pekin robin thread

[Rogerb]

:D hiya all its back . please forgive the hastle . hoping you will all post your good news hear on this years breading :D

[laurab]

I am sure most have you have probably seen this but it is a very informative fact sheet on the Pekin Robin. http://www.nfss.org/Articles/Article...P-Robin-1.html (http://www.nfss.org/Articles/Article/Softbills/P-Robin-1.html)

[laurab]

Hi all
a while ago I thought my Pekins were nest building but alas nothing materialised :(

Last week Roger and I went 'foraging' for conifer etc. to put in the aviary. Roger happened to find a Xmas tree in mint condition and we put it in the Pekin and Weaver aviary.

Yesterday I noticed a new nest being woven, the thing is, it is unlike the nest I would expect to see a weaver build, not only that my weaver is still in eclipse.

Therefore, it has to be my Pekins :grin: :grin: I have attached a picture.

OK, it takes some working out; a Weavers nest would be at an angle, but this is taking on the shape of a nest pan.

[kenny]

hi laura
i would say that it is certainly not a bit like any weavers nest i have seen so you may be right ,fingers crossed

ken

[laurab]

Hi

just to let you know my Pekins are still nest building :-P

[kenny]

hi laura
looks like you are right then,i am keeping my fingers crossed for you

ken

[Waxbillman]

brilliant Laura,

i really happy for you,

i'm not giving mine encourage ment yet as i still shut them in at night, i am gradually building up the livefood i give them, i am giving them more waxworms and soon i'll be giving crickets

Matthew

[laurab]

Hi Matthew

I cover the aviary at night and they have the opportunity to go inside a shed if they want to....not sure if they do though.

Their nest has been well built and has a lovely cup approx. 2 - 2.5 inches deep.

I am feeding mealworms, crickets, fruit flies and plenty of fruit.

[chris]

Hi All,

not much has happened with my pekins for a while now, however i just had a kilo of mealworms come yesterday, that along with the numerous Fruitfly cultures i have and flies hatched from maggots in the aviary should hopefully cover all there livefood needs and encourage some breeding. the plants in the aviary are growing back quite well now and i've already half uncovered the aviary given this hot weather we've had for the past week.

Chris:wink:

[Waxbillman]

well i can add my bit of good news today.
i let the Pekins out in the morning as allus, and i was preparing a cage for the bengalese, the Pekins were not flying from perch to perch, which is strange for them as that whatb they do all day, i looked out the window of my shed and both of them were on the floor, the cock with cocoa nut fibre in his beak and the hen was tugging away at a clump of philaris i planted yesterday, so it will be a mad rush today providing i don't get called to work, to get all the nesting stuff in

Matthew

[laurab]

Thats great news Matthew ;-)

[kenny]

hi matt
sounds like they are up for it mate ,good luck with them

ken;)

[Waxbillman]

they have commenced nesting activites again, it seems to me they require more twiggy nesting matters as they prefer last years clematis growth to hay and cocoa nut fibre

Matthew

[chris]

Hi Matthew,

good luck i hope they nest, i'll give the twiggy stuff a try to see if it works the same for my pair. do you reckon the stems off used millet sprays would be about the right diameter? also i'll give straw a try as we had a bale or two come yesterday

Chris;)

[Waxbillman]

hello Chris

yes, that would seem a good idea

Matthew

[Waxbillman]

an update for you, the Pekins have been building a cup shaped nest in the middle of a hanging basket that i shoved in the conifer and filled with hay and stray. it all sounds very promising at the moment, but as i have experienced only too often, don't count the chicks till they are on the perch. If, and only if, i managed to breed these i would be incredibly happy, so happy that i would just sit there and laugh all day for no reason at all

Matthew

[kenny]

hi matt
you might get some breeding pekins but yhey might cart you away if you sit there laughing to yourself mate......................good luck anyway mate

ken8)

[Waxbillman]

:lol: i don't think so Ken, i talk to myself all the time and i'm still out of the straight jacket so uncontollable laughter won't be a prbloem

Matthew

[laurab]

My Pekin nest has been destroyed :sad: Still, early days yet.

[Waxbillman]

thats a shame Laura :( , but as you say, early days

Matthew

[kenny]

hi laura
thats a shame laura,just when it was going so well..........early doors though as you say

ken

[chris]

Hi Laura,

that's near enough what happened with mine, building a nest on the floor and then nothing. might be worth trying what matthew has done by placing a hanging basket of straw in a dense part of the aviary such as a conifer, or hops in my case

keep at it still loads of time yet

Chris

[kenny]

hi chris
there is a bit about pekins in the centre spread of the cage and aviary this week

ken

[chris]

Hi All,

i've had a look at the bit in C&A on the pekins, seems they will use open fronted nest boxes to breed in so that'll go on my list of things to try

Chris;-)

[laurab]

Mine have started nest building again :razz: I bought some white sisal today as I can't get hold of the white/cream coloured coconut fibre. They seem to be ignoring it at the moment.

I've just remembered I bought some rafia too; I will cut it up into manageble legnths for the birds to use.

