# Happy Camper



## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Doesn't Archie look happy? He has a gorgeous hen and a nice roomy nestbox with no competition. 

Check out the substantial nest Archie and Elsa have built!


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Here's an inside view of their small coop: 
- Back left corner - where Elsa chose to put the nest 
- Back right corner - mineral pots 
- Center left - empty clay pots providing a half wall for the nest
- Center right - food bowl
- Front left - water bowl
- Front right - heating pad (currently unplugged for the summer)


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## Guest (Jun 24, 2010)

what a great and cute little couple nest included  

how does that poor bird eat with that tiny lil beak


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

LokotaLoft said:


> what a great and cute little couple nest included
> 
> how does that poor bird eat with that tiny lil beak


Thanks!

The deep food dish makes it easy for him to scoop up the seed. I don't feed any tiny seeds, like millet, because he's likely to get it caught in his nose. And his tiny beak can BITE if Elsa complains about my getting too close to the nest!


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## Guest (Jun 24, 2010)

TerriB said:


> Thanks!
> 
> The deep food dish makes it easy for him to scoop up the seed. I don't feed any tiny seeds, like millet, because he's likely to get it caught in his nose. And his tiny beak can BITE if Elsa complains about my getting too close to the nest!


 he sure is a beauty non the less , the seed in nose gave me a chuckle picturing it thou  sure would love to see what their babys would look like thou


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## Cyreen (Jun 6, 2010)

He's looking _very _proud of himself!


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Handsome birds! Great nest! Terrific digs! They've got it made!

Terry


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## YaSin11 (Jul 23, 2009)

Terri,
Great pics  Your hen is beautiful,and Archie with his almost non existent beak is something I've never seen before. Thanks alot for sharing, wishing you good luck with the babies,peace  YaSin.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Terri, those are great pictures!! 

I forget..._what_ breed is Archie?? 

I know Archie says: "I may not have the biggest beak in the world, but beware my anger! I can beak strike with the best of 'em!" 

Sending our best to your cutie couple with the lovely nest!

Love, Hugs and (careful) Scritches

Shi/MR. Squeaks/Dom/Gimie/WoeBeGone/Rae Charles


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## LovesPijjies (May 21, 2010)

That is really lovely that the injured pigeon is happy now, and that he wasn't put to sleep because of his injury.

I am little confused though because I once had a chaffinch which had broken off the top part of his beak by falling to the ground from a nest, he grew his beak back, much to the astonishment of the vet who had said he should be put to sleep.

What happened to this one?


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

That is a pretty good set up and my God what pretty birds.

He might not have a beak but I am sure he is one of those very happy birds 

If it was with some other newbies, I would have worried on letting those eggs hatch 

Good luck


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## doveone52 (Aug 3, 2009)

What beautiful birds! Did they make that amazing nest or did they have a little "help"?


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

What a cute and "made-for-each-other" couple!

I dare say they are very proud of their nest-building skills!!! ....and they should be!

Thank you for sharing this darling couple with us, TerriB. Your birds have a wonderful life.


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

They are very nice birds. But golly, wouldn't a bird with a beak like that have trouble feeding the young, maybe even injure himself.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Thanks for all the lovely comments!

I do a nose check every day with Archie to make sure his airways are clear. Because he walks on his hocks, I also check for any poops that might be caught in his belly feathers. We both enjoy the cuddles!

All eggs are swapped out - I don't have space for additional birds!  



mr squeaks said:


> ...I know Archie says: "I may not have the biggest beak in the world, but beware my anger! I can beak strike with the best of 'em!" ...


Absolutely! Which is why I wouldn't put him in the main coop with the other birds. His testosterone would keep him in the fight even though he didn't have the weapons!



LovesPijjies said:


> That is really lovely that the injured pigeon is happy now, and that he wasn't put to sleep because of his injury.
> 
> I am little confused though because I once had a chaffinch which had broken off the top part of his beak by falling to the ground from a nest, he grew his beak back, much to the astonishment of the vet who had said he should be put to sleep.
> 
> What happened to this one?


That is wonderful that you supported the chaffinch till he recovered!

Archie's condition is due to malnutrition when he was young. As far as we can determine, he was given as a baby to someone who kept him in a small cage and didn't provide the correct nutrition. Archie's legs, wings, and back are mildly deformed. He hovers okay but only does short flights and he needs a largish landing spot. When I first got him and offered grit, he dove in and kept eating it till I took it away after several minutes so he didn't hurt himself. He now has free access to a good pigeon mix and three different types of minerals. His feather quality is now good - soft and thick - but we can't undo the initial skeletal damage.



doveone52 said:


> ...Did they make that amazing nest or did they have a little "help"?


That is all their work! Archie works very hard to bring in twigs for Elsa to arrange. 



grifter said:


> ...wouldn't a bird with a beak like that have trouble feeding the young, maybe even injure himself.


Most (all?) African Owl babies are hand raised after the first week or so. They get the critical pigeon milk for immunity but the parents have difficulty feeding when the baby diet progresses to seeds. I learned this from conversation with a very helpful contact at the national breed club. Which explains why most African Owls are so tame. Even now, Archie is quite content to be held and petted for as long as you want. If he gets fidgety, I put him down so he can poop then he's good for another long while.


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Thanks for the update on Archis!! VERY informative! I had forgotten his "story!" 

So glad to see both doing so well...

Sending Love, Hugs and Scritches and sure look forward to updates!! 

Shi


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## Cyreen (Jun 6, 2010)

No wonder he looks so proud (he should).


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