Purple Grenediers update....

[dfcauley]

This pair has been preening each other all day. They have had one clutch of fertile eggs, but didn't incubate properly.
Hoping for some eggs again. This time they will be snatched up and fostered!

[annague]

Question:

When you take away eggs to be fostered do you replace them with dummy eggs so that the parents are not alarmed by you raiding their nest?

When I've removed eggs to foster in the past I was worried that the true parents would eventually stop laying or begin to try to lay elsewhere because the BIG SCARY MONSTER kept taking their eggs?!

So.... I replaced with dummy eggs just thinking that if they would sit at all they wouldn't notice the different (but I actually think they did).

What is the general thinking on this?

By the way ... such appealing little birds and what a beautiful setting! Thank you for sharing your pictures.

[GOULDYGIRL]

Beautiful pair Donna!

Renee

[CandoAviary]

They are beautiful, Donna I sure hope you can get some offsprings

[L in Ontario]

Beautiful birds! Hope they can raise their own someday. Good luck with them.

Great information Fardad - you are like an encyclopedia on finches! Thank you

[dfcauley]

These birds do attempt to breed if the male is pushy enough but in most cases the eggs will be infertile. If the female’s beak color is not darkened (black/dark grey) it indicates that she is not ready to breed (however, she will mate and lay eggs). If the female is dominant then no breeding attempts will be done until she is ready; and in most cases those pairs almost always lay fertile eggs. Having that said if the female is the dominate one, she can be much more aggressive than the male (basically she will not hesitate to kill him) if the male is not willing to mate. So eyes need to be wide open when that beak colour starts to change (if the female is dominant). Of course it is your decision what to do with the eggs, what I can say (from personal experience) is that when the female is ready to raise a clutch she is very dependable in all aspects (sitting, feeding, and defending).
Great pictures by the way.
Good Luck!

Yes, thank you for any information that you have to offer. These birds have already built two nest. One had three fertile eggs, but they did not sit tight. The second time..... the eggs did not appear to be fertile, but again did not sit tight. This is why I thought fostering them would be the best thing to do so that we could get some more of them. They are very difficult to find.

I will watch them closely and make a decision. Thanks again for all info.

[lovemyfinch]

They are beautiful Donna

[B CAMP]

Great looking finches

[sierranomad]

Amazingly beautiful birds! If I remember, Monique's avatar is also Purple Grenedier. I like their looks even more than Gouldians. But don't think I'll be trying them anytime soon

[Domenic]

Very beautiful.

[mahfuz alam]

nice looking finches thanks for sharing pics.

[Sally]

Donna, great pictures of the pair! Keeping my fingers crossed for babies.

Fardad, thank you so much for all the information on Purple Grenadiers. I have a mate coming for my lonely hen, and as soon as I read your post, I ran and looked at her beak. It is darker at the top of the beak, just below the nares, I hope it means she is coming into condition. Of course, he will have to go thru quarantine--how long does the hen stay in breeding condition?

[Sally]

Thanks again, Fardad. I looked back at photos I took of this hen when I got her last April, and her upper beak was dark 3/4 of the way down to the tip. Now it is just a line of dark just below the nares, so she is going out of breeding condition, it seems. Oh, well, this will give them plenty of time to bond.

[monotwine]

Beautiful pair!!!
We will hold thumbs they breed fertile eggs. I keep learning, so thanks for sharing the info on their breeding. Wow I am now almost glad I don't have a hen. I can just imagine that with my luck I will get a pshyco hen and that in a mixed aviary. I fear Ol Tappy will just have to remain a bachelor for now.

[cartel]

Great pic of them in the forest Wish you luck when the eggs come round