[kenny]

hi laura
haven`t seen rafia since i was at school :lol: should make good nests though with the sisal mixed in,is there antthing written anywhere that says they use any particular stuff for nesting.....like in the wild

ken

[laurab]

Hello

well they have finished building their nest but they didn't use any of the sisal or the rafia, but I am sure the Bengalese will make good use of it.

Dare I get excited??? This morning I went to feed up and the hen was sat in the nest!!! I pretended not to see and she didn't move.

Maybe she was trying it out for size :confused: I won't know now until after work tonight.

[laurab]

Hello

I couldn't resist it, I had to pop home at lunch time. It would appear she was just trying the nest out for size as the cock bird is working hard on the nest. :)

[kenny]

hi laura.
thats typical you buy them special stuff to make a nest with and they dont use it and when your backs turned they will nest somewhere totally out of character

ken:lol:

[laurab]

I don't mind Kenny, just as long as they put the nest to good use.

[sapphire]

I dont want to get my hopes up but my Pekin Robin hen is sitting in a canary pan and isn't coming off much. I have put in losts oc coconut fibre and sisal strands. Keep your fingers crossed.

[kenny]

hi sapphire
well done lets hope it is not just messing about to fool you!


ken;-)

[sapphire]

Further update. My husband has a a quick look and she has 2 eggs. Keep those fingers crossed everyone.

[laurab]

Wow, well done!

[Waxbillman]

brilliant news, good luck and keep us posted. is the the nest from the pair of pekins you obtained from Dorset birds?

Matthew

[chris]

great news,

where about is the nest pan? is it in a well hidden spot in some conifer or is it elsewhere?

good luck

Chris

[Waxbillman]

:grin: a little update for you.

the hen was missing today, so i went into the aviary to investigate, and in the nest she has laid her first egg :grin:

hopefully more to follow!

Matthew

[kenny]

hi matt
great stuff mate .looks like they are getting down to it at last

ken

[Rogerb]

good news matt :-D :-D :-D

[Waxbillman]

an update for you,

incubation has now commenced.

fingers crossed

Matthew

[kenny]

hi matt
i am really pleased for you.after all you have been waiting long enough


ken

[Waxbillman]

lucks like lady luck as left me once again as the bloody hen has left the nest:shock:
not surprising of course

if i was a positive young chap i would say she looks to be a first timer, so needs to get the hang of it, its a dam shame i'm not positive..........,

at least i know i have a true pair
Matthew

[kenny]

hi matt
as you say you have a true pair,so i think it will just be a matter of time lets face it you haven`t had them that long have you mate.i will keep my fingers doubly crossed for you mate and with some more of this good weather you might get lucky

ken

[laurab]

Hi Matthew

all mine do is build nests and destroy them again! :sad:

[Waxbillman]

As Churchill once said 'keep buggering on'

and that what we have to do, i'm sure they'll make it in the end Laura, and even if they don't they are still cracking birds the song of my cock bird everybody loves.

Matthew

[chris]

Hi Matthew,

pitty you dont have an incubator mate as you could have finished the job yourself. did she lay a full clutch or was that just the first egg?

Chris

[Waxbillman]

hello Chris

she just laid 2 eggs, so not a full clutch, i think she is just trying the get the hang of this thing.

Matthew

[kenny]

hi matt
thats the way it is sometimes if they are youngsters and new at it .they just need some practice mate

ken

[sapphire]

My Pekins only have one egg, should be hatching soon. Nest pan is up high and not near any of the bushes or plants. Both birds taking turns in sitting. Really hoping the egg hatches. Not building my hopes up though.

[chris]

just went to feed the birds and noticed that the hen pekin didn't come running like she normally does... upon opening the door i spotted her sitting in the hanging basket going round in circles pulling nest material toward her:D

all i need now is a fertile egg and if the pair don't finish the job i will:razz:

Chris:)

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Sapphire and Chris,

Good for both of you, I hope the egg hatches for you Sapphire and Chris I hope your finish the nest and start laying, but I'm not sure what will happen if you fertilise the eggs mate.:roll:

Paul.:lol:

[Waxbillman]

:lol: now there a though Paul, you would get a ginner pekin that can play the guitar or a human that has an amazing song

keep us posted, and what about your Paul? i need to check my nest again actually, it amazing how busy i am despite working only 4 days a month and finished uni till september

Matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Matthew,

Unfortunately Alan Brown of Dorset Birds lost the last of the three chicks that had fledged,:( but the pair are now rearing their next three youngsters.:grin:

My own pair of Pekin Robins are currently incubating their second egg with the third expected tomorrow.:-D

Paul.:grin:

[Waxbillman]

shame about losing one, but the rest sounds brilliant, i'm keeping quite about mine for now. its tempting to get more though they are lovely birds

Matthew

[laurab]

Hiya, I was going to keep quiet about mine too, but then something happened to change my mind.

This morning for the 1st time my Pekin laid an egg :-P

This evening when I returned home from work Kristina said 'what one of your birds lays blue eggs?' Like most parents I asked why before answering her question, and she said that this morning she saw my Weavers eating a 'blue' egg.

