Blue Breasted Cordon Bleu/ Cordon Bleu ???

[ranchnanny]

I purchased a pair (so we thought) of Cordon Bleu's one was a RCCB and the other is a BBCB only to find out they were both males. I purchased a CB hen and sold the RCCB so I have the BBCB and a CB hen the problem is the BBCB pays no attention to the hen. Is there any difference between the BBCB and a CB? I don't know what to do they are both active but pay no attention to one another. The male sings but the hen does not respond to his song.,,,,
Is there anything I should do? Am I doing something wrong. They are both in the flight cage and get along fine with the other finches.

[finchmix22]

I am not positive, but I suspect that the bbcb wants the same type of cordon blue. There are small differences in behaviors, size and coloring, so maybe he really just wants his own kind. Maybe someone with bbcb and bccb's can respond better. I have rccb's only, so not sure about he others, except from what I've read here.

[ranchnanny]

When you see hens how do you know if they are RCCB or BBCB hens??

[MRobinson]

In all three (BBCB, RCCB, and BCCB) the females are paler in color intensity than the males.

BBCB (Blue Breasted Cordon Bleu) both male and female have a grayish/silver beak. Females are noticibly paler in color than the males.

Pictures of both male and female BBCB - http://monacoeye.com/birds/index_files/ ... axbill.php

RCCB (Red Cheek Cordon Bleu) both male and female have rosey color beaks. Both have brown on the top of their heads. Males have red cheek patches. Female the blue on the face barely goes over the eye area with the brown covering the rest of the top of the head.

Male and Female RCCB - http://www.thatcutesite.com/uploads/201 ... birds1.jpg

BCCB (Blue Capped Cordon Bleu) both male and female have rosey color beaks. Male has blue covering the top of the head. Female has blue well covering the eye area and going up partway on the side of the head towards the top, with brown covering the rest of the head.

Male and Female BCCB - http://www.theonlinezoo.com/img/18/toz18115l.jpg

[ranchnanny]

Mary here are photos of my two CB.
Can you tell me which CB they are. Do RCCB males have to breed with RCCB hens? Can RCCB, BBCB hens mate with opposite males? My male sings all the time so maybe the hen is not the same BBCB that is why she doesn't respond.

My Hen


My Male

[ranchnanny]

Mary with the info and seeing the photos of the two CB I think my hen is a RCCB..... What do you think?

[trentfysty]

Sherry, how old are your birds? With the tips of their beaks having the black it may be that they are just too young yet to breed. If they are under a year I would just give them some time and see if she develops interest. Just looks like they are not quite old enough to breed.

Also, what type of song is he singing? The mating song is quite a bit different from the everyday song that they sing. Also has he done is bouncing on the perch with nesting material in his mouth? If he hasn't then give it time. If he has and she doesn't respond by bouncing and singing then she is not in the mood.

[MRobinson]

If I had to guess I'd say your female is an RCCB, due to the rosey beak and narrow coloring over the eye. Your male seems to have a rosey beak as well. How old is he? If he's still young and hasn't gotten his adult coloring yet I'd say he's a BCCB since he doesn't have red patches. If he's young, his head will color out when he has his molt into adult colors (around 5-6 months old). Young Cordon Bleus are colored like females. If he's older than 6 months....and please don't hate me for saying this...I'd say "he" looks like a female RCCB and you might have 2 females, one just being a darker blue. Both males and females can and do sing... But I really do think it's more that he's just young still, and if so he's too young to be breeding yet anyway.

My understanding is it's very hard to find BBCB in the U.S., though they are considered the common variety in Africa. In the States RCCB are the most commonly available, with BCCB being harder to find, then the BBCB being somewhat rare. I only know the differences because a breeder showed me on live birds and because I did a lot of research before getting mine. I am not an expert on them by any means!

The three kinds can and will cross breed but it's frowned upon because then they are not pure but hybrids. It's common for the females to be misidentified since the RCCB and BCCB females are so close in coloring.

Here is a picture of my male before he colored out if it's of any help.

Belle (female BCCB) with Young Caruso (male BCCB) on 9/14/11



Adult Colored Caruso one month later on 10/15/11

[ranchnanny]

Well he sings and chirps really loud but does not jump with nesting material in his mouth. You may be right they may be young birds..... I'm in no hurry to have them breed I just want them to be happy. Thanks for all your help.....

[MRobinson]

I say wait a bit and see if he colors out, because I'm betting he's young and will turn into a beautiful male in his adult feathers! I love the intensity of his blue!

[ranchnanny]

Mary my male is about 2 years old according to the person I bought him from. She had the RCCB and my male for over a year trying to get them to breed.They built nest but no eggs.... The hen I have I don't know her age since I got her at a pet store. Time will tell....

[MRobinson]

Well, at least you know his age...and that explains the intensity of his beautiful coloring and that he's definitely a BBCB since he has no red cheek patches and brown on his head What you need to do now is either get a RCCB male for the female, get a BBCB female for your male, or both and pair both of yours up (in seperate cages). Maybe the breeder you got him from will have a female BBCB available?

[Sally]

I agree with Mary that it looks like you have a BBCB male. The RCCB hen has me a little confused, she is standing a bit upright for an RCCB and her body is more rounded than you normally see with RCCB hens, but that may just be because she is fluffed in this photo. Does she normally perch leaning a bit forward, with a longer, leaner body type?

I know a person in San Diego who has BBCBs for sale, but he has not shipped before. BBCBs have been available on the West Coast for a while, I have not seen them in my area, they are definitely less common than BCCBs or RCCBs.

Just because your male and hen are different species, they can still readily hybridize and usually do. They are still both CBs, and so closely related that it does not matter to them. If they haven't bred before, either they just haven't bonded, or their needs have not been met. You definitely need to get mates for them of the proper species.

[Ursula]

I agree with Mary that it looks like you have a BBCB male. The RCCB hen has me a little confused, she is standing a bit upright for an RCCB and her body is more rounded than you normally see with RCCB hens, but that may just be because she is fluffed in this photo. Does she normally perch leaning a bit forward, with a longer, leaner body type?

I know a person in San Diego who has BBCBs for sale, but he has not shipped before. BBCBs have been available on the West Coast for a while, I have not seen them in my area, they are definitely less common than BCCBs or RCCBs.

Just because your male and hen are different species, they can still readily hybridize and usually do. They are still both CBs, and so closely related that it does not matter to them. If they haven't bred before, either they just haven't bonded, or their needs have not been met. You definitely need to get mates for them of the proper species.

Maybe the female IS a hybrid??

[ranchnanny]

When she perches she looks like any other bird. I think she was looking down to the floor. I will keep my eyes open for mates for them. So I should find her a RCCB correct? And my BBCB should have what kind of hen? This is confusing.