CBs in the mood for love

[Hilary]

Ok, I wasn't planning on trying to breed my cbs (I have two pairs), but caught a wierd movement out of the corner of my eye the other day to find one of the males hopping his little heart out! I currently just have wicker tubes in the cage that they share with a pair of shaft tails, so I added a covered wicker nest and coconut fiber. Well, the shaft tails are now setting up housekeeping in the covered nest (I may have more chicks than I counted on!), but the cbs chose one of the wicker cone/tube nests and are currently stuffing it full of nesting material. This afternoon I noticed my OTHER male doing his hop dance - good golly! One pair loves mealies, and the other won't touch much except seed and veggies (no proteins). Same advice as for the orange-cheeks - lots of whatever protein I can get them to eat? I shouldn't let them nest, but I can't resist love!

Hilary

[MadHatter]

I shouldn't let them nest

What is this crazy-talk?

as for the disinterest in livefood and soft food, you should find that once they have chicks in the nest, you will suddenly have trouble keeping up with demand...

[Hilary]

That's good to know, Mad - thanks. I just placed another order for mealies! I actually watched one of my hens get started on laying an egg this morning - she finally disappeared into the nest (this will be the first egg for that pair). The other two set up the nest so I can't see in, but they've been sitting tight for about a week now.

I'm trying not to be overrun by chicks - I have everybody in flight and breeding cages right now! I'm hoping that if I keep chicks to the waxbills (well, and the shaft tails and goulds) that I'll be able to find homes for the ones I can't keep.

Hilary

[Hilary]

As an update, the female I saw laying her first egg never laid any more. The other pair ended up with a full clutch, but none developed (probably because no nesting material UNDER the eggs). I cleared out the eggs, and they have since worked on a different nest and laid a single egg, showing no interest in it after that. The funny thing is, my female shaft tail has moved in and is sitting on the one egg! I have societies on a nest of owl eggs, a shaft tail on a CB egg (her choice, not mine), and my black headed nun has paired up with a society hen (he and the BH hen I bought him do not appear to like each other at all, could be the result of his less-than-gentlemanly conduct when I first put her in the cage). Talk about confusion in my flock!

Hilary