Breeding Pair of Amazons

Question
QUESTION: Hi there, I have a breeding pair of Orange Winged Amazon that I got from a friend of mine. I have 16 birds total but this is the first time I have encountered Breeding Amazons. Mama has laid before and when the baby hatched daddy killed it. Well, here is where I am now:   Mama is sitting on four eggs and one hatched yesterday morning. I heard baby and had to leave for an appointment. When I returned baby was dead ( i think daddy did it again). So now we have put a devider in the cage to keep daddy away. Do you think mama will kill the other babies or is this really just a thing that dads do? I am just wondering weather I should give her a chance or if I should pull baby right away. I have hand raised cockatiels and cockatoos but never had a parent kill baby. Any info would be helpfull    Thank You...Jen

ANSWER:  I'm not sure I'd go with the divider as much as I'd try leaving them alone. This is a hard judgement call, but since this couple successfully bred before they got to you (at least that's what I understand from your question) - the behavior change with their chicks sounds like stress reaction to a relatively new environment.

 Take a look here for more detailed info about this very thing
http://www.naiaonline.org/issues/parrotkeeping2.htm

Again, this is a very hard call you have to make. Keeping the chicks with parents for at least the first couple weeks is ideal before pulling, but if they're not going to survive, you have to do what you must.
 Remember, they'll need 'round the clock feeding - it's a huge undertaking.  

 Let me know how they do (and how you do!)


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I guess I wasn't very clear on the breeding brfore I got them. Every time they have had babies the dad has killed them. Do you know if this is in the fathers nature to do this? He was wild caught 50 years ago. Could this be why he is doing this? I have put the divider in due to the fact that he has always killed the babies. He can be quite agressive towards mama too. so I thought maybe that was how males amazons can be.    Thanks again, Jen
ANSWER: I've never known this to happen with Amazons. They are usually very cooperative parents and devoted to each other.
I think what may be happening is that the male - for some reason - did this way back when and developed a behavioral pattern.
 It's pretty sad isn't it?  It could very well be a scar left on his psyche from his being wild caught - many of these birds were horrifically handled, traumatized and passed around.  
  Perhaps it would be best to remove their nest box and just let them live their lives out as a happy couple instead?  It's got to be stressful for the mom to have her chicks killed too. And certainly it's not something you need to witness again (it's heartbreaking for sure).
  I'm so sorry you're going through this.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again..... I hope I am not bothering you too much. Just thought I would let you know how things are going. Another baby was born last night and I didn't find it till tonight after I got off work. Baby is doing good...( YEAH!) It is the cutest little thing although they are all beautiful to me.  lol    Mama is sooo proud of baby. I thought like you that maybe separating them might stress them out but since they are still in the same cage they seem to be fine and not too bothered by it at all. I did try not giving them a nesting box, hoping she would not lay but that didn't work , She just layed them on the bottom of the cage. I think she has just really wanted to be a mama. Soooo, I figured that I would give her a chance this way. One thing I have learned woth all the birds I have had is that...they are going to do what they want to do no matter how much you try to say different...lol   Anyway just thought I would give you an update and let you know that so far mama is doing really good with baby without dad being there to jump in....Also mama was a handfed baby so she is really a sweet bird, daddy is just a little on the wild side still... Thanks again for all your advice and say a prayer for baby if you will....Jen

Answer
You can be sure that I'm rooting for this baby! I'm very happy these birds have you.  
 If nest box removal doesn't work by itself, light regulation combined with it may do the trick.
  But for right now - lets just celebrate the new little one!  Good job!