A measly 2 eggs

[Smurf]

I weaned a clutch of 4 normals today (mother is sg pied and 2 chicks have yellow beaks) and had another clutch of 3 x seagreens fledge (both parents sg pied and all 3 have yellow beaks with 1 also having white outer flight feathers).

I just wish my gouldians would start producing chicks

@"Gráinne Barrett" do you know how old your RFPF's are and if the're a definate pair ?

[MariusStegmann]

Gráinne, I wish I knew how to pronounce your name. I thought that Gráinne has Blue Faced Parrots, a Latino and a normal. I would not keep Blue Faced with the Red Faced parrots. The blue would definitely rape the Red hens and you end up with sterile x breeds.

[MariusStegmann]

Smurf That is good going. If the chick has white on the wings it will be a nice pied after the first molt. I have decided to breed my own heavy pieds. It will take some time, but I have to take in account that I only got my first RFPF in the end of May 2014 and they were both cocks. Heavy pieds are not available in the Cape Town area, and the people who will sell wants far too much and I don't trust them much. The guy spoke about a heavy pied that was raised by owls and I won't accept birds that were not parent raised.

[Smurf]

MariusStegmann , both the pieds and seagreens are not that common over here either, i was just lucky to get the birds due to local dealers. I'm of the opinion that heavy pieds are generally old birds as i've yet to see a juvenile moult into a heavy pied

[MariusStegmann]

I have heard from breeders that their heavy pieds come out out the nest like that. Yes I know that light pieds will become more pied as it get older. Seagreens here are quite readily available.

[Gráinne Barrett]

I have both blue faced and red faced, the blue faced I have had a while but the red faced I got recently. They are young as far as I know and I think they are a pair. They are not housed with my blue faced anyway!

[Smurf]

Gráinne Barrett , i guess the blue faced are the lutino x blue faced in photo, do you mind me asking were you got the red faced and what colour the are ?, if the're a true pair 1 of them should be thrilling and if the're young then it could be that the're not mature enough to breed although the cocks generally get fairly frisky as soon as they finish juvenile moult

[Gráinne Barrett]

The blue faced parrots are the lutino and blue face in the photo but I got another blue face cock instead as my lutino wasn't keen on breeding! I still have him though...my red faced were purchased in Wicklow but I can exchange them no bothers if they are not a pair, they're appearing to be slightly going through a molt

[MariusStegmann]

It is the easy for me to see if RFPF are a pair, they follow each other around like puppies. Some males don't sing and some females look like males.

[Smurf]

The blue faced parrots are the lutino and blue face in the photo but I got another blue face cock instead as my lutino wasn't keen on breeding! I still have him though...my red faced were purchased in Wicklow but I can exchange them no bothers if they are not a pair, they're appearing to be slightly going through a molt

I havn't tried breeding the blue faced yet, from what i've researched the lutino hens are more commonly available than the lutino cocks and the're not as easy to breed as normals. The black-eyed yellow blue faced are supposed to be easier to breed and stronger birds.
The red faced seem to be very prone to moulting, even moving them between cages can sometimes trigger or stall a moult.
When you say Wicklow i'd imagine it was probably either Sherwood avairies or corpsewood avairies, 2 places i've yet to visit but hope to in near future.

It is the easy for me to see if RFPF are a pair, they follow each other around like puppies. Some males don't sing and some females look like males.

I generally go by the cocks thrill but for some reason nearly all the coloured up youngsters i have are now in cock flight due to them trying to thrill at some stage.

[MariusStegmann]

Mostly I can see a first glace whether if it is a cock or a hen, but I have had the one in 10 birds where the other cocks in the aviary shows you that this is not a cock but a hen.

[MiaCarter]

Gráinne, I wish I knew how to pronounce your name.....

Me too!
I *think* it's Grawn-yah?
http://www.pronouncenames.com/pronounce/grainne

Is that right, Grainne?

The blue faced are so lovely. I love the pied as well.

[MariusStegmann]

It is an interesting name, maybe even a Gaelic name.

[monotwine]

Marius in all the years I've bred RTPF as a colony I rarely got more than 3 chicks out of a nest. Mine used to lay 4-5 eggs though. The usual success rate in our big aviary set ups is two. The runt of the 3 inevitably got lost in the foliage and either died of cold or didn't develop fast enough and the parents left it as the siblings were stronger beggars and fly behind the parents harassing them for food. SO you doing good!

It is generally accepted that if you house single pairs per aviary, you will have bigger clutches as there is no distraction and competition between pairs. Infertile eggs could also be the male not servicing the hen properly as he is too busy chasing off other cocks.

Glad all your birds are breeding though. That in itself is an achievement.

[MariusStegmann]

monotwine Thx. Please have a look at a new post that I posted this morning of RFPS fletching. The parents are supposed to be your normal hen and a pied red faced cock. These chicks look seagreen to me. Orange instead of red. If I am right, a seagreen hen must have laid the eggs.