PIED FIRE FINCH PHOTOS

[wildbill]

These are my favourite pieds. breeding at the moment with young
flying.

[lovemyfinch]

They are beautiful

[L in Ontario]

Very pretty indeed! Where abouts are you and your fids located?

[MRobinson]

Love the pied markings, especially on the female. Thanks for sharing.

[Jodi]

They are beautiful! I love pieds.

[annague]

Thanks for posting the pictures, Graham!

Absolutely gorgeous birds! You must feel so proud!

If you get a chance take some more photos for us -- many of us love the pied gene. (Give my right arm for a few pieds like that. LOL).

What part of Australia are you from? (A couple of people have asked just out of curiousity).

[finchman101]

Wildbill lives about 5 hours drive from me, in the state New South Wales. I'm still yet to catch up with him, hopefully one day I will because I'm really intrigued to see his setup and all.

[nelloyello11]

I didn't know they existed in a pied variation. Absolutely beautiful!

[wildbill]

hi all.
including the finchman. he's right on target. in in nsw and about 3 hours from sydney.

didn;t want to excite them today. most have eggs or young so i shot the photos through the wire. there's a good view of the cock birds colourful rump and tail. they like the cordons love termites - especially when feeding young. i have about 10 pair normal fires - dont bother with livefood and they rear fine.
plenty of greens and fires are fine

father with young



side shot



rear



eating the termites

[finchmix22]

They are amazing! What do you do for successful breeding? I can't get my fires to sit on their eggs.

[wildbill]

i've never had trouble breeding fires - especially normals. apart from grass and feathers it could be diet related. you don't really require live food for them. the normals get none and the pieds are housed with cordons which are very hard to breed without live food. i travel 60 miles each week to collect termites. here's what i would do as it works for me on all my finches.

1kg finch mix
1 endive ( lettuce)
dice up several leaves off your endive then mix it with the dry finch mix.
next up half a cup of frozen corn and peas. microwave 90 seconds then into a blender. now don't over do this step. just a quick chop - not to soup.
one hard boiled egg - as above
mix the egg peas/corn together then add it to the finch mix.

if i can get a photo shortly - i will show you 8 or 10 fires into this. in fact all my birds get this daily - see photo

this might be worth a try - i feel you have nothing to loose

[finchmix22]

Thanks for the tip. I have not tried the frozen peas or corn, but do use the other foods. I mix Romaine lettuce over their seed mix with chopped carrots and broccoli and eggfood with ground pellets mixed into the egg mixture. What kind of nest do your fires use? Must they be in breeding cages or will they breed in a flight? Mine are in a flight right now, but I may move them to a breeding cage.

[wildbill]

chopped carrots and broccoli - mine wouldn't touch that so i'd get rid of it.try exactly what i have mentioned for a week. if your not happy back to your regular method.
mine are in a flighted outdoor aviary - they like very fine grass not coarse and plenty of white feathers. if you have not tried the feather - throw some in. the male will pick them up and start displaying.
this is what should happen straight away

[finchmix22]

He is so beautiful! My male has done the mating call or dance with coco fiber and an eaten up string of millet spray. I'll try your suggestions. Where do you get white feathers that are safe to use? Thanks.

[luisbet1032]

i've never had trouble breeding fires - especially normals. apart from grass and feathers it could be diet related. you don't really require live food for them. the normals get none and the pieds are housed with cordons which are very hard to breed without live food. i travel 60 miles each week to collect termites. here's what i would do as it works for me on all my finches.

1kg finch mix
1 endive ( lettuce)
dice up several leaves off your endive then mix it with the dry finch mix.
next up half a cup of frozen corn and peas. microwave 90 seconds then into a blender. now don't over do this step. just a quick chop - not to soup.
one hard boiled egg - as above
mix the egg peas/corn together then add it to the finch mix.

if i can get a photo shortly - i will show you 8 or 10 fires into this. in fact all my birds get this daily - see photo

this might be worth a try - i feel you have nothing to loose

[ http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac278/wildbill2010/DSCN1275.jpg ]

[ http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac278/wildbill2010/DSCN1276.jpg ]

[ http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac278/wildbill2010/DSCN1277.jpg ]

wildbill...what is the dark stuff in the 3rd pic.?????