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Emmy

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Posts posted by Emmy

  1. Posted · Report reply

    I've finally got one pair of my goudians incubating 3 eggs. 

    This time I've  just  used an ordinary nest box, same as I use for the zebra finches. Last year I did buy a special nest box for them where they had to step down when they went into the nest box but of all the eggs laid I only got one chick.

    Be interesting to know if anyone else breeds gouldians what type of nest box they use.

    Emmy

  2. Posted · Report reply

    Was at our local bird sale today.  I had a 'phone call from a person who had bought zebra finches from  me at the previous sale and she wanted one more so I took the one zebra finch BUT I came home with four others !!

    Two cock birds- one pied and one white

    Two hens - one pied and one white. (Haven't taken any photos yet want to let them settle down first.

    (Then when checking the bird shed I discovered that one pair of my gouldians have at least 3 eggs in their nest:yahoo: fingers crossed they'll incubate the eggs).

    Emmy

    • Like 2

  4. Posted · Report reply

    Lee thank you for not including me in your warning (can't recall a 'Jane' registered oh this forum - could be wrong though) so I am allowed to remind you that you could have had a pair of BC as a gift from me in October.

    I offered to bring them down to Stafford to you but at that time I didn't know if they were show quality-- Now just to make you feel better a pair of those BC went on to get 3rd place in show.;)

    So take heed in future: ' Never look a gift horse in the mouth' (lol)   

    Now just to rub salt into the wound:   By now you perhaps would have had your BCCFW if you had accepted my offer. :lol:

    EMMY;)

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Welcome to the forum Papajay, 

    That 'Mr Arthr  Itis'   does a lot of visiting, problem is when he arrives it's  very difficult to get him to leave and he's still  forever visiting me even although he knows he's not welcome:lol:  (I've had both knees replaced because of that - so I can sympathise with you. It's no picnic!  

     Like you I have a variety of birds and that helps a lot. Problem with the birds though I'm always finding more varieties that I like but I love them all. My latest acquisitions are 2 pairs of Madagastar love birds (the smallest of the love bird parrots ) and  'Bobby' my Bolivian Blue fronted Amazon Parrot.  (not buying anymore now!;))

    Hope you enjoy the forum

    Emmy

     

    • Like 1

  8. Posted

    I'm not sure Sarah but I think I read somewhere its not that the mouse itself would do nay harm its their urine that's the problem but as I said I'm not sure.  I have one of the 'plug in' devices that says it keeps mice/rats away -- so far mine have worked.

    Emmy

     

  9. Posted · Report reply

    Welcome to the forum Daisymay.  I keep Fife canaries too, (what colours are they?)I have  a variety of finches including Bengalese- (great as foster parents) Last October I bought a pair of penguin finches -they lay eggs but so far don't  incubate them, one of them is crested (reminds me of Ringo Star (Beatles lol)  Hope you enjoy the forum.

    Emmy

  12. Posted · Report reply

    I had to remove the last of the three eggs the diamond dove had laid because the first two disappeared- exactly the same as last year. I'm almost 100% certain its the cockatiels who are raiding their nest - no trace of the diamond dove's eggs at all-not even the tiniest bit of a shell!  So I removed  their last  egg and put it into the incubator and it hatched out last night. 

    The egg started pipping about 9am in the morning (yesterday, 4th February) and it hatched out at 6.05pm last night.

     I left it in the incubator until 9a.m.this morning then transferred it to the other Brinsea incubator (using the 2nd incubator as a brooder  -can easily alter the temperature in the new one I have).

    So far its doing OK getting fed every two  hours.

     56b50b264d9bc_Thursday4thFebruary201610.   This is when the egg first started to 'pip' approx. 9am

    56b51ede96d9b_Thursday4thFebruary201617.   Approx. 8 hours later (5pm)

    56b51f638093e_Thursday4thFebruary201618.     Chick newly hatched 6pm.

     

  15. Posted

    If I can help in any other way just ask.

    My zebra finch egg that was in the incubator didn't hatch - I should have opened shell sooner -chick fully formed but dead in shell obvious it was having difficulty getting through the membrane & breaking open the shell. 

    Got a few more in incubator still to hatch (one is a diamond dove egg) and still don't have any 'foster parents' available yet:(

    Emmy

  16. Posted

    Andy if its Kaytee Exact hand rearing food this is the amount of food--water they have on the tub.

    Day 1                                  1 part formula to 6 parts water

    Day 2-day5                          1 part formula to 2-3 parts water

    Day5 - weaning                     1 part formula to 1 + 1/3 -- 2 parts water

    I don't stick to either of these quantities 100% (Kaytee /NutriBird I use my own judgement and  I refer to  the measurements from the Versele-Laga Nutri-Bird A21 which are:

    Hatching to day2                      1 part formula  to 6 parts water

    Day 2-3                                     1 part formula to 5 parts water

    Day3-4                                       1 part formula to 4 parts water

    Day 4-5                                       1 part formula to 3 parts water

    Day 5 to weaning                         1part formula to 2 to  2,5 water

    Thought I'd add this:

    Although I have used Kaytee Exact for finches I have been told its a corn based formula and shouldn't be used for finches. This formula is very easy to mix. (I use this all the time when I have to hand rear my cockatiels)

    I have used Versele--Laga NutriBird A21 Green lid for hand rearing finches but it is a bit more difficult to mix I know others who have used nothing else but Kaytee Exact for different species and it seemed to have been OK

    Being 100% honest you should really stick to what is recommended but when the chicks were very young I felt some of the mixture was too thick and added a tiny bit more water. 

