This page is devoted just to things of interest and having fun. Our handfed babies grow and are socialized in our home amongst cats, dogs, other birds, vacuum sweepers and sometimes, just general chaos.

  This is Linus, one of our three cats, "trading places."

 

Daisy, taking advantage of the warmth of the brooder – and, not wanting to give it up!

Rebel, our Golden Retriever, introducing himself to Liberty and Justice, two of our 4th of July babies.

And always watchful, he lets me know if one of the babies gets down on the floor.

Its hard here to tell who is the most curious.....

Dinnertime at The Beak....

And this is Jeb, one of our Ringneck babies, fixing his own breakfast....

Experience below the birth of a Severe Macaw:





For those who have never experienced the birth of a chick, perhaps a little background on how God and Mother Nature orchestrate this phenomenon. When a fertile chick is developing, it occupies approximately two-thirds of the egg. As the time for hatching begins, the chick draws down and forms an air pocket in the egg, now the egg is half chick and half air pocket. The baby chick has developed a large muscle on the back of his neck and as it begins to breath from the air pocket, the carbon dioxide exhaled causes an involuntary spasm in the neck muscle which, in turn, throws his "pipping tooth" (a small triangular projection on the tip of his beak) against the inside of the egg shell. This regular tapping on the inside of the egg shell can be heard by just holding the egg to your ear. Next comes the "pip," the first little break in the egg, then the tapping is combined with chirping as he works his way around the egg. Within 24 to 48 hours the chick will have completed the process and new life is born.

Rarely do we get to see what goes on inside the nestbox. Our thanks to Julie and Dan Stuart for this beautiful picture.