Catepillars

[laurab]

I saw some hairy caterpillars the other day and wondered if they would be ok to give to the birds; are there any that we shouldn't feed to the birds? :confused:

[Waxbillman]

hello laura generally avoid brightly coloured catapillers such as those of the cinnabar moth. not sure about all furry ones, i would say stick to the green ones, though see what wild birds do if they'll eat it then so to can your birds i'd guess, its like what they say with fungi, if in doubt leave it out.

Matthew

[kenny]

hi laura
i think the little green ones you get from privet and euonymous are ideal,they are little and green but i think all the furry and spiky ones are like that because they are hard for the birds to swallow with all the fur on them

ken
p.s and the ones on cabbage are also very nice!:lol: :lol:

[Waxbillman]

quote " i think the little green ones you get from privet and euonymous are ideal,they are little and green" :lol: :lol: sorry ken that cracked me up, of course little and green catapiller are little and green, thats why they are called little and green catapillers :lol: :lol:

Matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Laura and Matthew,

Laura as Matthew has told you it is best to offer the small green Caterpillars only, in my view if a Caterpillar is brightly coloured or hairy and even worse still both brightly coloured and hairy,:lol: then it wont make a good meal for any bird.
We have seen the Nature programmes on TV showing Blue Tits etc carrying a beakfull of small green Caterpillars to their nests, these are the only Caterpillars I would offer to my birds.:wink:

But other Livefood that hasn't had much of a mention this season are Pinkie and Squat Magotts, some birds show very little interest but others will tuck into them, but a lesson I learned a couple of years ago is that they don't make good Livefood for Japanese Waxwings, because their digestive system works so quickly they cannot digest Magotts.:roll:

Paul.:grin:

[kenny]

matt
what other colour would little green caterpillars be.........i am in one of those moods again as i have a pair of bengies on eggs and if they hatch they will be the first born in my new place ....a bit like the omen...i will call the first one damien:-D :lol:

ken

[Waxbillman]

:lol: great

i have my first few bengies out, this defies all gentic possibiliteis but i got a crested albino bengies from a pearl grey pair!!

Matthew

[kenny]

wow matt thats great
i haven`t seen any albino bengies for years leta alone crested ones the last pair i bred was back in the eighties....as far as the crested ones go i have on crested left that i have had for a few years i had to bring him indoors last year but i honestly dont think he will see another year i think there will be crest bred ones in my flock but they are all plainheads.so it may come out again somewhere along the way if not he is the last of the line

ken8)

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Matthew,

Again feeling guilty because I have never posted a photo of a bird ever,:roll: but I would love to see your Crested Albino Bengalese as I'm sure a few other members would too.

Paul.:grin:

[kenny]

hi paul/matt
so would i, when they are ready to be photographed

ken:wink:

[Waxbillman]

yep i'll try and take a picture for you one day, its an absolute mystery why a pair of pearl would produce 2 albino's let alone a crested one, needless to say i'll be keeping the crested albino............unless someone wants to offer over the odds money for it.
i have another crested bengie out from the other nest but its just a normal chocolate colour, but Ken if you want it you can have it free of charge..............

i don't like crested zebbies but crested bengies look quite comical.

Matthew

[kenny]

hi matt
thanks for the offer mate there is no way i can get it as my son in law doesnt work in donnie anymore he has moved back here to work

ken

[dave85]

hi kenny,

ive got albino bengies :) but dam hard to produce because my pair of split hen & albino cock let there chicks die! and when i fostered eggs out and the parents seemed to prefer the darker chicks.

so matt was lucky in he got a clutch all the same.

very unusual how he produced the crested.

Are you going stafford kenny? if not will you be at the 1 in october? if so ill bring a pair of crested x none for ya then as ive been breeding the crested past 2yrs now.

wanting anymore zebbies lol? selling all of mine!

Thanks
Dave

[kenny]

hi dave
i hope to be going to the one in october but i cant possibly make it to the earlier one

ken

[kenny]

hi matt
this one is for you i have been waiting for a day when he would come close enough,here is my old man of the woods he is getting on for 6 now and i dont think he will last another even if i bring him indoors so i am letting him enjoy is retirement flying outside


http://www.feathered-friends.co.uk/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=451&stc=1&d=1152660635


ken

[Waxbillman]

thanks Ken

wow, that is one old duffer, i'm sure he will be glad to live out his final days in happiness.

nice new avator by the way

Matthew

[kenny]

hi matt
i changed the avatar because the other was a bit old and that is the last fawn i bred before the move.i bred 2 of each white fawn and normal so i put one of the fawns up and put some of the others on the gallery where your little pekin should be mate


ken

[Waxbillman]

brilliant

i can't upload owt remember, that pekin i pun on, was a copy and paste jobby from another forum, that my mate put up for me

Matthew