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Aspen

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Posts posted by Aspen

  3. Posted

    Today would be the first day of possible hatching in a clutch. This morning there were 4 eggs in the nest.  This evening there was one chick and 2 eggs.  There is 1/2 an egg shell on the bottom of the cage.  Where did the other egg go?  I can see them eating the shell, but would they eat an almost ready to hatch chick too?

     

    (There were 5 eggs originally - one which I rescued from a seed cup laid before I put the nest in.  One day one was broken and on the floor of the cage.  But one had looked not fertile, so I assumed that was it.)   

  6. Posted

    How long do you try to get one pair to nest if they just don't like each other.  I have a male and female I would really like to get at least one clutch from.  I have put them together twice.  The first time she immediately laid 5 fertile eggs and was sitting well on them from egg #3.  Then the male decided he had to chase her back to the nest every time she came out.  She didn't get the hint and abandoned the nest totally.  Eventually she had enough of him picking on her and she started after him.  After a couple weeks I removed them both and tested the now dead eggs.  

     

    This time I put them together.  She immediately laid one egg, but never sat, never laid more.  I removed it after 2 weeks.  If it was fertile it never developed at all.  I see him chasing her.  I see her chasing him.  On the rare occasion I see them sitting together on a perch.  I see her in the nest some times.  I occasionally see him in the nest.  Never together.  They have been together since before Christmas.

     

    Any suggestions?  Do I leave them longer and hope?  Do I just give up and pair them with other mates?  Do i separate them for a while and try again?  Looking for suggestions from experienced breeders who had dealt with something like this before. Thanks.

  7. Posted

    I know the original damage was done by the chick's father as he plucked another one almost bald, but the crashing around has further damaged them.  Since there are new ones coming in (see the three blood feathers close to the bend of the wing) I know she is moulting.  But - will the rest of the feathers come in now (moulting from inside to outside of wing) or are they done and these are the last ones to come in (outside to inside of wing).  I don't want to go pulling feathers if they are close to coming out naturally.

  8. Posted

    Here's a couple of pictures of the wing with feather damage.  There are definitely worse than when I last pulled her out and checked, which explains why she isn't getting around even as well as she used to.  Looks like she is growing a few new feathers.  Do they start from the inside of the wing to the long flight feathers at the other end, or vice versa?  If it is the first, then I can leave her alone and she should change soon.  If it is the latter - there's a lot of feathers there to pull...

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  9. Posted · Report reply

    I have a couple hens for sale at the moment.  Of course, I live in Canada...

     

    Here is a picture of one of my males and a couple of his female chicks when bred to a hen split to Isobel.  Both of these are fawn and have a split to orange breasted as well.  The male is full Black Breasted and the females are at least split BB.  Not sure if they are split or full BB.

     

    Though they look the same, the genetics of Isobel and Florida Fancy are different.  Both remove the black on a bird, so all you see is the brown/orange coloring.  Isobels are fully recessive - carriers of the gene show nothing until they get both copies and then are full Isobel.  Florida Fancy is a co-dominant gene.  One copy of it half reduces the black, so you get a silver look.  They call them Florida Silvers.  Full Florida Fancies look the same as Isobels.  Apparently if you cross Isobels and Florida Fancies, you get even white birds yet with the full orange.  Here is a link that explains it better than I can:  http://www.efinch.com/species/ffxisabelzeb.htm

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  10. Posted

    When do chicks change over their flight feathers for the first time?  I have a November chick with one wing which looks like it was clipped - by the dad.  Most of the flight feathers on that wing are affected.  She still crashes in the cage a lot.  How long till she gets new feathers and can really fly?  

  11. Posted

    Thanks for your response.  No bengalese to foster.  Just zebra's here.  Pretty bad if I have to foster zebras!!  Maybe I can get another pair to raise them...

     

    I was thinking I would wait a bit before I put the nest back.  Any idea how long might be advisable?  Does it matter at all?

  12. Posted

    A bit of a long story.  I had a pair together for a few weeks with other birds, then removed the others and left the pair in the same cage.  Waited 3 weeks to make sure eggs would all be from these two birds, then put in a nest.  Experienced male, first time hen.

     

    Hen laid 5 eggs within about a week and a half and was incubating well.  Male decided that hen needed to be in the nest 100% of the time.  (He has done this with a previous clutch but not till the chicks were hatched and well along.)  So he started chasing her badly.  But she didn't go in the nest - just back and forth in the cage towards the bottom.  Nest is up top.  Male kept popping back into the nest and then back out to chase the female some more.  He stayed in the nest overnight and she stayed out for the first time.

     

    After a day or so of this she got fed up and started fighting with him.  Then she was chasing him around - her on the upper perches, him on the lower.  After about a day of that, they pretty much called it a draw and quit fighting - but both left the nest alone.  I pulled it a few days later - all fertile eggs.

     

    So... how long should I wait before I put a nest back in.  I would really like at least one clutch from this pair as they have genetics I want to check out.  What are the chances they will be successful this time?  Or will they fight/chase/abandon again?  Any experiences, anyone?

     

    Thanks. 

  21. Posted · Report reply

    No,  I actually don't have a cell phone.  It is a Nikon D3000, but I'm not the photographer in the family.  I just get to use the camera sometimes.

     

    In the last couple days you can see the chestnut feathers on the side coming in on the dark grey chick, so he's definitely male.  I'm sure the light grey is a female, but I honestly can't tell if she is grey or fawn.  She will look like either depending on the light.  Any guesses as to what she really is?