andy p 32 Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Are chafinches easy to come by as I'm after a cock bird but have never seen them advertised hoping to get one oct time Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gnipper 6,529 Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Easy enough to buy mate but I'd get a bit more experience with easier to keep species first. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
andy p 32 Posted June 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 That was my next question would they be a good beginners bird cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
moss 70 Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Not good starter bird cock drives the hens to nest and quite often will scalp or even kill the hen Quote Link to post Share on other sites
moss 70 Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Not good starter bird cock drives the hens to nest and quite often will scalp or even kill the hen Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fireman 10,993 Posted June 18, 2012 Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 I got a pair not so long back and i have a fair sized aviary or else i can see he'd be giving her some stick in a smaller flight.She had nested and laid 3 eggs but was so jumpy on her nest i've set the eggs under a canary hen,deffo not a novice bird and you do need a couple of years bird keeping under your belt before taking them on imo.Another thing is live food as they do seem to be birds that eat a lot of it for seed eaters in general,but then saying that,i have it out all the time as all my finches and quail do eat more of it than i imagined they would. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
andy p 32 Posted June 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2012 Cheers for the tips al leave them alone for a few years till I get a bit more experienced Quote Link to post Share on other sites
j j m 6,555 Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 defo not a bird to start off with mate Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Meroman 105 Posted July 19, 2012 Report Share Posted July 19, 2012 If your new to natives try starting with greenies, siskins or redpolls they are less problematic than other species of native but having said that its an achievement to breed any native...... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
littlefish 587 Posted July 23, 2012 Report Share Posted July 23, 2012 I got a pair not so long back and i have a fair sized aviary or else i can see he'd be giving her some stick in a smaller flight.She had nested and laid 3 eggs but was so jumpy on her nest i've set the eggs under a canary hen,deffo not a novice bird and you do need a couple of years bird keeping under your belt before taking them on imo.Another thing is live food as they do seem to be birds that eat a lot of it for seed eaters in general,but then saying that,i have it out all the time as all my finches and quail do eat more of it than i imagined they would. What sort of live food do you provide for the birds? Do you buy it in or produce your own? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fireman 10,993 Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 My birds get mini and normal sized mealworms every day,morning and evening and when there's chicks in the nest as it were i collect bugs and grubs from the hedge rows by holding a umbrella upside down under a bush and shaking the bush.You get lots of bits of rubbisj but i just tip it out on my aviary floor and then clear up whats left at the end of the day type thing,i am breeding my own meal worms or should i say waiting to as they sure do take an age to breed and grow but once i'm ahead i should stay ahead with the breeding of them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
littlefish 587 Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 Gathering stuff from the hedges is very resourceful and another good thing about trying to preserve a bit of greenery in your surroundings. Producing your own grubs sounds like it could near be a wee hobby in itself - good luck with it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fireman 10,993 Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 I have a planted up flight in part of my aviary as well as a wired covered bucket which i put all the old apple cores and fruit peelings from my kids into for the fruit flys and also put all the old chickweed and wild food stalks in a pile and let it build up for a while then i'll remove it all and have found you get a good little build up of bugs and grubs from under it.As for rearing meal worms it isn't a quick thing and your right on it being almost a hobby in itself but i spend over a £5 a week just on meal worms so in the end i'll be saving myself a good bit of cash over the year,just wish they'd get on growing a bit quicker . 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Millet 4,497 Posted July 24, 2012 Report Share Posted July 24, 2012 (edited) If you have any Sycamore tree's near to you Fireman they are full of aphid's and green flies at the moment..last year i put a hook on a piece of rope and pulled some branches down for Moll's canaries..they loved them.. Edited to add on the mealworm's..if you can keep them between 70 to F they grow and breed a lot quicker.. Edited July 24, 2012 by Millet 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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