FINCHforum

Ok, I wasn't planning on trying to breed my cbs (I have two pairs), but caught a wierd movement out of the corner of my eye the other day to find one of the males hopping his little heart out! I currently just have wicker tubes in the cage that they share with a pair of shaft tails, so I added a covered wicker nest and coconut fiber. Well, the shaft tails are now setting up housekeeping in the covered nest (I may have more chicks than I counted on!), but the cbs chose one of the wicker cone/tube nests and are currently stuffing it full of nesting material. This afternoon I noticed my OTHER male doing his hop dance - good golly! One pair loves mealies, and the other won't touch much except seed and veggies (no proteins). Same advice as for the orange-cheeks - lots of whatever protein I can get them to eat? I shouldn't let them nest, but I can't resist love!

Hilary

Hilary wrote:I shouldn't let them nest

What is this crazy-talk?

as for the disinterest in livefood and soft food, you should find that once they have chicks in the nest, you will suddenly have trouble keeping up with demand...

That's good to know, Mad - thanks. I just placed another order for mealies! I actually watched one of my hens get started on laying an egg this morning - she finally disappeared into the nest (this will be the first egg for that pair). The other two set up the nest so I can't see in, but they've been sitting tight for about a week now.

I'm trying not to be overrun by chicks - I have everybody in flight and breeding cages right now! I'm hoping that if I keep chicks to the waxbills (well, and the shaft tails and goulds) that I'll be able to find homes for the ones I can't keep.

Hilary

As an update, the female I saw laying her first egg never laid any more. The other pair ended up with a full clutch, but none developed (probably because no nesting material UNDER the eggs). I cleared out the eggs, and they have since worked on a different nest and laid a single egg, showing no interest in it after that. The funny thing is, my female shaft tail has moved in and is sitting on the one egg! I have societies on a nest of owl eggs, a shaft tail on a CB egg (her choice, not mine), and my black headed nun has paired up with a society hen (he and the BH hen I bought him do not appear to like each other at all, could be the result of his less-than-gentlemanly conduct when I first put her in the cage). Talk about confusion in my flock!

Hilary