Well, here is a copy of the topic there for you:
Gelatik Timor > European Society of Lonchura Breeders
How hard/easy to breed are Black Mannikins? Especially wild-caught ones.
I have just got 6 of them.
Mark Price
With many of these type of manikin, they pair up while still in juvenile plumage. Pair up adult birds is far less successful than with juvenile birds.
I'd place all birds together with coloured split rings, give them lots of cover from grasses and bamboos. If and when a pair start to show interest in nesting, remove the rest.
Lots of green millet and green rice if you can get it to stimulate breeding.
Gelatik Timor
Only 2 of mine are young, the others adults. Of course I keep them all together.
I am afraid to give my birds green rice due to heavy use of pesticides. They get soaked/sprouted seeds, though these ones have ignored it so far.
Gelatik Timor
Looks like not many members can chip in with personal experiences.
How common or rare is this species in Europe?
Mark Price
Very rare in Europe as far as I know. And in uk only ever heard of them a couple of times
David Williams
I would like to keep these but I've only seen 1 pair for sale at Zwolle a couple of years ago they looked like older birds
Gelatik Timor
Thanks.
Sounds like they are quite rare indeed. Or perhaps circulate among specialists only.
I was asking because someone told me that "in Europe they are bred like Societies and can't even be sold". Sounds like a bit of an overstatement.
David Williams
There was someone at Newark sale last year with a" wanted Lonchura Stygia" sign on his table i spoke to him & he told me there were very few breeders in Nl. & Belgium & he was struggling to find any birds
Simone Olgiati
Very hard to breed without society finch as foster parents
Andy Machin
I kept these birds for a number of years.
They were easy to keep and very sociable birds.
I unfortunately for most of the time only had cock birds. I eventually obtained an ageing hen off a friend. I managed to get one egg and reared one chick which was a cock bird!! They were easy to sex, the hen was very dull colouring on the tail and the black didn't have the deep gloss shine of the cock birds.
Every person I knew that had kept them had found them pretty easy to breed if you are lucky enough to get a pair.
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