    I also used Avian Electrolytes in the water when mixing the formula to prevent dehydration in the chicks.

    Hope this helps.

    Emmy

  18. Posted

    1 hour ago, Andyn said:

    Some people say that the parents know if chicks will die and they don't bother with them, but I would say give it a go anyway.

    I agree with you there Andyn.

    Emmy

  19. Posted

    Hi Penny  I could be wrong but I think only one of your normal adult (normal) birds needs to be split for fawn to get fawn chicks. Re the colour ? sex of chicks -sorry I don't know.  (I have to wait until they get older :lol:)

    Emmy

  20. Posted

    Hi Andy If the  unfortunate  thing happens and the chicks are not getting fed Are you meaning to feed the chicks then  return them to the nest after feeding? But what will you do if the adult birds don't go back and sit on the nest to keep the chicks warm?

    I've hand reared, finches, canaries, diamond doves and cockatiels.  In my opinion out of the 4 varieties the Zebra Finch is the most difficult to hand rear.

    Emmy

  21. Posted

    Hi Andy

    I'm just about to start hand feeding AGAIN :rolleyes: if the eggs in the incubator hatches successfully. 

    What birds are you going to hand rear?

    and what type of hand rearing food have you bought?  

    I have used crop feeding tubes (same as Andyn Mentioned) but after I lost a chick using them I haven't used them again. If its finches- To begin with I use a cocktail stick with the sharp end cut of and smoothed the end to make it a little bit flatter. easier to feed them that way. The chicks must be fed with the cocktail stick or syringe from the left side of their beak (I had a problem working out what was the left side of their beak:o  until it was explained if I held the bird in front of me with its tail next to me and its head facing  forward then its left side would be the same as my left side (I was even sent a diagram -cant find it or I would have posted it to you- I was just very lucky that that was the way I had been feeding the chicks)   that way the food goes directly into their crop and not into the windpipe(think that;s what it is named maybe better to say if you feed from  right to left of the beak the chances are you will kill the chick because the food could go directly into its 'lungs'? and choke it)

    (I have just ordered some new dental syringes (not arrived yet) I've had a chat with the person who is using these with great success in rearing finch chicks. As the chicks get older and take more food she just snips a bit from the point of the syringe therefore matching the chicks larger opening of its beak.

    56a8b9d0660eb_dentalsyringe.jpg.c4630342

    Re the mixing of hand rearing food - sometimes the very young chicks can very easily become dehydrated so I have used Avian Electrolyte when mixing up the formula.  (It was pedialyte  that was suggested to me initially but I couldn't find it here and the Avian Electrolyte works the same way.)

     

    Do you have a brooder for them ? Got a great Idea from that person too. She uses a   'Prince Lionheart Warmie Wipes Warmer'   , as a brooder and keeps the mixed up formula in there too so its stays the correct temperature for feeding the chicks. Good thing about that is it doesn't take up much room.       

    If you let me know the name of the hand rearing food I'll give you some more information re mixing the formula for the chicks.

    Emmy

  22. Posted · Report reply

    Really curious about what is happening to the eggs this hen is laying?

    I did check the eggs last night and a few of them look a though they just maybe pull through (thinking along the lines  they may have been the last to be laid) so I'm leaving them in the incubator to find out if they are fertile then I'll try giving them back to Mum and Dad not sure if that will work either but worth a try.

    Hope your CFW changes her mind.  Are her eggs fertile?  I know I should get my brain examined (lol) but similar to what  I'm doing now if bird doesn't sit on eggs -if eggs are fertile and I don't have any birds to foster-- out comes the incubator without taking into consideration of what it may entail if and when the eggs hatch out.  (Got more Bengalese now ;))

    Emmy

  23. Posted · Report reply

    Can't understand this pair of crested penguins. They have 7 eggs in this nest now and another one has a double yolk.  They have been incubating the eggs but they have also been tearing the paper that's on the floor of their cage and taking it into their nest. I've kept removing some of the paper so the eggs wouldn't get completely covered but tonight when I went in to check before locking up they had put a larger piece of paper over the eggs and the eggs were covered completely when I removed the paper the eggs felt cold. A few of the eggs were definitely fertile so to check them out I brought all the eggs in and put them into the incubator to get them warm again. 

    In the morning I'll check the eggs using the ovascope and any that have survived I'll put them back into the nest box and remove the          quicko paper from the cage and use another type of floor covering.

    There is an odd situation with the  size of eggs laid.  In the nest are very large eggs, normal size eggs and the smallest size of  egg I've ever seen.  This photo makes the eggs look larger but believe me the smallest one is TINY

    56a7f87f62035_crestedPenguinsJanuary26th

    Emmy

  24. Posted

    Sarah re the glue gun you use is that the same type used  for craft work or is it a stronger glue ? (It's glue sticks I put into my glue gun)I'm needing to fix some things in my inside flight too but didn't think the glue I used in the craft glue gun I have  would be strong enough.

    Emmy