesting is over when I see Chocobo acting normally again, exploring, chasing budgies, spending time with me and dodging Finarfin & Herman. The difference is night & day - I hardly see her when she's got eggs in the nest. |
|
|
|
Post by Ira on Jan 22, 2023 13:13:32 GMT
When I used to do odd bits of bird-ringing we'd check for a bald patch in the downy feathers by blowing the bird's feathers upwards, to see if they were nesting or preparing to. They called it a brood patch.  |
|
|
|
Post by Loz on Jan 22, 2023 13:26:04 GMT
It's hard to miss Chocobo's brood patch this time! No blowing required.
|
|
|
|
Post by Loz on Feb 17, 2023 16:34:36 GMT
Some tell-tale sounds were making me suspicious this afternoon so I needed to have a look at the underneath of my new sofa. When I started to move the sofa in readiness, instead of Chocobo rushing out from underneath, she started give me the "I don't like what you're doing, stop doing it" call that she makes. Which tended to confirm my suspicions. I persisted and eventually she retired to a safe distance. This view greeted me:  Hilariously, Chocobo was on-hand, surveying the damage and clearly puzzled what could be causing it. A quick inspection of the sofa revealed:  -Plan A was to get some large slabs of MDF to cover the underside of the sofa. Then I remembered that MDF wouldn't even be a morning's work for Chocobo. -Plan B was to prepare some more substantial pieces of wood I have on hand to seal the edges of the plastic matting underneath the sofa. I started work on that, Chocobo was delighted to see me busy and she helped. -Plan C was why am I doing all this work? Why don't I just unscrew the feet from the bottom of the sofa and thereby remove the space in which Chocobo can get to work? Plan C won. Chocobo can be a lot of work some days. |
|
|
|
Post by Marianne Marlow on Feb 17, 2023 16:36:53 GMT
Chocobo is indeed hard work. She likes to keep you busy!
|
|
|
|
Post by Loz on Feb 17, 2023 16:39:40 GMT
Chocobo is indeed hard work. She likes to keep you busy! You're not wrong. She is at her happiest if I am doing DIY in her presence and doubly so if she is the reason I am doing it. |
|
|
|
Post by Loz on Feb 17, 2023 16:51:23 GMT
As I was doing my update <up there> Chocobo landed on the forage gym next to my head and started chatting to me. She was probably suggesting what I should type, who knows? I reached for my camera but then she flew over to the fireplace and the seed bowls I place there (it's a favourite forage site for Chocobo and Squeak).  Chocobo pointedly had her foot on the empty bowl - "Why haven't you refilled the bowl that I picked up and threw around earlier?". She's a lot of work. |
|
|
|
Post by skysmum on Feb 17, 2023 20:47:54 GMT
Ohhh my goodness 😮, what damage a little beak can do, good plan taking the feet of the sofa, she’s ones work isn’t she 🫢
|
|
|
|
Post by Loz on Feb 20, 2023 13:24:15 GMT
Nerve-wracking! I noticed that Chocobo had something wrapped around her right foot last night. It was clearly some of the plastic matting she had torn from underneath the sofa a couple of days ago. It hadn't been there earlier and I can only conclude that she had found some from the other day which I'd missed during the clean-up. The plastic strip was somewhat loosely wrapped and it didn't seem to be an immediate threat to her safety but statistically, it would become so. I calculated that the lesser harm was to let her have the night undisturbed and to plan how I would address this issue in the morning. The next (this) morning, the status of the plastic strip was unchanged and Chocobo continued to be untroubled by it, so I decided on slowly-slowly, catchy-kakariki. I set a box trap (like the one that trapped her last time) but she escaped from it as I tried to spring it. I set up the travel cage with some millet bait and re-set the box trap with the sure-fire thing, a toilet roll. Against my expectation she fell for the box-trap again. I managed to then grab her (thick glove on one hand!)and teased off the plastic. The girl is very strong and struggles most effectively and I always worry when handling her that I will hurt her. By chance, she stuck her head in a fold in my fleece which had the effect of calming her, which meant the operation became easier. Success! She doesn't seem to be holding a grudge but I wonder how things will be between us over the next couple of days. I think she'll forgive me once again, in a while.  |
|
|
|
Post by Marianne Marlow on Feb 20, 2023 14:43:50 GMT
I'm glad you managed to get the plastic off of Chocobo's foot. I dread to think what would have happened if you had not spotted it.
Is she a biter if you hold her?
|
|
|
|
Post by Loz on Feb 20, 2023 14:54:52 GMT
Chocobo has an impressive bite but she's not savage. She tries to persuade you to let her go rather tan chew your hand off.
|
|
|
|
Post by Loz on Feb 20, 2023 15:23:13 GMT
And for the second time today, I had to rescue Chocobo from the sofa monster that had practically swallowed her. She got in between the throw I use to protect it and the sofa itself.
The first time, I had to discover for myself that she was in trouble as I couldn't locate her. The second time she was good enough to give her alarm/distress call so I was able to get her out quick.
It won't matter how many budgies I get, Chocobo will always be more work than they all are put together.
|
|
|
|
Post by Loz on Feb 21, 2023 13:15:41 GMT
I was quickly forgiven. This pic is from yesterday when Chocobo helped me with my weight training:  |
|