I really hoped she was joking, but the egg has gone :sad:

I have never known the Weavers do this before. Maybe the Pekin through it out for some reason....and maybe not.......what should I do??

[Waxbillman]

hello Laura

my pekin eggs are white speckled with brown, as far as i know Pekins don't have blue eggs, aren't some weavers eggs are blue green?

may be the colour in pekin eggs do differ though
Matthew

[Waxbillman]

just had a look on the net and it seems they do differ somewhat

Matthew

[kenny]

hi laura/matt
i have also heard that pekins eat eggs of other birds but not the other way round

ken

[Waxbillman]

hello Ken

birds obviously differ great because i think the stigma pekins have is wrong, mine are ideal in a mixed collection, if anything its the red-heads that are the problem

Matthew

[kenny]

hi matt
your right there is a stigma attached to alot of different birds,just because someone has ssen one do it they naturally think all do it .but i wasn`t impliying anything it was just a generalisation of what i had read in one book in another they dont even mention it as you say just "stigma"

ken

[chris]

Hi Laura,

i had that problem last year with the weavers eating canary eggs in the aviary. that reminds me to keep an eye out with other eggs as there are far more weavers now

Chris

[laurab]

Imagine my horror this morning, when whilst feeding the birds I discovered my hen Peking laying on the floor gasping!!

I grabbed her and popped her in a cage and immediately turned the heat lamp on. I mixed up some pro-biotic in water and managed to get her to take some. I stood looking at her laying in the cage gasping and all I wanted to do was cry :cry: .

I went back inside then I suddenly thought to mix up a strong solution of honey and water. This took me less than 5 minutes to do and I rushed it back to the birdroom.

I opened the cage to get her out and as I touched her she suddenly jumped up and was hopping from perch to perch!! :-D

I mixed the honey water with the pro-biotic mixture and she took several large gulps.

It was now time for me to take Elsa to school but I popped back home en route to work and she was still alert.

At about 10am I phoned home and Kristina told me she had just passed the egg, it came out broken.

It was such a relief to come home tonight and see her so active and she really enjoyed the few waxworms I gave her :grin:

She is not going back to the aviary for a while yet.

[chris]

hi laura,

it might be worth dusting the waxworms and mealworms with some calcium supplement, the same as you should use with the geckos. that way hopefully she wont get egg bound quite as easily in future. works well with my quail

Chris;-)

[laurab]

I'll try anything Chris; If it had been the weekend I would have lost her as I am up about an hour later than during the week.

[Strawblady2000]

Hi Laura,

That is terrific news.

I am so sorry for all of the worry you had. I all too well know that feeling. you did great!!!

As far as the egg passing as broken, keep an eye on her to look for signs of peritonitis, which can happen if an egg breaks inside. The matter gets infected or the shell punctures something on it's way out. Keep an eye on her droppings.

If she's alert that is a sure positive sign!

You've done it again!!! Excellent news.

P.S. Has this happened to this particular hen in the past?

[Waxbillman]

hello Laura

i am very glad indeed that your pekin has pulled through, with abit of look she'll lay in the nest and start incubation.

good luck, and keep us posted, i just keep in mind the fact that i have a spare hen (i think its a hen) i bought at an auction)

Matthew

[laurab]

Hi Nikki

Yes, this is the second time the first being at the beginning of the season. What are the signs I should look out for, for peritonitis?

Matthew, it is good to know you have a spare hen but I hope not to loose her.

[Waxbillman]

hopefully one of us will need her, to pair with our chicks..............

what a dream that would be

Matthew

[Strawblady2000]

Hi Laura,

Peritonitis would be a massive infection of the gut. Carefully examine her droppings. Puffiness and general malaise is the first sign, followed by no appetite. At that point, without an antibiotic, there wouldnt be much you could do for her. If her stools look good, then you should be okay, but definately keep her under observation.

I'm not sure if it is the same with Pekins, but generally, such as with finches, eggbinding can be a chronic condition that just happens with a particular bird. Calcium is the best preventative, but it could also be that this hen may lay exceptionally large eggs or have a physiological problem in the reproductive tract, making laying a difficult task. If there has been prior damage to the canal, any scarring can cause future egglaying problems.

I'm not in any way saying this is the cause, though, so I hope not to alarm you!!!

Sounds like she'll be fine..after all, she's got a great Mum!

[Waxbillman]

respect to you Dr Nikki

Matthew

[Strawblady2000]

LOL, Matthew,

No, no, after all, I couldnt even save my own bird...my favorite male gouldian died yesterday after fighting so so hard. So...what can ya do?

P.S., That's Mrs. Dr. Nikki, LOL

[laurab]

Hi Nikki

Am I worried......nah.....YES!!!! As I am not at work tomorrow I will keep a close eye on the situation.

So sorry to hear of your loss....it always hurts :cry:

We have a Mr. B on this site, do we now have a Dr. N? :)

[Waxbillman]

:lol: Mr B and Dr N

watch out you could be next!!

