Strawberry babies

[dfcauley]

Sally the oldest one looks great. I hope it will allow you to finish feeding it. So sorry for your difficulties with them because it seemed they were doing such a wonderful job!

[lovemyfinch]

If anyone can save them Sally, it`s you

[6finchfriends]

they are lucky to have you as their guardian angel!

[Queen_Bee]

Best of luck with them Sally. They really are cuties!

[Pukasand]

Wonderful job, Sally. I am so jealous. Mine have still not reproduced, though they have built a very 'feathery' nest. My older male died last week. I was so upset. He was my very favorite bird. He was so tiny, and vibrant and had the lungs of Sophie Tucker. Now, you'll have to be really, really old to remember Sophie.

[Sally]

I remember Sophie Tucker! Sorry you lost your older male, it seems like the older ones have the best songs--do you think they get better with age?

I am handfeeding both babies now, though with the oldest one, it is more like forcefeeding. It hates to be fed, I have to force the beak open, and then it acts like a little kid being forced to eat its spinach! The littlest one looks better today, and now talks to me when it is time to eat and willingly opens its beak. I think tomorrow I will set up a separate cage for them so I don't have to climb up on the top step of a three-step stepladder to feed them!

Mom and Dad will likely go to nest again, but I just hate to let them raise the babies. I guess the best thing is to let them raise the babies for a while, then I can take over and feed to weaning. It always surprises me when you have a pair that is feeding (look at those crops in the first pictures) and then stop feeding before their job is done. I still hope that it is because they are young, both 2010 babies.

[Pukasand]

I remember Sophie Tucker! Sorry you lost your older male, it seems like the older ones have the best songs--do you think they get better with age?

I think everything gets better with age. I do think the different strains of Strawberrys have a different song. The Chinese strain is much more variable and louder than the Indian strain. But that's just my opinion. I think the Chinese are more vibrant in their color, also. But, both beautiful and delicate.. and both favorites of mine.

[Sally]

The two babies are now in their own 12x16 cage, so today is stressful for them, being separated from their parents (even if the parents had been ignoring them). Both are being handfed, at least Teensy is handfed, Tween is forcefed. Teensy of course is so tiny, and Tween got its name because it is like a human tween--caught between being totally dependent on me yet wanting to be left alone! I'm just thankful I have finally gotten better at forcefeeding. I think Teensy looks a little better.

[finchmix22]

Sally,
They are just too cute and Love your names. Creative. So, how many strawberry chicks have hatched this breeding season? Am I right, four? or three? I am getting the posts mixed up. LOL. Congratulations of the cuties.

[Sally]

Actually Deborah, this pair has had four chicks, but I had to euthanize one, so three surviving chicks for now. For 2011, there are 7 so far. These three, then four others from my original breeding pair. This original pair is probably finished now, really just the male. He is Canadian closed-banded from 2005, and the last clutch of four hatched 1-13-11, after that they've had nothing but infertile eggs. I guess I'm going to have to break up the pair, as she is 2008, so a couple more years left to breed her.

The clutch of four is just now coloring out, and so far it looks like only one male and three hens--yippee!! On the advice of others, I put both a black light and a red light in my breeding room, and went from no hens at all to 3 out of 4 hens. Since hens are in short supply, I'm hoping to swap out for other bloodlines.

[finchmix22]

Sally,
That is great! So, how does the lighting help the sex of hatchings?

[Sally]

I had read somewhere that if you want more hens, put a black light in the room. Then an NFSS judge told me that I should put a red light to get hens. So I did both! Now I don't know which one did the trick, if either of them did it, but I was desperate for hens. The black light is a 48" fluorescent tube, while the red light was simply a 25w (or is it 60w) small incandescent bulb. I have recently replaced the incandescents with CFWs, the smallest wattage I could find. I have no idea how or why this works, if it does, or if it was just coincidence.

[finchmix22]

That is cool. I'm going to try that with my owls, maybe we can get some more hens. LOL
Actually, all my hatchlings this year, so far, are cocks. Lots of beautiful singers, but no mates for anyone from our flock. That's O.K. since I don't have any unrelated pairs, except for GS pairs.