Buying birds with eggs.

Sally H · Post by **Sally H** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 6:56 pm

I stopped by a bird store in my neighborhood that I've never went in because I thought they just did parrots. Wrong! They had an incredible selection of finches including one pair of Owls who even though they are on display in one of those 12" x 24" divided cages, have bred and are sitting on 4 eggs.

He's asking ALOT for them and we discussed the improbability of them actually raising chicks in that type of setting. He doesnt breed finches himself but all his birds come from the same breeder so he wasnt concerned enough to move the birds out to a seperate quiet place to try to save the clutch.

Do you guys think that a pair of owls could be caught, put in a similar sized cage with their nest, be drove less than 2 miles, transferred (we're thinking of putting the entire little cage inside the big one and let them come out on their own) to our new 6'x 3'x 3' cage and still go back to the nest?

tammieb · Post by **tammieb** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 7:56 pm

These owls are determined to breed. Does the guy have any idea how long they've been sitting on the eggs? If they are close to hatching then perhaps you could get by with moving them to your cage. If they have only begun incubating I wouldn't risk it. Any chance of borrowing the cage they are in til the chicks fledge? Maybe you could put down a small deposit, then return it later?? Will there be other birds in your flight cage?

TammieB.

Sally H · Post by **Sally H** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 8:17 pm

There are 4 eggs so I asked if thats how many days they have been in there and he said no, more like a week. And yes I was just going to take them in the cage they were in but in the other divided spot there are 2 euro goldfinches. But hey, maybe he can move those two out and I can take the cage. Good plan. For the $250.00 asking price you'd think he wouldn't be too worried about his $20.00 used cage.

But using your advice, we should wait about a week to pick them up. That would be closer to hatching. My husband wants these owls no matter since they are bonded and breeding already, but I would love to save the clutch if at all possible.

And no, the cage isn't even fully assembled yet. We built the panels and have them all painted. Tomorrow we're putting the wire on and then on Friday screwing the panels together and putting on the roof. If we do put the owls in there, no other birds will be put in until their chicks fledge.

tammieb · Post by **tammieb** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 8:43 pm

$250... My gawd! I may have to rethink my plan of getting a pair of owls this spring!!

At that price he should definitely give you the cage.

TammieB.

Sally H · Post by **Sally H** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:06 pm

Don't you already have owls? I may be getting the two Tammies mixed up but I thought you had some for sale even. Thinking of expanding your breeding program? I may have juvies for trade soon. lol

Talk about counting chicks before they're hatched! I don't even own the birds yet.

Post by **Hilary** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:17 pm

Wow - the breeder down the road from me has owls for $75 each.... Hilary

Sally H · Post by **Sally H** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 3:23 am

That's just it. Here in South Florida these are only the second and third owl finches I've even seen. There is a bird fair in 3 more weeks but it seems that the $75.00 price tag is for unsexed unpaired Owls.

Then there are several Owl breeders out of state that I have contacted but shipping would add $100.00 to the cost of the unrelated pairs. Making them exactly $250.00.

If the eggs are viable and the parents don't abandon them anytime between now and weaning, then the $250.00 was a great price. We are probably going to get these birds. We are total newbs to bird fairs and the chance to get a pair we know will bond and breed seems worth it to get us started.

It's my husband's birthday Friday so I think I can justify the extra cost as his present

tammieb · Post by **tammieb** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:02 am

Sally H wrote:Don't you already have owls? I may be getting the two Tammies mixed up but I thought you had some for sale even.

Yeah, you've got me confused with one of the other Tammys. I have no owls.

TammieB.

Sally H · Post by **Sally H** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:29 am

Yet....

Winston · Post by **Winston** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:55 pm

At a little pet store, I recently saw a pair of black cheeked zebras sitting on three or four chicks in a tiny overcrowded cage (about 12" x 24"). They seemed like very dedicated parents, and only left the nest when a hand was in the cage.

In your situation, I would buy the pair with the cage, not moving them to another enclosure until the chicks are almost independent.

Then again, I don't know about owl finches. Maybe they're more sensitive than zebras.

Good luck.

