Mystery of missing tails ?

[Smurf]

I've a clutch of 6 bengies who fledged last week with tails but yesterday noticed all the chicks are missing tails, never seen this happen before, the little tail feathers can be seen down side of tray with none of the feathers in nest box so don't suspect it was by parents for rebuilding nest. they look a bit comical but have no idea what happened, all other feathers on chicks are perfect.

[amandap]

I have no idea, but they are adorable!!

[lovezebs]

Smurf

Padraic, they are lovely looking babies.

Society Finches, tend to lose their tails very easily. They do however grow them back just as easily.

I'll never forget the one time, when I tried to capture a Socie, and was left with a perfectly beautiful tail in my hand, with the bird (looking like a baby chicken) flying away from me. I almost had a heart attack.

It's hard to say why your babes dropped their tails so suddenly, maybe something startled them, or maybe it seemed like a good idea to the parents or some other bird to see what happens if you gave those baby tails a little tug.

Rest assured though, that they will have new tails in no time.

Elana

[Smurf]

'looking like a baby chicken'

Maybe it was new game the juvies decided to play like 'pull the tail feather' with obviously no winner, they do look odd without tails.

I think i'll keep this clutch of 6 in a seperate cage to other bengie clutches until after moult just in case. it could simply be a case of 8 birds being crammed in same nest box at night caused their more delicate juvenile tail feathers to break, chicks are only 26 days old and still being fed so a bit early for weaning

[paul-inAZ]

Smurf:
Just curious but what is the "official" name for that color?
What colors are you breeding or shooting for?

[Smurf]

paul-inAZ , i'm no expert when it comes to identifying society mutations, even take for example a fawn can have a huge variety in depth of colour.

The parents are silver (dilute chestnut) cock x fawn hen so believe chicks are a mix of chestnuts (darker chicks) and fawns, the mother (fawn hen) is from show stock and is alot darker in colour than any other fawns i'd seen before. I'll post photo's of parents later.

[paul-inAZ]

Thanks.
The reason for the curiosity is that I'm getting the itch to get some Bengalese. Right now all I have are Bourke and yellow turquoisine parakeets and some empty cages. I sold all my Gouldians.

A friend is liquidating his large aviary -mostly exhibition English budgies and grasskeets- but among other things he has a couple dozen bengies. These are black grey; red grey; fawn; creamino and grey ino.

I've been looking at mutation photos on line. The bengie pieds are of no interest to me but those he has do fascinate me.
I'll go to his place tomorrow to see if the livestock looks as interesting as the photos.

[Smurf]

The colours you've been offered sound very interesting, i'd jump at the chance to get some of them especially the greyinos which wouldn't be that common over here

http://www.nbfa.co.uk/page14.html

You'll find the bengalese to be 'perfect' finches in that they never fight amongst each other, even 2 cocks 1 hen will cohabit same nest box and successfully rear young, the're also very hardy, living quite happily in outdoor avairies throughout year without heat.

He're photos of parents

Mother

Dad + mum

And dad being nearly dwarfed by 26 day old chick


The dad is typical size for normal pet quality birds

[amandap]

They are absolutely beautiful!

[paul-inAZ]

Thanks for the latest photos.
I really like the mom's color and the scale markings on her belly.
That nbfa site is most helpful.

I am beginning to think that tomorrow could turn into more than just adding a pair or two.

[lovezebs]

Smurf

Definitely wouldn't wean yet, but could move them into a flight along with parents. Offer them an open basket to sleep in, like an old Easter basket or what not that will be more roomy.

I'd offer hard boiled eggs for protein, to help with feather growth.

Give it two or three weeks, and 'surprise', kids will have new tails.

BTW, love the pictures of the parents. Mom is a beauty. How come the kids are so much bigger than Dad? If he's normal size, is Mom really big for the species?

Best of luck.

Elana

[Smurf]

Elana, reason chicks are so big is i got 3 new societies from a top show breeder here, some of the photo's on nbfa site are his, the birds i got were not his best offspring as i didn't pay top monies for them but are still alot bigger than my own birds. The chicks from crossing his birds with my own are just as big.

I'm going to be stuck in a dilemma as to which chicks to keep/rehome from current 4 clutches as the new societies also introduced selfs, albinos and crested to the colour variations i have, another clutch from my own stock also looks like DEW's which i've been trying to reproduce for a few generations. Will post photos of chicks once the've finished moult and above chicks have tails.

[lovezebs]

Smurf

I never knew that show birds were bigger than regular run of the mill Societies. You learn something new every day

My guys, are approximately the same size as my Zebras (not English), with some very small variations in size between them. So would they be of the smaller or larger variety, I wonder.

Elana

[paul-inAZ]

The experiment begins.
My friend who is drastically downsizing to focus on his first love of exhibition [English] budgies had a couple of dozen Bengalese/societies to choose from.
The price was reasonable enough-$15 each.

I wound up with two black greys with very nice belly scaling; a nicely colored chestnut whose scaling is not as striking; and a creamino. I think the black grey and chestnut are what is called 'Euro' bengalese.

One of the black greys was already singing after a half hour in his new home. A most pleasant warble.
The creamino is said to be a hen.
The sex of the others??

When the time comes it will be decision time as to how to pair them up. Suggestions?

[Smurf]

paul-inAZ , your best way to sex them is to use 2 cages, 1 for cocks and 1 for hens+unknowns, then as/if any of the unknowns start signing move them into cock cage, only cocks will sing and will do so more if no other cocks are in same cage.

As to pairing i don't know, black-greys are difficult to get here and i've no experience with them, i'd study the nbfa website and aim for creating greyinos as i think you have all the ingredients creating new combinations of colours is part of the fun of breeding birds