Pairs of pairs of redbrows.

Normal and lesser Red Browed.
Includes Species Profile.
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mattymeischke
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Joined: 25 Jul 2011, 20:25
Location: Southern Tablelands of NSW

I was reading Forshaw's book about Australian Grassfinches last night, and in the aviculture section of the redbrow chapter it suggests that best breeding results are had with two pair together. He cites D. Myers and M. Shepard as advocates of this view, and says it applies equally to both subspecies. Myers reportedly puts five pair together, then after two pair have formed he pulls the rest to another aviary to form up another two pair.

I had understood that best results can generally be expected from single pairs, and that if you were running multiple pairs together it was better to have three or more pairs than just two.

Are redbrows an exception to this general rule?
Avid amateur aviculturalist; I keep mostly australian and foreign finches.
The art is long, the life so short; the critical moment is fleeting and experience can be misleading, crisis is difficult....... (Hippocrates)
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Craig52
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Joined: 11 Nov 2011, 19:26
Location: victoria

mattymeischke wrote:I was reading Forshaw's book about Australian Grassfinches last night, and in the aviculture section of the redbrow chapter it suggests that best breeding results are had with two pair together. He cites D. Myers and M. