Breeding Cordon Bleu pair

[Sally]

slwatson I think that Ahmed actually used frozen bloodworms. I tried it once, but my birds ignored them. I will probably try it again one day.

Mine have used the wicker hooded nests, and they have built their own nests using coco fiber in a plastic plant.

[slwatson]

Sally

Oh ok...I missed the frozen part. I wonder if they would like freeze dried too. I think I can get frozen bloodworms at the pet store. What about small crickets?

[Sally]

I ordered crickets one time, but they all jumped out of the cage and were all over my house.

[Derk]

Rox
Thank-you for the additional information. Although being without an outdoor aviary (at least for now), I think I'll skip the banana fruit fly trap for now.

anne22
sorry, I meant to include you in asking to keep us all informed with how the breeding goes.

Jen
Yes, I have read in several spots that the coco fiber and white feathers were a must!

Well, everybody, I managed to purchase the blue capped CB. I feel very lucky because there does not seem to be many around. Some of the pet stores have CB's but so far I have only seen RCs. So hopefully everybody makes it through quarantine, they accept all the new foods etc and like their new home so much they will feel like providing me with babies. Of course, I will need to make sure I have a camera I can upload by then because if I don't have pictures I am worried Elana lovezeb will quite rightfully scold me.

[Jen]

I forgot to mention I also use freeze dried bloodworm mixed in with my egg food. I sometimes mix freeze dried mealworms into my egg food and alternate them with different additions to keep it different for my birds. But when the RCCB are in breeding mode I like to add the live mini mealworms. If I can't find the mini's, I get the small size, get my scissors out, shut my eyes and CHOP...into mini's! The things we do for our bird-babies!!!!

[slwatson]

Sally

That's the part I'm not sure about...how to keep them in the cage without jumping out. I bought something called Orlux insect patee and Quicko Goldie eggfood, freeze dried blood worms, and live mealworms. Hopefully between all of that, with seed, greens, and egg food, I can get them to breed! The last thing I need is a bigger cage

[slwatson]

Derk

Good luck with them Mary! I hope everything goes well

[Derk]

slwatson Thank-you, Stacie... (I think I saw somewhere)

[slwatson]

Saturday night, I was watching my cordon bleu pair in their large flight with a few other mixed pairs of finches. (strawberries, owls, gouldians) I'm waiting for a double flight cage I'm buying from someone in a couple of weeks, and I'll be making some moves with these pairs. Anyway, I saw the male cordon bleu perform his mating ritual, right there in front of the other finches. He had what looked like a piece of string (not sure where he got it from, because I haven't put anything like that in their cage yet) and he was hopping and dancing. The female watched, and then flew down next to him on the perch, and they did a little dancing of their own, and that was it. I think they're ready to be moved and possibly breed.

[Sally]

slwatson That sounds like they are both coming into breeding condition. It's a good sign when the hen also participates in the breeding ritual. Cordon Bleu hens will also hold nesting material in their beak, hop up and down, and sing.

One of my CB boys has been singing his heart out lately. He is in a cage in my living room along with several other show birds, so as soon as the Temple show is out of the way, he needs to be set up with a hen.

[slwatson]

Sally

That's great to hear I'm getting a double flight from Helen, so I'm hoping they'll like it.

[Rox]

Good luck to all of you!

Hopefully we will all have some cordon chicks out of the nest in the next couple of months

[monotwine]

Holding thumbs you all get some babies.

Black soldier fly larvae are the best for the CB's. They naturally would be eating termites and this stimulates them the most as the maggots closely resemble the termites.
By far more nutritious too I read some time back. You can also offer them frozen once they cotton on to what they are mine never cared if they were live or dead.

The fruit flies, as you are finding Rox, is just about the best free food you can get here for insectivorous birds. I know overseas they sell the wingless type. The birds will love them too. A quick few minutes in the freezer or fridge to slow them down and the waxbills will gladly eat them too.

I was fairly lucky. My birds happily nested, fed young etc all only on egg food. Just never got one fledgling as they insisted on nesting outside and every year their nest got destroyed in freak storms. So sad as my pairs were so solid. I would try reconstruct their nests, cover it in plastic etc and they would still go back to feed their babies. But inevitably the weather always got the better of the chicks. They would die with crops stuffed full.

[Derk]

slwatson
It must be so fun to watch them dancing together.

My red cheek cordon bleu has been dancing for a male blue capped cordon bleu. I am hoping I can find this pair two appropriate females. Hopefully red cheeks isn't too attached to the blue cap and a female will turn red cheeks away from the other male.

Am I correct to believe the red cheeked and blue capped are two different species and should not be bred together?

@monotwine
That is so sad to hear. Are you not able to bring them inside for nesting and prevent them from going outside? Or you tried, and they would not nest inside at all?

re: black soldier fly larvae

You can also offer them frozen

but thawed first, correct?

[Derk]

slwatson
Are you going to separate the CBs or just put everyone in the larger cage?