Darn Strawberries!!

Post by **Sally** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 1:28 am

My first pair of Strawberries are coming back into breeding condition. Pair #2 has now gone out and are resting. Pair #1 ignored my wicker nest and built a lovely nest on top of a plastic plant, but it wasn't as great as it looked--it fell apart one day, spilling 6 eggs all over the floor. I tried to salvage them, but lost them anyway. I rearranged things in the cage, they built nest #2 in another plastic plant and have been sitting. Today, I found the nest fallen apart again, and 5 eggs on the floor of the cage. I tried to steady the nest, put the eggs back in, but I'm quite sure it will be another loss.

I think I will take all the plastic plants out of the cage, which will force them to use an artificial nest. I will give them a choice of a wicker nest or a plastic nestbox, and provide them with plenty of nesting material. The male just isn't using enough material to build his nests--they look good from a distance, but actually are pretty flimsy.

On a sad note, I lost another Strawberry juvie today. Couldn't find one in the cage, and finally found him wedged in the bars at the top of the cage--he was hidden by the plastic ivy I had on top of the cage. It looks like a freak accident--I'm thinking he may have flown up into the bars in a night fright, perhaps, and got so wedged he couldn't free himself, and I couldn't see him. Always something.

Edited title--kids are on here!

jamezyboo21 · Post by **jamezyboo21** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 2:58 am

Awe...Sorry for your loss. I have been trying to get Strawberries forever now and no one close enough has any. It's like im the only person in Pensacola and surrounding areas that has a variety of finches everyone near me only has zebras. Do you have any trips coming up in the near future that would have you coming near pensacola? Lol, im going to Atlanta September 5th and i know someone from craigslist that is giving a mated pair of rccb for only $60 Someone else up there has 3 for $75 but I think all i need is that one pair.

poohbear · Post by **poohbear** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 4:44 am

Hecks Grassfinch can be little devils for making unsafe nests...I've lost many eggs.
I make the habit now of watching for stray nests,and when they are nearly complete I try to add support under the nest.With the nest in my pic (If you can make it out) I have slid pieces of branch between the wires for support and safety.
May I suggest a saucer size piece of wire mesh under the nest,held in place with bits of wire.They may object to the interference but it's better than smashed eggs.
Paul.

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 6:11 am

you could try putting the wire pieces Paul suggested in places that they have built nests previously, maybe they will build there again with the wire base. this way may help with some of the more nervous species

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Sun Aug 24, 2008 7:19 am

Oh Sally I am so sorry....... My goldbreasted were doing that in the top of a tree. I finally put a canary nest UNDER their nest they had made to support it. They accepted that and had three little babies. Hopefully they will try again. Poor little things... they are trying aren't they? Good luck!!

yu016 · Post by **yu016** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 5:50 pm

Sorry! to hear about the strawberry chick loss Sally.

Last year was a real tragic year for my strawberry breeding efforts as I had two- 2 chick nests destroyed by a pair of straw-tailed wydah before I could figure out what was going on. This year so far 2 nest of 4 infertile eggs by 2 pairs and the third is building a nest right now.

-Bilal.

hfentj · Post by **hfentj** » Mon Aug 25, 2008 7:47 pm

Sorry to hear of your loss Sally. My societies are giving me fits, I hope I got them straighten out. I had to take the young out of the small nest they were in and put them in a bigger one. I found one hanging out the nest by its leg and one they kept throwing out. But as of today all seems well, parents are feeding them. Good luck with yours.

sharon · Post by **sharon** » Mon Sep 01, 2008 11:21 pm

You are so lucky to have your strawberries nesting. I had onepair that had a clutch and then the mom died. The second pair have never had any. I purchased a couple others and i'm hoping to get some babies soon Whats your secret?

Sharon

Post by **Sally** » Thu Sep 04, 2008 11:57 pm

No special secrets, in fact, everything I have read about the Strawberries says they do better in a large flight or aviary than cage breeding, and I am cage breeding! Pair #1 tossed 1 clutch, but I salvaged one to foster to Societies. Pair #2 produced 2 clutches, all fostered to Societies. So I have yet to have parent-raised birds, but that is not my priority right now, quantity is! Pair #1 lost two clutches now to nests falling apart, so I have started them all over. They have NO plants inside the cage, all the plants are tied to the outside to give them privacy. I placed an open wicker canary nest, a hooded wicker nest, and a plastic nestbox to give them a choice, and they have started building a nest on top of the canary nest--thank goodness, that should give enough support to their nest. I will watch it, and add a wire platform underneath, or better yet, just slip branches under like poohbear does.

I wouldn't be surprised if they toss, so I may remove any eggs they have to fosters--if I can get my fosters to cooperate! I have two cages of Societies set up with three males in each cage, dummy eggs in the nest, and all they do is sleep in the nest at night and ignore the eggs during the day. I really would recommend fostering if you can get your Strawberries to breed. Once you have the first generation that is raised by Societies, perhaps they will be better parents.

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 7:42 am

have to ask what you mean by this Sally

So I have yet to have parent-raised birds, but that is not my priority right now, quantity is!

are you trying to breed at the moment just to get the number of birds up?
I'm not having a go at you in any way, just dont understand what you were trying to say

Post by **Sally** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 4:28 pm

Since both my pairs of Strawberries have tossed, I'm doing the fostering just to get live babies. Some breeders are emphasizing using fosters, reasoning that the important thing right now is to get the numbers up, then once there are more birds available, we will have the luxury of letting the parents try to raise their own. I'm certainly not running a 'finch mill', like the puppy mills

, but if I hadn't fostered when I did, I don't believe I would have a single Strawberry baby today. Robert Black, a big expert in the US, says that his experience has been that the fostered babies, especially of the more difficult species, often are better and less demanding at rearing than their own parents were--wouldn't that be wonderful!

mickp · Post by **mickp** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 9:39 pm

thanks Sally, good luck with the breeding

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 7:11 am

Sally,
Congrats on all your success with your strawberry finches. Good for you!
BTW, aren't you going to be at a bird fair this month? If so, good luck with that also. Will you be selling any of your strawberry finches? I am sure if you are you will have no problem with that.

My little male just sings and sings. I am still looking for him a mate, with no success.

Post by **Sally** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:29 am

Yes, I am going to a bird fair this coming weekend, but I'm not taking any Strawberries at this time. This may sound snobbish, but I don't want any of these precious birds to be bought by someone who just wants a 'cute' pet to stick in a tiny cage all by itself to just decline. Plus, I haven't had time to figure out hes and shes! They are in my double flight cage, and there is a lot of singing coming from there. It's wonderful to listen to, but I sure hope there are some hens in this group. Every time I go near the cage, they stop singing, so I will probably have to catch them up one at a time, put them in a separate cage in another room, and wait to see if they sing. Once I have all the definite males singled out and banded with blue 'boy' bands, I think I will probably DNA the others. These seem to be very slow to reach sexual maturity, and I sure wouldn't want to sell someone a hen that later turns out to be a male.

dfcauley · Post by **dfcauley** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 4:52 pm

Sally wrote: This may sound snobbish, but I don't want any of these precious birds to be bought by someone who just wants a 'cute' pet to stick in a tiny cage all by itself to just decline. .

Doesn't sound snobbish at all. It sounds like you really care about the birds.

Good luck at the fair!

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