Matthew

[kenny]

hi laura
what a situation to be in,i think i might have panicked a bit but i am so glad she is ok and fingers crossed she will stay that way.do you think these cold snaps on a night are making her eggbound or is it something in the breed do you think! the weather down here is so changeable that mine dont know what to do half the time

ken

[laurab]

Kenny, I have noticed the weather plays a great part with her....after all, I don't know her age and that could be a factor.

Matthew, you can call me 'The Boss'.....or is that 'M' (as in 007)?

:razz:

[kenny]

hi boss
i think the weather would play a part in anythings performance the way it keeps changing this year

ken

[laurab]

Hi all

I went through the same nightmare this morning :sad: I contacted the vet and he has suggested I use Zolcal-D. It is water soluble calcium and D3 supplement.

I hope all is ok tomorrow morning.

[kenny]

hi laura
so do i especially when you know that she may be laying another egg tommorrow,do you think she is to old or in the other extreme too young to be having eggs.i know this weather will not be helping with it changing all the time....are you keeping her indoors..if so would a heat lamp maybe help her pass the egg better the thing is you are right in consulting a vet as she must have laid eggs before and she has obviously had no trouble surviving up till now so it must be something she is lacking now that she had gotten previously ...do you know the breeders address or the person who sold her to you as it always helps to get a run down on what its been fed before you take it home......i will keep my fingers crossed for you that she passes anymore eggs without any problems
ken:-|

[kenny]

hi laura
i am so worried about your pekins and have been trying to find info that may help i have found a link that you may like .........if you have not already read it yourself ....there is a mention of feeding to much livefood reduces calcium absobtion read it and see what you think........ i hope she will be ok
ken:sad:


http://www.nfss.org/Articles/Article/Softbills/P-Robin-1.html

[Waxbillman]

:( nightmare situation Laura

i hope she is ok, fingers crossed.

Matthew

[Strawblady2000]

Dang it, Laura, I'm sorry to hear she and YOU are going throught his again.

Fingers crossed for y'all.

[laurab]

Thanks for all your concern and help, I am dreading tomorrow morning!

[PAUL HEARN]

Hello all,

Laura,

I hope your hen Pekin Robin makes it through producing her next egg mate.:wink:

I'm gutted that my first round of Pekin eggs have been destroyed,:sad: and I think this is due to Mice?:mad:
I came home from work at lunch time today to find a well developed egg on the aviary floor with marks indicating Mice as the culprits, but when I came home from work I checked the remaining egg in the nest which was cold and also has puncture marks.

My Pekins have an aviary to themselves so the blame can only be directed towards Mice or the Pekins themselves?

My hopes of breeding Pekin Robins as well as many other bird species this year, seem to rely on my design of a bird safe Mousetrap, I have a couple of ideas in mind but I am open to other members ideas of bird safe mouse traps.

Paul.

[laurab]

Hi all

almost before my eyes were properly open this morning I went to check on my Pekin.

I am very happy to report that she was bouncing from one perch to another:razz:

Can anyone tell me how often I should give her the Zolcal as it doesn't say on the bottle ? :confused:

[Waxbillman]

great news, boss

i am really happy to hear that she is ok, i hope she continues to do so.

hello Paul

thats a dam shame mate, i lost my first round, but they never really sat properly. the second round they are still sitting and if, they are fertile are do to hatch very shortly, apart from a pair of firefinches, they also have an aviary to themselves, the red heads were removed due them being evil lazy fearless ......

Matthew

[chris]

Hi Paul,

as you know mice can squeze through 1x1/2 inch mesh, however your pekins are far too big for this. i suggest you place a tasty meal (in the eyes of a mouse) underneath or inside a cage made up of 1/2 x 1 inch mesh. inside here place a few traps down, even poison should be safe provided the pekins aren't likely to try and eat dead mice?

Laura,

greaty to hear she is doing well. if it's a liquid calcium supplement your using then i would dose once a week normally, but everyday when she is laying or due to lay

Chris

[kenny]

hi laura
that really is fantastic news, i am so glad to here that she is bouncing about and well


ken8)

[laurab]

Hi Chris, thanks for the info.

I am hoping to return the Pekin to the aviary this weekend; do you think it is too soon?

[Waxbillman]

hello Laura

i was told to leave ex-egg bound birds in a cage a week or so, but its your judgement

Matthew

[Waxbillman]

an up date for you, 2 days ago i found half an empty pekin eggshell on the floor, by their behaviour and livefood intake - especially crickets i came to the conclusion that that have at least one chick, well i am glad to inform you all that i have seen the chick been fed. :D :D :D
if i am very lucky enough and it/them make in to independance i cannot tell you how happy i would be.

heres hoping

Matthew :D

[laurab]

Congratulations :-D :-D :-D

[kenny]

hi matt
see patience does pay off,thats fantastic news mate if its just the one its better than none matt congratulations!


ken:-D

[laurab]

My hen is going stir crazy in the double breeder I have confined her to. I will release her again to be with her mate. She has had the best of food, supplements etc whilst she has been in confinement.

I think it best to let her back into the aviary whilst I am home to keep an eye on her.

