using bengalese finches as foster parents

[chris]

Hi all,

can anyone tell me how it's done? i've heard something about placing 2 cock birds in the same cage with a nest box, then wait for them to build a nest and add a duff egg everyday, they think the other bird is laying and so sit on the eggs, which you then replace with the ones you wish to foster!?

is this how it's done or are there other ways? and what species can be reared this way should the worst happen

Chris:wink:

[dave85]

hey chris,

Ive only had it from pairs of male x female so far, never tried male x male but maybe i will soon as i have spare cocks.

My pair at the moment have 3 of their own chicks and 2 zebbies chicks as i found eggs on floor and popped em under them - pairs you have to put eggs in ready for same time the birds are going to incubate.

Your probably better asking this question on ff3 as i think stephen, lee and maybe a few others have dont this before.

The species you can foster are pretty much any type of finch, waxbill, manakin - the most popular is gouldians - which im not going to do as mine seem to be good sitters.

Thanks
Dave H

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Chris,

Bengalese can only Foster certain Birds, for instance Bengalese would fail as Fosters for cup nesting Species due to the fact that these chicks will beg for food upright, but they should prove to be great Fosters for many box or dome nesters whose chicks beg for food with the body laid down but with the head aimed upwards.

Just remember Bengalese are Mannikins, and this should give you an idea of the chicks Bengalese are capable of rearing.

Paul.:grin:

[Waxbillman]

bengalese are fantastic birds for fostering
you can use either a male and a female or two males both will sit and raise you successfully.
they have been known to rear many of the finch and waxbill species, especially those chicks that have the same skin colour as bengo's. many say that they will not rear chcicks with different coloured gaps, or skin colours, however i have known people who do it successfully.
this is my story of how i successfully fostered 2 strawberry finch chicks at the start of this year. which is to be published in the WFS magazine

Much has been said about the merits of the Bengalese’s fantastic ability to raise offspring from many other types of finches.

Some people agree with fostering and other do not agree for many reasons that I won’t bother going into.

My experience with fostering is a very limited one, but a happy one so I will share the story with you all and hope to encourage you all to have a spare pair of Bengalese or two.

In early spring of 2005, a week or so before Stafford sales day the weather had turned mild and sunny, which of course heated up the shed this in turn, got some of the waxbills in breeding mode in particular a pair of red avadavats.

The pair was housed in their winter quarters, a small indoor flight that they shared with a pair each of black-crowned waxbills, gold-breasted waxbills and red-cheeked cordon bleus.

The only cover I provided them with was a large Boston fern on the floor of the aviary so they took up residence pulling leaflets off to make a very basic nest. I didn’t want them to breed at this time of the year but they were determined to have a clutch and who am I to stop them.

They stopped laying at approximately 5 eggs and commenced with the task of incubation. At this point I decided to have a back-up plan as the chance of successfully rearing chick in this situation at this time of the year would be un-likely. The back-up plan was of course the Bengalese; in no time at all they began the process of egg laying and then incubation.

The hen bird was determined that she would hatch them out, however every time I entered the shed to top up the food and change the water she left the nest, but swiftly returned to it. After a week of the same desertion patterns I lost my bottle before she did and on the 17th of March decided to put them under the bengo’s. It was a difficult decision, as I had never had the need to use Bengalese for fostering.

Two of the eggs hatched the first on the 26th of March and the second a day later. The Bengalese were fed their usual diet, a good foreign finch mixture with moist egg food.

The oldest chick fledged on the 16th of April and the second a day later, both chicks are now doing very and have turned out to be a male and a female.

If it wasn’t for the fantastic pair of Bengalese the chances are that the avadavats would have abandoned the nest, and what a shame that would have been.

So if anyone hasn’t got a pair or two of Bengalese I would seriously recommend that you consider as you never know when you might need them.

What I will say about fostering is that, it should be done when its only necessary and unavoidable, and not for no reason at all. That’s my feeling of it anyway.

matthew

[laurab]

Great story Matthew :razz:


Here is a bit more info on the Bengalese Finch http://www.feathered-friends.co.uk/news/news/121/ARTICLE/1061/2005-05-26.html

[Waxbillman]

thanks laura

my pair of red/grey bengalese have raise 40 chicks in 2 years, they are prolific birds and produce beutiful offspring, so thunbs up to them

matthew

[laurab]

Hi Matthew, sorry I do realise you know about Bengalese I just added the link for anyone who hasn't bred them before. :smile:

I haven't seen red/grey Bengies, do you have any photos?

[dave85]

hey matthew,

Any pictures please? any of there young that would be old enough to breed for sale?

Thanks
Dave H

[Waxbillman]

hello,
i'm not very good with pictures i'm afraid
i've got 5 young en's that are a month old for sale, so i spose you would be able to breed them at the end on the year, if anyone wants any, i can take them down to the waxbills finch society's AGM tomorrow at doveridge hall uttoxitor, stafford

matthew