Great News!

[laurab]

I have just discovered that my Strawberry Finches have an egg :razz:

I have also got 2 baby Diamond Doves in a nest and a young Bengalese (or could it be another Hecksalese:? ).

I bought a Lavender Finch on impulse this morning, unfortunately they didn't have a pair, but it only cost £5.95!

There was also a hen Green Singer and a hen Goldbreast, they were also selling for £5.95 but I managed to resist them :smile:

[Waxbillman]

well done laura, where abouts are you avadavats nesting?, i wish you luck with them, incubation takes on average 14 days and fledging occurs after 21 days, my only epxlanation for this length is that the chicks are simply lazy sods - lol, because when they do finally fledge the look tiny, and more or less exactly the same as their cousins the goldbreast., they soon grow though.

matthew

[laurab]

Hi Matthew

They are nesting in a wicker basket that I had hung on the wire. ;-)

[PAUL HEARN]

Congratulations Laura,
I hope yours do better than mine, against all of my advice to others with Strawberries, I put mine into my main mixed aviary:oops:, and guess what? One or more of the other Birds destroyed the nest as the Strawberries were incubating:-|.
In the words of Roy Walker on Radio 1's Car Park Catchphrase 'What a Numpty'

Good luck mate, Paul.:wink:

[chris]

Hi Laura,

Great news, i hope all goes well

Chris:)

[kenny]

hi laura


i will second that hope everything goes well for you

paul
you didnt commit the cardinal sin and put them in with the famous nest robbers called the zebra gang did you:grin:

ken

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Ken,

I can't remember how long it is since I last had Zebra Finches in my aviaries, put it this way it has been at least fifteen years.:roll:

If I ever have Zebra Finches in my aviaries again, it will have to be a rather bizarre reason, such as Livefood for the endangered Zebra Finch Eating Flying Penguin.:grin:

On a serious note, I know Weavers could do without the bad press, but it may have been them that caused the damage to the nest and eventually the eggs also.:sad:

Again well done Laura and good luck mate.

Paul.:wink:

[Waxbillman]

hello Paul

thats a great shame about the Strawberries having their nest destroyed, you'll have to move them somewhere else if you can, as these birds need our attention so we don't loose them in aviculture like the Green avadavat. i have noticed that outside the WFS there are very few birds about

matthew

[kenny]

hi paul

weavers eh now you are talking nasty

ken

[kenny]

hi matt

just a question here just so as i know i wasn`t dreaming,a long long long time ago when i had a pair of strawberrys i nearly didnt buy them as they were very dark almost black,but when i put them out in the aviary for a few days to fitten up they did turn redish coloured was i dreaming or does this happen to them when they get the sun on their backs as when i bought them they were inside and it was very dim in the bird room

:???: ken

[Waxbillman]

hello Ken,

Strawberries can indeed turn black in colour, the reseason for this we are not entirely sure, the common though is that it is due to lack of natural sunlight, however i have my doulbts over this because i have a friend who had some young ones in a very sunny position, and one still turned black, he is convinced its more a dietery factor that causes it. who knows may be its a combination of the two, now Ian Hinze writes about a condition called melonism or summut like that, and he says that is is due to certain things lacking in their diets.

matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Ken and Matthew,

I have seen examples of Melanism in Strawberries, Gold Breasted Waxbills, Cut-Throat finches and Cape Doves, I have heard of Bullfinches showing this too.
The examples I know of were all Birds in inside quarters with only artificial light, but I agree with Matthew when he mentions diet could be a contributing factor for this, after all some examples of Melanistic Birds are housed with others that show normal plumage.

Paul.:wink:

[PAUL HEARN]

Hello Matthew,

I will rehouse the Strawberries on their own, but it will be a huge task at the moment trying to get them out of a planted mixed aviary without upsetting the other breeding Birds, but then again I shouldn't have put them in there in the first place.:roll:

Paul.:-|

[kenny]

hi paul

i must have done something right then if it was dietary,but there is a lot of this in canary breeding especially the red factor brigade

ken

[Waxbillman]

to further what i said, i spoke to a breeder a week or two ago who had youngs birds turn black desptie been in a cage that had a wack off window right next to it, he actually lost one avadavat sadly, but he is adament its the diet, as the young was taken away from their parents and so no livefood was given, well after he lost one he started providing livefood again and the birds is now a beauty.

Paul

i hope you can catch them, you might stand a great chance of breeding them if they had their own quarters, or at least shared with less destructive birds.
good luck anyway.

matthew

[Gary]

A high intake of oily seeds such as hemp can cause it, i have read

[kenny]

hi all

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm very interisting you learn something new everyday

ken