Incidently, while she has 'been away' the cock bird has turned his attention to me.....err.....not like that! He comes to the wire when I whistle to him (after a few fly-by show offs) and takes wax worms from me. :D

[chris]

Hi Matthew,

great news i hope the chick(s) fledge and all goes well from there on. the only bad thing about this is the fact that you've beat me to it:evil: :lol: ah well still a bit of time left for my pair to at least try.

have your crickets taken up residence yet? i've got a population of the buggers living in the garden now, wouldn't be so bad if they were the native ones but they're not:shock: although i reckon the winter will take care of them

Chris:)

[Waxbillman]

thanks Chris

that why i buy only native crickets when i can, but no theres none about the pekins have consumed the lot and still ask for more

Matthew

[laurab]

Hi Matthew

there are plenty of grasshoppers about now.....all for free! :)

[Waxbillman]

hello Boss
despite living next do to grassland and fields, i doubt i could catch the number i need

Matthew

[vixen]

Hi Matthew well done mate i bet you can stop watching them.
Chris,do you put your crickets in the fridge to slow them down(would not put them in my fridge)it would be OK until they warmed up.
Trudy

[kenny]

hi trudy
i dont mind crickets but i cant stand the sight of locusts with their beady eyes

ken:)

[Waxbillman]

thanks, too right i look at them, the more i do the more i worry

Matthew

[kenny]

hi matt
you are as bad as me ,i always worry about the youngsters until they are out of the nest and feeding themselves


ken8)

[chris]

hmmm i wonder.... :-P

Chris:smile:

[kenny]

hi chris do you think they are showing signs of breeding,i can deffo see the signs of a definate nest there mate


ken

[Waxbillman]

so do i CHris, when will the eggs come? soon i hope, its a nice big nest for them anyway

Matthew

[kenny]

hi chris
let us know the minute an egg appears mate please! i know i have no pekins but this is really exciting all this activity


ken8)

[chris]

hi kenny,

i'll let all know if any eggs are laid, i reckon there's a bit more work on the nest to be done yet but then hen is going crazy for nesting material far more than i've ever seen before so fingers crossed

Chris:wink:

[chris]

Hi Again,

no eggs as of yet but i wasn't expecting any so soon anyway, the hen is still picking up beakfuls of coconut fibre and taking them to the nest, and the cock is also going round picking up bits of coconut fibre. she's emptied a tub of crickets this morning!:shock: good thing the next delivery is tomorrow otherwise i'd be buggered

also i've got 2 aviary panels being delivered tomorrow morning so i can separate the aviary leaving the pekins in one half and the weavers in the larger half. they will be left with the old part of the aviary as it used to be before i extended it last year so will have around 6 foot cubed of flying space and it also happens to be the densest part of the aviary plant wise. that should stop any interference from the weavers which is what i think has put them off previously

Chris

[kenny]

hi chris
that just might be the answer if the weavers have been putting them off breeding i know they can be a pest when other birds are trying to breed good luck with it and let us know how they are getting on


ken

[Waxbillman]

fingers crossed Chris

i think you definately have done the right thing, the weavers i am saving for you have massive peaks, could do alsort of damage

Matthew

[chris]

Hi Matt,

you'll have the luxury of finding out exactly what those beaks can do when you have to catch them up:shock: :lol: don't worry, it doesn't hurt.... much:p

Chris;)

[Waxbillman]

lol, it does bloody hurt, my friend caught them up a while back and the buggers drew blood!

Matthew

[chris]

oooh err, i'm not sure i like the sound of that. mine have never drew blood... yet. mind you i dont give them the chance to bite if i can help it

Chris;-)

[Waxbillman]

egg number 1 of the next clutch has been laid today :-)

Matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Congratulations Matthew,

I'm still waiting for the second clutch from my pair, all the best to you with your Pekin Robins.

Paul.:grin:

[kenny]

hi matt
sounds great.lets hope you get more from the second round now they know how to look after their young properly they may be able to rear a few more



ken

[Waxbillman]

thanks Paul and Ken. fingers crossed.

i hope yours get round to re-laying

Matthew

[chris]

Hi Matthew,

great stuff, i'm still waiting for the first clutch as i seem to have put them off when splitting the aviary up. either way if i hadn't have split the aviary the weavers would have had the same effect at least the next attempt should go well i hope. give em a week or two we can still beat ya:lol:

Chris;-)

[Waxbillman]

lol, nar Chris

i have won this one........................ may be you can win me with silver eared mesias.....

Matthew

[chris]

Hi Matthew,

the hen is sitting again now, so don't get thinking you've won just yet i think the games are only just begining:twisted: you may have the advantage of already having bred them, but i have the world's biggest fastest waxworm culture:lol:

Chris;)

[Waxbillman]

:smile: finger crossed bud, my pair are sitting today so yep, the race is on..

Matthew

[kenny]

you two, what are you like!

[chris]

Hi all,

what is the usual incubation period for pekin robins? is it 14 days to hatching or 10?

Chris;-)

[Waxbillman]

yello Chris

looking at my records i would say 11 days.

