Green finches

[ferretertom 7]

Any tips on breeding these there showing all the signs made a nest but wont lay.

[dogsbollocks58 36]

hi have you put the green in a breeding cage

[bolio 51]

I always found greenies to be among the easiest of natives to breed, mind you I bred them in the aviary. Got rid a few years ago when work shifts changed but by this time of year I would have expected young up and out and the hens building a second nest. I wonder how the unusually long and cold winter has knocked them back this year....

[ferretertom 7]

They have there own woodern flight outside.

Brought them in may i think.

Cheers tom.

[craigyboy 1,274]

i have 1 cock with 4 hens in an outside aviary,which i have done for the last 3 yrs,

i just supply the conifers, nesting material and food and water and the rest is up to them,the 1st yr they all went down and reared 15 young,the 2nd yr again they all went down but some twice and they reared 21 and the 3rd yr the same but 2 hens went down 3 times they reared 24,as someone said they are by far the easiest of the british to breed if the birds are in fettle and you supply everything they need then there shouldnt be a problem

[albert64 1,882]

one of the easiest british birds to breed getting them through the first moult is the hard bit

[ferretertom 7]

I think it must be cause they havent settled down yet bthe cocks 07 the hens 09 so hopefully theyl do better next season i put my norwich hen in with them the cocks interested in her.

[Butler 396]

one of the easiest british birds to breed getting them through the first moult is the hard bit

 

 

Not really a problem with all the modern sulphur drugs. I bred 60 young greenies one year and only lost one and that was to a night fright which is a bigger problem with them IMO than going light. They throw there tail and flights at the smallest disturbance through the night.

[albert64 1,882]

yes used to use introdine myself but an old boy i used to see at stafford and winsford told me what he did was get sprouted seed and roll it in clay and let them pick at it and he never had a problem

[ferretertom 7]

yes used to use introdine myself but an old boy i used to see at stafford and winsford told me what he did was get sprouted seed and roll it in clay and let them pick at it and he never had a problem

Does this stop them going light?

[KDR 14]

yes used to use introdine myself but an old boy i used to see at stafford and winsford told me what he did was get sprouted seed and roll it in clay and let them pick at it and he never had a problem

 

Please please please do not rely on old wife's tales like this...you WILL loose young greenies unless you use some form of sulphur drug.

[Meroman 105]

I'd say your greenie's are not in full breeding condition. All natives need to be brought into breeding condition by feeding them various conditioning foods from about March onwards, Start with soaked/sprouted seed and then wild seed heads like Dandelion, Grounsel and chickweed when they come into season. At this stage of the breeding season Greenie's are normally on at least there second round of chicks. In an outdoor flight supply them with lots of cover like conifer and give them a variety of nest sites by placing wicker nest bowls in the cover. Nesting material is also an important factor, greenies love coconut fibre and hession for building, kapok is also a favourite with them.

Usually by May when you bought these birds breeders normally have their birds paired up and generally dont sell them at this time of year.

It is possible the hen is a late bred '09 bird which will be late to breed if this is the case.

Best of luck with them anyway and if they dont breed this year hold onto them and get them conditioned for next year.

By the way Greenies in particular need a sulphur based drug to stop them going light during the moult, Intradine is the most popular and should be given in the drinking water five days on two days off at a rate of 5ml per litre of water with multi vits in the water on the two off days....

Edited July 18, 2010 by Meroman

[ferretertom 7]

Thanks for that do you give the adults intradine when they moult or is it just the chicks that need it most.

[craigyboy 1,274]

Thanks for that do you give the adults intradine when they moult or is it just the chicks that need it most.

its the chicks that need it,once through the moult theyre usually safe,i use esb3,its cheaper an easier to get hold of(for me anyway) and ive never lost a 1 from going light

Edited July 18, 2010 by craigyboy

[Meroman 105]

I agree with you on that, 'Going light ' is a term used for a disease called Coccidiosis.

Its a parasite that can live within the tissues of adult birds without causing the birds any harm. However, during the summer months, when the air temperature is warm, the parasite will multiply and eggs will be dispersed across the aviary surfaces. The adult birds, at this stage, don’t pass the disease onto the young chicks whilst they are still in the nest. The youngsters are fed by regurgitation by the adults and it’s likely that they also pass on some immunity to the disease via their crop milk.

 

However, once the youngsters leave the nest, they start to pick for themselves. They are more than likely to ingest some eggs when they are feeding as they are liable to pick up food from any of the aviary surfaces. As the eggs enter the young birds’ gut they undergo development during which they damage the lining of the gut. This damage can be so severe that the bird is unable to eat or drink hence the onset of the acute symptoms of the disease. Many of the birds’ other organs such as the liver, spleen, kidneys and brain can also be damaged beyond repair. This is the reason why young birds which show the acute symptoms of the disease rarely recover. The damage is already done when you first notice the bird looking sick.

 

Intradine is far easier to source in Ireland than esb3 and that is why I use it but having said that any sulpha based drug will do the job and its important to know you use it as a preventative as opposed to a cure as there is no cure for Coccidiosis.