FINCHforum

Three more healthy ones 'practising tree landings' with the odd 'THUMP!' as they miss the target.
Paul.

That's a great picture!
I love grassfinches, BUT I have a male that is about to have to GO from my aviary. He has become rather agressive and I am beginning to reconsider if they belong in a mixed aviary. He did well for a year. I also have four fledgings that are weaned and about to be rehomed in two weeks. All except for one of them and he cannot fly. His wings are drooped down. Have you ever see this? He is perfectly healthy otherwise and can get around by hopping up on the laddered perches that I have made for him. He manages to keep up with the others except for ever once in a while you will hear the "thump" where he has missed the perch. I am going to keep him in a cage and try to find an appropriate "friend" to leave in there with him. Any suggestions?

It seems that I can't get a complete clutch of healthy , problem free birds lately.

Correction...I missed this little devil...he 'aint made it to a perch yet.So that's 4.

With regard to your bird with droopy wings DF. This lousy picture was of a gouldian chick a year ago...wings drooping and trembling.He never did fly and is in my casualty cage with a couple of others.He's grown into a fine Orange head male and sings his head off all day.But....he looks like a scarecrow with wing feathers at all angles...shame.
Paul.

That is exactually the way his little wings look. He appears quite happy now that I have fixed his perches so that he can hop and be with his siblings. It is a shame.

A question.... Is tha some type of plexi-glass that you have got around the outside of the cage? I was trying to figure out what to put around my cage in my classroom to hold down on such mess. Also, what is in the bottom of the cage? I use newspaper......but it has to be changed EVERYDAY.....

I would like that kind of correction,nice looking finches, every time I see new pictures I want some of them but I guess you cant keep all of them[but would like to try]

dfcauley wrote:
A question.... Is tha some type of plexi-glass that you have got around the outside of the cage? I was trying to figure out what to put around my cage in my classroom to hold down on such mess. Also, what is in the bottom of the cage? I use newspaper......but it has to be changed EVERYDAY.....

Pictures deceiving that's just the bars out of focus.Don't forget my cages are the box variety with only open fronts, so not much flies out.I use newspaper.
Paul.

I've just realised you may be asking what's on the floor in the picture of the Hecks chick....that's a wood based chip made over here for stables...I only use it in my flights ...not cages.

oh, okay..... thanks!

Further Correction...There's 5 of 'em, yet another appeared out the nest this morning.

Congrats poohbear, looks like your hecks pair is doing a brilliant job. Are they normals of cinnamon? I've never seen a cinnamon fledgling so not too sure when they start colouring. Is taht a pine tree branch I can see on the first pic?

williep wrote:Congrats poohbear, looks like your hecks pair is doing a brilliant job. Are they normals of cinnamon? I've never seen a cinnamon fledgling so not too sure when they start colouring. Is taht a pine tree branch I can see on the first pic?

Hiya,
They're normals split for fawn....but no fawns this time.

I use fresh pine branches in my flights in the spring...they just about last through the summer when i scrap them and start again.
Paul.

poohbear wrote:With regard to your bird with droopy wings DF. This lousy picture was of a gouldian chick a year ago...wings drooping and trembling.He never did fly and is in my casualty cage with a couple of others.He's grown into a fine Orange head male and sings his head off all day.But....he looks like a scarecrow with wing feathers at all angles...shame.
Paul.

My little shaftail with the droopy wings is flying!!

His wings still droop down some and he is not such a great flier, but he can get from the bottom of the cage to the top perch without the help of the other perches. No more hopping! I was going to take him to my classroom along with a silverbill which has a deformed foot and couldn't perch. But now she is perching very well and he is flying. So I suppose I will let them out into the aviary. Don't have the heart to keep them in a cage when they are doing so well.
BTW Poohbear, how did the little fledging do that was puffed up a little bit?
Did it live?

Still with us ...still puffed up and saggy wings...the next couple of weeks will tell.His siblings have nearly stopped begging now...The crunch comes when the parents stop feeding.Big difference between his tight feathered brothers/sisters and him/her.
Paul.






Taken ten minutes ago....

Hope he makes it! Keep us posted. Mine has wings that looked exactually like his does, but he wasn't so puffy. Maybe he will keep eating on his own by watching his siblings for example.

I've been watching him/her,he has a system.Sit in the feed pot and peck at what you're sat in....plus when Mom calls to feed you're already in position to do a bit of begging.
Paul.