Matthew

[chris]

Hi All,

at the start of this week i really thought my luck had changed. the pekins had gone back to nesting and i found an egg in the nest not long after. however no eggs were laid after, the hen was sitting tight but today she has come off the nest (for good) and the egg is stone cold so is too late to move to the incubator... we'll see if they try again this year but i'm doubting anything at all is going to breed this year now.

my plans now, sod this year as it's been the worst i've ever had by a long shot, and plan for next year. might even install lighting outside so i don;'t have to rely on good weather

Chris

[Waxbillman]

what a dam shame, its strange how she laid only one egg, maybe next time

Matthew

[laurab]

Sorry to hear your news Chris :sad:

I am thinking of sending my Pekins on a nest building course as they are crap at it!

They built one good nest but the hen didn't like it for some reason, now all he seems capable of is builing a hammock!!

[Waxbillman]

hello Laura

why not build them a nesting in a hanging basket like i did, they'll finish it off, and because the parents keep the nest spotless, they will go straight back down to nest like mine

Matthew

[laurab]

I have!!!!!

[kenny]

hi laura
i know i have no pekins but i know how you feel.you would think with all this sun the birds would be laying eggs and hatching like battery hens but no mine dont seem to like this weather at all.cant figure it out !


ken

[PAUL HEARN]

Hello all,

There is some good news regarding my Pekins, the hen has been seen carrying nesting material around the aviary for more than a couple of days now, I just hope another serious breeding attempt will be made before the end of the Summer.

I have yet to see where the material is being taken to, but I am hoping that a serious nesting site is being developed.

Paul.:wink:

[Waxbillman]

brilliant Paul, fingers crossed for you.

My pair have chicks again, rather than feeding by hand, this time i have upturned a propagater and chucked a few hundred crickets in, and let them get their own food

Matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Matthew,

I wish you the best of luck with this round of youngsters,:wink: I can only hope my pair come somewhere near to rearing young of their own as yours have done.

All the best mate, Paul.:grin:

[Waxbillman]

thankyou good sir, i'm sure thal get there in t'end,

i hope the micky problem is gone now?

Matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Matthew,

I must admit that I am stumped regarding the Mice problem, despite baiting various traps I have yet to find a single Mickey.:?

Regarding Livefood I'm providing as varied a diet as possible, I just hope that I eventually manage to rear one or two youngsters.

Paul.:wink:

[Waxbillman]

during rearing the largest part of their diet is crickets, as they get old it gets more varied, equal to the parents toward the end, mine were any, but from what i have gathered, every pair is a little different

Matthew

[laurab]

Hi all

My cock Pekin will take Waxworms from my fingers; yesterday he took one and the hen was nearby. She started to call to him and he showed off for a while with the waxworm still in his beak, which I thought he was going to feed to her.

Instead he leapt on her back did the businness, hoped off and ate the waxworm!!

Well there's gratitude for ya!

[Waxbillman]

:lol: :lol: i'm sure he needed the energy burst to keep her happy,

definately a good sign though.

i have stopped feeding mine by hand as much now, as they were becoming too reliant on me.

Matthew

[laurab]

My cock Pekin has lost his tail feathers!

[Waxbillman]

don't worry Laura

he will be in the moult, my hen is just about complete now, but she lost all but one tail feather, now its growing back nicely

Matthew

[laurab]

Would that explain why they seem subdued?

They are both well though.

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Laura,

Despite completing a new nest a few days ago my pair are now going into a moult too, so I guess it's game over for all of our Pekins this year, but again I hope that after playing at breeding this year that the next will be the real deal for all of our Pekins?

Paul.;)

[laurab]

Should I be giving my Pekins anything extra during their moult?

[Waxbillman]

hello Laura

i haven't given anything extra, just the usual excellent diet, she has completed it now.

Matthew

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Laura,

As long as you continue providing your Pekins with the diet offered during the breeding period then they will complete the moult with no problem at all.
Protein levels from Livefood etc will help a great deal with birds in the moult, but dusting Livefood and Fruit with vitamin supplements will also help a great deal too.

Paul.:wink:

[kenny]

hi all
i am not proffesing to know anything about pekins .but i have been reading a really old article on these birds anda guy used to pour boiling water over ants eggs and then give them to his pekins.and then throw what he called the soup away from the soaking...then one day he forgot about throwing it away and found that the pekins like the juice from the soaked ants eggs better than the eggs themselves....anyone want to try it!

ken

[Waxbillman]

i think i'll pass on that one Ken

i don't know what properties that would have

Matthew

[kenny]

hi matt
your not supposed to drink it mate the birds are

ken

[chris]

Hi All,

nothing special has happened with the pekins but they are doing fine, however if anyone knows of any pairs for sale anywhere theres a chance i could end up specialising in these, selling the weavers, keeping the CPQ and silverbills.

doubt it will ever happen but....

this is down to my dad's input more than anything, although i had every intention of getting more pairs in the future in anycase. would be much easier just having a few quail and a pair of birds ber aviary, bar the indoor aviary. something to think about anyway

Chris:???:

[chris]

