Jump to content

paulm

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    2,449

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by paulm

  3. Posted

    Hi Andy

     

    We've all have this at one stage or another myself included, I'm not sure why it happens but I've had it where my worst preforming hen one year turns out to be one of the best the following year. The only real way I have found to cope with this and other problems, is by having a lot of pairs down on eggs at the same time, this  allows me somewhere to foster the eggs or chicks from problem pairs to.

     

    Paul.

  10. Posted · Report reply

    Hi

     

    Having only seen the photo's of the hen I would 100% say Fawn, if you look a the photo below you can see they are similar in colour, you get a great deal of variation in colour with fawn and get light coloured birds such as the hen below.

    4ab0ddc3-a204-43de-bd8a-71bdb5265213_zps

    e81dd7b4-d55f-4f12-b225-bfb23c0e8598_zps

    100_9916_zpsf3c61949.jpg

     

    And below are some creams not owned or bred by myself but you can see what I mean by the dilution of the mutation affecting the dark brown markings, this happens to differing degree's depending on the level of dilution to the bird.

    g25.jpg

    g28.jpg

  11. Posted

    Hi

     

    I Like to watch the chicks and make sure they are feeding themselves sufficiently and not just picking up seeds and dropping them, you can leave them as long as the parents are willing to feed them if you wish but with some pairs will try to chase off their chicks after a while, but your best to remove them once they are feeding themselves ok.

     

    Paul.

  17. Posted

    Hi

     

    A Zebra finch cock will mate his hen multiple time to ensure his genes are passed on, but it is know that a zebra finch hen can retain Sperm from previous mating's, this can sometime be an issue when they are captive bred as if the breeder switches the cock to quickly with out a gap which can lead to offspring being produced from the pervious cock bird, this can be impossible to detect if the cocks are of the same colour type.

     

     

    Paul.

  18. Posted

    Hi

     

    If the its the one with the pigeon picture on it I believe you can know use that one smaller cage birds or so the dosage instruction say on the  GJtitmuss site.

     

    I have to say £100 to get your birds look at is daylight robbery it should cost next to nothing to have them looked at was that an avian vet?

     

    Paul.

  20. Posted

    I would not replace the cock until either the hen stops sitting, or the eggs when sat for seven or more day look clear, or the hen has hatch the eggs and the resulting chicks are feeding themselves.

  22. Posted

    I Wouldn't put him back as the hen will either end up going for him again or she may abandon her eggs, if your lucky she may sit them on her own and they will be fertile but the odds are stacked against it.

     

    Paul.

  24. Posted

    Hi

     

     

    Vets tend to be all different prices to be honest, but you need to see an avian vet as most none avian vets don't have the same knowledge level as a avian vet who is a bird specialist, it would be very strange for a hen to pluck her own vent till she bleeds I have seen birds moulting who get what we call a blood feather which leaded to bleeding and birds who bleed from the tail area whilst moulting I had one a few weeks ago who is now fine.

     

    If it were my bird I would treat it for parasites as this could be another cause if it is in fact not the cock birds doing and treatment can be brought from most pet shops, a treatment such as Harka Mectin which is a drop place onto bare skin much like you do with a dog or cat for fleas  is what I would recommend.

     

     

    Paul.

    • Like 1

  25. Posted

    Hi

     

    As I said above she should be place into a cage of her own as it could be the cock who has done this and she is picking the area he has plucked its hard to say without seeing their behaviour, the other thing you can do it treat the bird with Harka Mectin in case of parasites and you need to see an avian vet.

     

    The hen in the top photo is a lightback coloured bird and yours looks to be a Chestnut flanked white.

     

    Paul.

    • Like 1