Crazy Cockies - a most unusual family

[The Silver Fox]

My 30 year old Sulphur-Crested Cocky (Cocky Darling) had hardly ever seen another cocky in his life and certainly never had a liaison with a lady. I introduced him to a vivacious young lass (Katie) three years ago and they managed to have their first baby last year.

I give them their choice of fabulous nest boxes but they insist on tunneling in the floor of the aviary to make a nest. Not a good move in Albany's sandy soils, as their two near-death experiences have proved!

This year they finally nested in the collapsed ruins of one of their tunnels and successfully hatched one egg - the second chick died in the shell.

And here they are:

Cocky Darling - the very proud daddy




Katie on the nest



Their nest




I really don't know what they expect to hatch from these "eggs"




I lifted the 3 day old baby for hand-rearing after taking these photos and Katie resumed her incubating duties as soon as I left the aviary.

Just what will hatch from those two eggs ?

And now I have stopped their tunneling: I've moved them into an aviary with a concrete floor ;D .

[Matt]

Thats a great story! I hope that now they are in a concrete floor it will prompt them to use a nest box or a log! Both parents look in great shape too, we have been looking for a female sulphur the past year or so and they are rare as hens teeth it seems...

[tasha]

Beautiful birds!

The chick is so cute.

How unusual for them to nest on the ground instead of in a nest log.

lol @ the "eggs". She must be a real good mum to take on "others" lol How cute!

[The Silver Fox]

Hi Tasha

That photo was not a setup either, the Sulphurs took the "eggs" from the feed tray.

Unfortunately they met a very sad end: soon after I removed Cocky Darling and Katie from the aviary, my Gang-Gangs robbed the nest and ate the "eggs" - very yummy!

And Matt: was that pun intended "female sulphurs are as rare as hens teeth it seems ....." Ohh dear if you meant that, you're in really good company: it was nearly as bad as my puns

As for their future nesting: they seem so set on tunneling that I thought I might fill a nest box with soil and lie it on the floor and give the the option of a "normal" box as well and see what happens.