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Zebraman

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Posts posted by Zebraman

  2. Posted · Report reply

    I am looking for anyone that has some spare hens. They must be a good size, but they can be any type.

    Preferably, within a 18 mile radious of Manchester, but I am willing to travel for the right birds.

    Please use the contact us form or follow the link below to get in touch.

    Thank you for looking.

    Contact Us

  4. Posted

    Hello Zeb,

    It's very difficult to pinpoint the problem based on the symptoms you have posted, as birds will naturally huddle together in cold conditions and they will also tuck their heads under their wings.

    I gather from what you have said that your birds are inside?

    How old is the bird in question and is it a male or female?

    If your bird is a female and is in a flight or cage with other males then she could be egg bound. Females sometime have difficulties releasing eggs in cold conditions and this could be your problem.

    If your bird is feeling under the weather, then raising the temperature in it's cage will help.

    I cannot advise anything more without all the information, but hopefully it will pull through now you have increased the temperature.

    If you need any more help please let me know.

    Gary

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Hi Paul,

    It looks like you have a very young inexperienced pair of birds. sometimes it takes a while for a pair to start breeding properly and you often find that the hen will lay multiple clutches without sitting on them until the chick’s hatch.

    I would advise you to perceiver and at some point, they will click, and the process will start. However, you need to be prepared as Zebra Finches can be quite prolific breeders and you many end up with more birds than you can keep or want.

    The only way to stop the hen from laying egg is to split the birds up and this will also give the hen a rest for producing so many eggs.

    I hope you find my reply useful and please do not hesitate to ask further questions should the need arise.

    Gary

  7. Posted · Report reply

    Hello Mister Nice Guy,

    Welcome to the forum.

    Looking at the photo you have posted, it looks like you have a very young pied white or a chestnut flanked white. Chestnut flanked whites have a dark beak when they hatch and the hens also have dark patches on their heads. It's hard to give you a true colour without seeing photo's of the parents.

    Zebra Finches use markings on the inside of the youngsters beaks when rearing, these marks show up in low light, this allows them to feed their young through the night. There could be a number of reason why they stopped feeding the two youngsters. I have found that hens are more susceptible to problems than cock birds.

    Zebra Finches learn from others and it may be that your hen has only human habits to pick up from, generally, if a bird is removing the husks from millet they are eating the Kernel. Just a question, what makes you think that your young hen is not eating seed.

    I hope this answers some of your questions and if you need any further help, please let me know.

    Gary

  8. Posted · Report reply

    Hi Shelli,

    Welcome to the forum.

    5yrs is a good age for a Zebra Finch, but I have had birds that have lived longer and some that have lived less.

    I suspect that your bird have miscalculated one of it's flights when it has been flying free and has damaged it's wing.  I would keep it isolated from the others for now and don't let it fly free until it shows some signs of healing.  The process can take some time depending on the damage, but I have know birds to fully recover depending on the damage that has been caused.

    The dark patches could mean that he is in molt, birds molt their plumage every so often and it tends to make then look a different clour until they have finished.

    I hope you your bird gets better soon and if you need any more information, please do not hesitate to update this post.

    Gary

     

  9. Posted · Report reply

    Hi Nikki,

    Welcome to the forum.

    This can happen sometimes with inexperienced pairs, the parent tend to catch the young when leaving the nest and they flick the young out on to the floor.

    It can also happen if the nest has been built shallow allowing the chicks to be easily fall out or be flicked out.

    I'd give them another go, but try to make sure there's a nice pocket for the chicks to be lower down in the nest.

    I hope this helps.

    Gary.