Hi All,

i was a tad concerned earlier this week when my dad rung to say he'd had to take one of the cock robins from the outside flight as the others were picking on it. not suprisingly it was the 2 new cocks being the pain again and the cock from the original pair that had t be removed. however i'm told it's dong fine now and getting on with the other 2 pairs in the flightcage.

interestingly when i was at home 2 weeks back the hen had been carrying nesting material around and a nest had started to appear in the indoor aviary... but i put it down to the silverbills as only they were seen to be sitting on it at the time. however today it seems it's actually the pekins doing the job:-) this explains the aggression towards the original cock bird, but the really interesting bit is that it's the 2 new cocks that are following the hen around and all 3 contributing to the nest:shock: we're leaving them as they are for now unless 2 of them decide they dont like the other in which case one of the cocks will be moved. i do like the idea of 3 birds doing the feeding though... if they go all the way.

at the moment we're waiting for the first egg (if any) and when that happens the cricket orders will start. fingers crossed our season is starting early, can't get much worse than last years i dont think

Chris;)

[laurab]

Hi guys

I have one aviary now (the largest) that can be divided into two.

I was thinking of housing my Pekins with the Zosties, do you think it will work?? I was going to put the Starlings in on their own.

Your thoughts and suggestions will be much apreciated :-D

[Waxbillman]

hello Laura

they should be ok together in a big aviary, not sure how it will effect the breeding success though, the likely hood may be if anything the robins will breed and the zosties will not, its all down to the individual, my pair are snotty birds when it comes to sharing, my pair of zosties are kept in the same aviary at the moment they have been shut in for the winter and my pair have raised 2 chicks with the zosties still in there, the robins are definately dominent, but you have more zosties and i have a considerabley smaller species than yours

Matthew

[laurab]

Hi fellow Pekin keepers

Do yours eat seed?

Whenever I replenish my hanging feeder with seed (Versele-Laga foreign finch mix) my Pekins are very keen to be the first to get to the food. They are after a particular seed in the mix and eat it hungrily, but I haven't fathomed out which one it is yet :roll:

[kenny]

hi laura
the only way i can see it working is if you get some small pots and pick out different seeds ..put them in the pots and see which ones they eat most of
ken

[chris]

Hi laura,

mine are buggers for eating millets. nothing i can do about it in the mixed aviary however i did have to tell my dad off after he placed pots of seed in the pekin flights. not worth the risk

[Waxbillman]

i have not noticed either pairs eating the seed, its a waste time really them eating it is, as they cannot really get much out of it

[laurab]

That's what I thought, so why do they rush to eat it?

[Waxbillman]

good question, i suppose the best you can do is find out what the seed is they are eating, then we can say what properties it has.

Matthew

[chris]

Our 3 pairs are now down for breeding, put the hanging baskets in a few days ago and have starting increasing the mealworm ration. should have them on crickets next week when i get an order in and have something to store them all in

at present, pair 1 aren't doing a fat lot although i did catch the hen with a beak of coconut fribre apparently trying to construct a nest on the floor... she hasn't been doing anything since though and that was a few days ago in anycase. both of them are quite happy to hand feed though so that makes life easier for when things do start to get interesting

pair 2, only the hen hand feeds at the moment but the cock will hand feed as he did when we had them in the flight cage in the shed! just needs a memory boost i think! both birds have been seen playing with nesting material yesterday, and today the cock was trying to weave some round one of the holly branches

pair 3, both birds will hand feed, the cock somewhat reluctantly but i'm working on that to steady them up. the good news here is that the hen has half a nest built already... not in the hanging basket though but in the top of a plant pot in the aviary, on the floor. odd place but it's progress nontheless

hopefully i haven't just jynxed myself there as i seem to have a knack for that:shock:

fingers crossed anyway

Chris

[Waxbillman]

i also put a hanging basket is ready made nest for them

they ignored that, they have taken all the coco nut fibre, what they have done with it, i don't know

Matthew

[chris]

well mine have gone back to doing nowt, just got them on the crickets too

[cooltom28]

i have a pair on eggs:D

[laurab]

Mine sing nice, especially in the morning :razz:

[laurab]

Has anyone here collected 'wild' live food for their Pekins, and if so what was it and did they like it?

[chris]

well the of the 3 eggs one of our pairs were sitting one got kicked out yesterday and the other 2 today - around the same time they were due to hatch. all 3 eggs were infertile my dad reckons the birds knew that and so chucked em..

the nest is apperently now abandoned but we shall see they might use it a seond time (at least i hope so)

the second pair were building but now arent, and pair 1 are still doing nowt! ironically they are also the pair id have thought most likely to breed!!!

typical eh

Chris

[Waxbillman]

such a shame Chris, they are so highly frustrating birds to keep

as you know, i lost another nest of chicks, so now it is time for drastic action....

i will not be between i have bred the successfully before, and i shall dam well do it again

Matthew

[laurab]

It's no consolation but mine are doing nothing either! :-|

[laurab]

My Pekins have been tying to build a nest for the past week and they have made a terrible job of it.

