Seagreen Pied Parrotfinch hens

[608duj]

These were bred by Rich in CA. I got them from Haider in WI when he had to relocate. Wonderful birds.

[lovezebs]

608duj

They are beautiful.

I wish I could grab one for my lonesome sex maniac Red faced PF. Can't find a female anywhere around here.

[isobea]

608duj - yes, they are very beautiful. Do you know if you have males/females? Do they all get along? The males are not relentlessly chasing the females? That's what I've always heard about parrot finches.

lovezebs - Elana, Rich only lives about 15 minutes away from me. But for the above mentioned reason I've never gotten into parrot finches. Well, that's not quite true. I have one male hybrid (red faced/blue faced) that I bought from a lady not far from here. She had this photo on craigslist and my husband fell in love with the bird. So far he's behaving himself. He also has a nice little song.
Iso

[608duj]

I separate my PF youngsters by sex as soon as I can, otherwise the hens can be traumatized/killed by the males competition. This is common behavior in birds of all species in a confined environment where the hens cannot escape by flying away to the next county.

The hens go in one flight and the males in another. They can be adjacent
but not in contact. Sexing youngsters is a continuing challenge with this species. I recently found an egg in the male flight, so removed what I thought was a perhaps ? hen. A week later there was another egg. Do not know if it was a new egg or an earlier laid egg that was hidden in the foliage scruff.

In general, the more longitudinal space the PFs have the less trouble you will have with dominant behavior.
For breeding cages I use one pair to a 3x3x2. It is normal courtship for a male to chase the hen, but when there are too many males chasing one hen she will be chased to death. Know your species before you set them up. Otherwise you are putting the hen into a potentially fatal situation.

[lovezebs]

isobea 608duj

My guy doesn't care which species or gender he nails, that's why I had to get him away from my poor Societies, he was driving them crazy.

He now lives with three Javas and a few Zebras. His next home might be the soup pot, if he doesn't start behaving himself .

[Stuart whiting]

I separate my PF youngsters by sex as soon as I can, otherwise the hens can be traumatized/killed by the males competition. This is common behavior in birds of all species in a confined environment where the hens cannot escape by flying away to the next county.

The hens go in one flight and the males in another. They can be adjacent
but not in contact. Sexing youngsters is a continuing challenge with this species. I recently found an egg in the male flight, so removed what I thought was a perhaps ? hen. A week later there was another egg. Do not know if it was a new egg or an earlier laid egg that was hidden in the foliage scruff.

In general, the more longitudinal space the PFs have the less trouble you will have with dominant behavior.
For breeding cages I use one pair to a 3x3x2. It is normal courtship for a male to chase the hen, but when there are too many males chasing one hen she will be chased to death. Know your species before you set them up. Otherwise you are putting the hen into a potentially fatal situation.

Very nice pied's you have there mate, I do very much like these parrot finches and have red faced parrots meself,

Very true words indeed

Be lucky

[isobea]

608duj - Thank you for describing your setup and how you handle their 'personalities'. One day I might attempt keeping a pair but right now I have a good, peaceful balance in my aviary and I would hate to upset that.

lovezebs - I can't believe he still causes some problems with your big javas around. I'm sure keeping an eye on my guy and he will be the first to go to a new home if he starts terrorizing any of the other birds.

[lovezebs]

isobea

He did try with the Javas, but it didn't go over too well for him. He kinda lost his tail in the attempt but it has since grown back again, lol.

Poor guy, he's desperate .

[isobea]

lovezebs - are there avian vets who could 'fix' him? Take the hormones away and he'd be a sweet little guy...
Iso

[608duj]

I do not want to discourage anyone from trying Parrotfinches. They are exemplary parents, and delightful birds if you keep them properly. Also, compared to their Gouldian relatives they are robust and easy keepers. I rarely lose a Parrrotfinch, juvey or adult, but with the Goulds they can be alive one minute and dead the next for no apparent reason.

[lovezebs]

isobea

Iso,

Hah hah haaah!!!

I sincerely doubt that you can neuter a sex maniac Parrot Finch.

[lovezebs]

608duj

I am very fond of Parrot Finches really, even my little Red Faced sex maniac, lol.

My Forbes pair, are absolutely enchanting, and I'd love to see them breed.

I would also love to get my hands on a pair of Blue Faced P.F.'s at some point.

[608duj]

I bred Forbes for several years and loved them. But there was no market for them in WI, and little serious interest outside of my area, so finally sold them all to someone that felt they had a market. Breeding compatibility can be difficult to achieve, and I had numerous babies that fledged with malformed feet.

[608duj]

I meant to attach this to previous post about
Forbes.

[lovezebs]

608duj

You mention breeding compatibility, not sure if I follow. Was it difficult to find compatible pairs?

Regarding the chicks with malformed feet, were the parents closely related to one another?

I would love to know more about your breeding experiences with the Forbes. What sort of nests they like to use, what types of foods gets them into breeding mode, what do they like to feed their chicks, etc. Do they need to breed young, like the Red Throats?

Would appreciate any bits of information that you're willing to share.