I have 1 year aged coupe of kakarikis. For their frst nest the female laid 8 eggs and the first one hatched last night. The female ate the shell then beaten the chick in 3 points making him bleed. After that she killed him. What would explain this cannibalism behaviour?
Hi,
Your birds are much too young to be paired and set up for breeding. They should be about 3 years old before letting them have a mate and breed. Young birds are more likely to do things like this because they are not fully developed and their instincts haven’t kicked in yet. Young males are bad about wanting to mate and not care for the eggs or chicks. They often destroy eggs or kill chicks to get the female to mate again. These are bad breeding habits and can ruin them for being good breeders in the future. If any chicks survive, remove the nest box as soon as they leave it. Or if all of the eggs and chicks are destroyed, remove the box. Let the birds get older before trying to breed them again. Ideally you should separate them to discourage breeding again until they are old enough.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