Should I intervene and if so what would be the best thing for me to do?

The 'make-shift' nest is in a bamboo bush about 3ft from the ground.

[Waxbillman]

difficult one that Laura, i would definately do something,

i friend of mine had a pair doing exactly the same, he built i nice nest for them, and the bleeders ripped it up and chucked it on the floor :lol:

can you put some form of structure underneith where they are attempting to nest?

regards

Matthew

[chris]

Hi Laura,

one of our pairs does this all the time, for the most part it just seems like they're piling material up and not doing a whole lot otherwise, infact it seems now that they are/were building the foundation for the nest as once it's 'right' they get a nest built in a day or so. what nesting maerials are you providing?

ours seem to go mad for dried grass, the elephant grass cuttings from last year are fantastic for it, but they do also use hay, straw to a lesser degree, and mostly coconut fibre if all else fails

on another note, we finally have some good news! 3 chicks hatched tuesday morning, one of the other pairs, infact the ones i thought most likely to breed yet seem to have taken far longer than expected to even make an attempt!

only snag now is i wont get any sleep knowing no one i know has sucessfully reared an entire clutch without any deaths before or after fledging

best get the coffee out, some night vision goggles and an emergency hand rearing kit! :lol:

[laurab]

My Pekin laid an egg yesterday morning :p checked it yesterday lunchtime, it was cracked open :x

She was on the nest again this morning.

[kenny]

hi laura
what a shame!lets hope she doesnt crack the next one or you will have to give her a manicure:wink:



ken

[chris]

Hi Laura,

our 'egg eater' has laid again yesterday, none today so the second will probably be tomorrow - never known such a random layer as this one! the pair have been incubating the egg but then they generally do for a while before deciding it will make a nice snack, perhaps they prefer them hard boiled first? :shock:

all appears well with the other pair, fingers crossed should know exactly how well on tuesday morning

Chris

[chris]

on the subject of cracking and manicures :p , i've retained some infertile eggs from this particular pair, we're drying them out then i'm going to give them several coats of nail varnish :lol: in the hope it will strengthen the shells enough so that the birds can't break into them, then the plan is to place these dummies under the pair next time they lay and hopefully after several attempts they'll eventually give up trying and get on with it. the real eggs will be incubated by us and then if all goes well can be placed back under the pair upon hatching.

the other option if they are not hard enough is to put a pin hole in each egg and fill/inject with glue then leave to dry solid making them virtually indestructable

Chris;-)

[chris]

might be worth posting a summary for 2007 here. i'll see if matthew's interested. in the meantime i'll find out the diary

Chris

[laurab]

I wish I could add to it but as mine have done nothing.......:oops:

[chris]

Hi Laura,

it's all relavent, qho knows it might even reveal why yours didn't do much. our one pair did sod all apart from build a single nest, the other pair built nests, incubated and hatched eventually but tossed the chicks - egg eating in previous attempts. the thrid pair had the best sucess with 2 rounds of chicks though then we had the other problem of vitamin B deficiency with round one resulting in poor brain development and death. round two we got over the deficiency and the chicks were visably healthier and more active - then the crap weather killed them. nice.

there was also the incubator attempts which went badly to put it lightly - still beats the parents eating their eggs though and i daresay we could end up trying again later on this year

Chris

[Waxbillman]

hello Chris

i think thats a good idea, i have a few theories

Matthew

[laurab]

My pair did eventually nest and lay one egg, the hen sat on it for a day then it vanished!

It could have been other birds, mice or even themselves that removed/ate it :confused:

[chris]

hi laura,

it may not have seemed like it at the time but even that it progress, the fact you got your pair to nest and lay is far better than many others out there with pekins have managed all year. my pair did the same thing last year (the year before even:shock: ), this year (or lastyear now:shock: ) the same pair went on to produce chicks, though i did swap the cock over to a more steady bird, one which she 'picked' in anycase. if you think that might help you out we still have an odd cock bird that we keep for the purpose of changing pairs around.

it was lagopus who said something about with pekins some pairs simply wont work, it's not as easy as put a cock with a hen and you get chicks, they have to be compatible. now if we could get him on here....

Chris

[laurab]

Thanks Chris, my pair do seem to be devoted to each other it's just that it took the cock bird ages to build a decent nest!

Maybe if I house them on their own things might improve.

[chris]

Hi Laura,

splitting them up prior to breeding could make a big difference. we noticed a cock introduced to a new hen, or one that he'd been separated from, displays instantly. one even mated several times within the first few minutes of re-introduction. got to be worth a try. the same effect happens when you swap round cocks from different pairs

Chris

[laurab]

I will give it a go, how long should I seperate them?

[chris]

ours were only apart a week. i took the hen out because she was eggbound at the time. lucky she was back to normal in a few days and in she went after a week, after that i think was when that pair stopped egg eating and started incubating and chick tossing instead LOL

our hen could hear the cock but not see him as she was inside the shed at the time. though it probably wouldnt make much diference if they were completely isolated or even withing sight and ear shot of each other but unable to reach.

Chris

[laurab]

I will wait until closer to the breeding season.