Sally H · Post by **Sally H** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 11:50 pm

Boy the traffic on this forum has slowed to a crawl. I'm doing my part by updating my previous posts (okay, I just wanted to brag about my Owls)

Well the plan to pick up the cage late Friday night so they would at least incubate while they roosted fell through. Three of the eggs were tossed or dropped during the move so the pet store owner decided not to give us the cage afterall. We brought home the birds in a box and the nest with the remaining egg. A couple of days after that the nest fell during the night and we woke up to a cold and chipped egg on the cage floor.

We decided not to use the big flight cage until after we finish some hurricane repairs so we quickly constructed a 34" x 17" x 17" cage with the leftover wire. The birds were still very skittish but I opened both cage doors and just shooed them in. You could tell they were much happier right away and finally started eating something besides the millet spray. I know it was too soon after they went through so many changes but it turned out to be a good thing.

After 3 or 4 days in the new cage they laid an egg. I put the little box of nesting material in the cage and they threw it all over the place and haphazardly put some in their nest. The next day when I looked to confirm there was 2 eggs I see that they had used some of their romaine leaves and bits of millet spray they chewed off for nesting. So that night, I cut up some guaze into one inch squares and left it inthe bottom of their cage. Today when I check, all the gauze is gone and you can barely see into the nest for all the fluff. It is also the 3rd day and and the 3rd egg so they're incubating.

I swore I'd never use another basket style incage nest because there's no way to see what's going on in there but thats what they had and at least it forces me to leave them alone. According to what I've read, I've only to wait til Easter to see how it turns out.

tammieb · Post by **tammieb** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:31 pm

Hi Sally,

It sounds like you are having a good time with the Owls. I hope they are good parents for you and raise lots of lil' owls.

alwaysfullofjoy · Post by **alwaysfullofjoy** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:07 pm

Way cool. I'm glad you got them home with you. Easter isn't that far away can't wait to hear how it turns out.

Sally H · Post by **Sally H** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:30 pm

Me, either! Today is day 5 and she still is laying. They have their nest all fixed up with the dome lined and everything like the zebras did. Still, 5 eggs looks like full capacity so I hope she's done.

I was watching them today and the one with the silver band is supposed to be the male. He was regarding me cooly and let out the little kitty mew sound a few times. I thought, oh no! two females when just then he sang a little for me. First time ever. It was like he read my mind and wanted to reassure me he was a Mister.

Speaking of misters, I had read they loved to bathe and so I cut a hole in the side to have an outside hung bird bath onthe cage at all times. I've only seen splash marks in it one time, though. I was concerned about the humidity for the eggs so I sprayed my plant mister into the cage a couple of times. It made the female come off the nest and although I didnt chase them with it, they got a little spray when they hopped on the branch I was squirting. My zebs never did use an outside mounted bath but if you put a bowl of water intheir cage they are in it within minutes. I may have to resort to that but the less I have to put my hand in their cage the better.

Michael · Post by **Michael** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 3:10 pm

Hi Sally. I would say yes give it a try. Either way the eggs are in jeopardy if he has no concern for their well being. Remember, he is a business man first, so the dollar speaks louder for him. I would say you should be able to pull it off. The idea about the little cage in the big cage is excellent and ensures the probability of a successful move. You may want to wrap the cage in some cheese cloth though, just to give them some adjustment time to the new surroundings. I would also not add the little cage to the big cage right away. Remember too much to fast can be a bad thing. If the Owl Finches abandon or neglect after the move, you can try Society's to foster. Another option is to finish the incubation period in an incubator. Not to worry, you can usually find these on eBay pretty cheap. I bought one for $30 bucks, just to have on hand in case I lost a finch to egg binding during the laying period. (I raise Gouldians) Good Luck!

Sally H wrote:I stopped by a bird store in my neighborhood that I've never went in because I thought they just did parrots. Wrong! They had an incredible selection of finches including one pair of Owls who even though they are on display in one of those 12" x 24" divided cages, have bred and are sitting on 4 eggs.

He's asking ALOT for them and we discussed the improbability of them actually raising chicks in that type of setting. He doesnt breed finches himself but all his birds come from the same breeder so he wasnt concerned enough to move the birds out to a seperate quiet place to try to save the clutch.

Do you guys think that a pair of owls could be caught, put in a similar sized cage with their nest, be drove less than 2 miles, transferred (we're thinking of putting the entire little cage inside the big one and let them come out on their own) to our new 6'x 3'x 3' cage and still go back to the nest?

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Buying birds with eggs.

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