Emmy 528 Report post Posted November 15, 2014 I bought 2 pairs of BC when I was at Stafford: 1 pair of white BC and 1 pair of pied BC. When I paired them up I put-- 1. bc white hen with a bc pied cock 2. bc pied hen to a bc white cock. The bc white hen laid 5 eggs and one has hatched out this morning The other pair (No 2.) laid 2 eggs and it stayed that way for almost a week just 2 eggs! Today when I checked their nest there are now 5 eggs in the nest but I doubt if the first two laid will hatch out. Problem is I don't know which 2 eggs were the first to be laid so I'll just have to wait and see what happens. Be interesting to see what colours emerge from those pairings. (My owl finches have 3eggs in their nest-- I have 3 owl finches in that cage -I had no idea what sex they were but now I know I have at least one female- fingers crossed one of the other two is a male.) Emmy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andyn 534 Report post Posted November 15, 2014 Emmy, You should get BC Pied and BC White. But I paired white to pied early in the summer and got 6 Pied (5 hens and one cock) Not one white. I think marking eggs is the best way, that way you will know which egg is clear. If you candle them now and any show fertile they will probably be the early two. Andy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
birdman 28 Report post Posted November 15, 2014 hi emmy I bet you get some cracking birds from those pairing its like a bird lottery not knowing what colour will pop up and if you don't no if there split for any other colour its every one guess what you could get. you will be going to have some exciting time watching your chicks colour to see what you get. good luck and keep us all informed of the outcome richard Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Emmy 528 Report post Posted November 15, 2014 Thanks Andy I'm a bit apprehensive about marking the finches eggs I'd probably be left with no eggs in the nest. I didn't think there would be much of a chance with those first two eggs hatching out being laid for a while before the others. Would be nice to get some white BC but I'll be happy with any kind. I've no idea what those other 5 chicks from the BC fawn and BCnormal/split will turn out to be, after last nights episode (blog) I'm a bit apprehensive to try to get photographs of them but looking closely at the photo I took it looks like at least one of them has quite a lot of white feathers. I'll keep updating this to let you know what happens. Emmy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Emmy 528 Report post Posted November 15, 2014 Hi Richard, I'm really quite excited about the BCs That's 3 pairs that's laid. Now I'm wishing I still had the cages in the house rather than in the shed-- In the house its easier to catch chicks if any escape from the nest (lol) As much as I want to bring them back indoors I cant because I've got 5 adult cockatiels and four young cockatiels in the house at the moment + 2 canaries and my pair of gouldians! I'm having great fun with the cockatiels teaching them to talk -so far 3 of them are 'talking' (I'll say no more ) Emmy 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
birdman 28 Report post Posted November 16, 2014 hi emmy you got a lot going on again haven't you lol .I think we all wish we had room to do things we like to do but we cope anyway good thing zebs are hardy little birds.when I had cockatiels I learned mine to woolf whistle at the wife lol good alarm call for me as well . well done with all your breeding and hope for lots more fun for you with them richard Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Emmy 528 Report post Posted November 16, 2014 Hi Richard My grandson took this short clip of one of my cockatiels its asking for a kiss (In Scottish of course -Gees a kiss) :lol: http://vid1285.photobucket.com/albums/a590/Emmy1851/Baboo%20sound_zpsm7px96uy.mp4 Emmy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
birdman 28 Report post Posted November 16, 2014 very good emmy its great how they can pick all sorts things up, mine favourite phrase was (what you doing ) hlole would say that all the time over and over again until you replied back to him.what else are you learning yours to do next richard Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Emmy 528 Report post Posted November 16, 2014 That one on the short clip is Baboo and he was the first one to 'talk' and I think its because the other young ones have been close to his cage they have picked up 'words/phrases' from him but the others are now beginning to say things that I say e.g. Whenever I go to the inside aviary with the 4 in it I always 'talk' to each of them so they will recognise their names and one of them the other day came out with, "Where's Beano" so its picked that up from me. What I am trying to do at the moment is to get one of the two young ones that has just started to 'Talk' to say two girls names. Those two young cockatiels have been sold but I've agreed to keep them until nearer Xmas because they have been bought for the girls' Xmas present and mum wants it to be a surprise. Just thought it would be an extra surprise if they heard the bird saying their names. I find it very difficult to part with any of them but so far the ones I have sold have gone to excellent homes and that matters to me. I do ask what they have prepared for them etc. If I have any concerns about the birds not going to be looked after properly I would have no hesitation not to let them go. Just wonder why my zebra finches haven't started to talk yet? Emmy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrMe3257 28 Report post Posted November 17, 2014 Its great your doing that for them kids, they'll be over the moon on christmas. In regards to the finches if they could talk they'd be like the seagulls in finding nemo "mine,mine,mine" Stephen 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andyn 534 Report post Posted November 17, 2014 Emmy, You've heard the expression' Why Keep a Dog and bark your self' so the zebbies probably say ' Why keep a Cockatiel and Talk your self' 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Emmy 528 Report post Posted November 17, 2014 Its great your doing that for them kids, they'll be over the moon on christmas. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed Stephen but the girls may have more luck themselves as the birds get a bit older, but its worth a try. I'd like to be there to see them on Xmas morning- I was told one of the girls has wanted a bird for a long time and she had been saving up birthday money etc. but she had been told it wasn't Ok to get one and she was very disappointed. In regards to the finches if they could talk they'd be like the seagulls in finding nemo "mine,mine,mine" I can just picture that scene :rofl: You've heard the expression' Why Keep a Dog and bark your self' so the zebbies probably say ' Why keep a Cockatiel and Talk your self' :rofl: Andy Those little finches are just smart enough to think that way- the first one I hear talking it will be getting taught to say- BE QUIET!! Emmy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrMe3257 28 Report post Posted November 17, 2014 Aww what, she must have been very disappointed when she got told no bird. I still feel disappointed when my mother tells me I cant have anymore although i do have 19 finches,3 bengelese and 3 cockatiels but I still buy more anyhow. I picked up a penguin male in the pet shop not so long ago. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Emmy 528 Report post Posted November 18, 2014 I still feel disappointed when my mother tells me I cant have anymore although i do have 19 finches,3 bengelese and 3 cockatiels but I still buy more anyhow Had to have a wee laugh at your post Stephen -you're exactly like me but its not my mother that says that its my sons and daughters that keep saying that to me! Goodness knows what would happen here if one of my sons was like you - doubt if I ever would say NO to more birds. Emmy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrMe3257 28 Report post Posted November 18, 2014 Haha Youd probably end up having to expand the aviary every few months. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Emmy 528 Report post Posted November 18, 2014 Sad news tonight when I was checking the cages I checked the BC white hens nest box and found only one live chick and another two that had hatched were dead - that's the 3rd chick that has died in that nest just after hatching I got the feeling the chicks had got tangled in the nesting material I'm beginning to wonder if its the nesting material I'm using and the chicks are getting caught in it? I've mostly used moss before but this time I've just given them ? -- sure it said on the packet 'animal hair' but it was sold as nesting material There is still one more egg not hatched yet and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the chick that's alive will survive. I was tempted tonight to pop it into the Bengies nest but I've had a bit bother with the owl finches and tonight when I was feeding them I checked the nest and their eggs were cold so what I did I removed the 4 Hecks eggs from the Bengies (those eggs were clear no chance of them hatching )and I put 3 of the owl finches eggs into the nest and left two eggs with the owl finches-- Just 'sod's law' just after I transferred the eggs the owl finches were back on their nest again!!. If the eggs get cold for a short period is there a possibility they could still hatch out? Those poor Bengies wont know if they are coming or going- really surprised at just how quickly they take to other birds eggs. I must get another pair very handy to have and they are lovely wee birds in their own right. In the other BC nest box there are no eggs hatched as yet. I think it may be too late to change the nesting material so should I offer them some different nesting would that maybe help to stop the same thing happening in that nest?? I still think its easier to look after children!!!!! Emmy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Emmy 528 Report post Posted November 18, 2014 Just been out checking the inside flight to make sure the CPQ were OK-- I put them in there today. The birds in the inside flight were all OK but what a 'racket' they were all making! Then I checked the BC white hen's nest box (its on the outside of the cage so its easy to have a peek and not disturb the birds) both the adults were out of the nest box at the time. I didn't like what I saw the only chick that had been alive earlier on wasn't moving when I picked it up it was also very cold. Good job my hands were warm so I blew on the chick a few times and kept it covered in my hands and after a few seconds I thought I felt a slight movement so I just kept it in my hands for about 5 minutes and it seemed I may have just got it in time. I just didn't know what to do for best because I thought by the time I got the incubator set up and the time it would have taken to reach the correct temperature to give the chick a 'jump start' and then the same would apply to a brooder being set up it would take too long, also it looked like it hadn't been fed. I know I have fed chicks that size before but this poor wee thing didn't have much going for it. My final thought: it would have to be ME taking over or putting my trust in the Bengies. I finally decided it would have a greater chance of surviving with the Bengies so I popped it into their nest which I knew would be warm because both birds had been sitting on the eggs I put there earlier. So with the eggs being warm and the two Bengies on the nest at least the wee chick would be kept warm. I'm just hoping that they will start to feed it but maybe I'm hoping for too much - only time will tell. Maybe this was the BC first time breeding - I know I was told they were 2014 birds but maybe they have been too young to breed just now. Emmy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Emmy 528 Report post Posted November 19, 2014 Checked the Bengalese this morning but the chick was dead. I'm trying convince myself that the same would have happened if I had hand fed it. Now waiting to find out if the other two will hatch their eggs. They have started incubating them. Emmy . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites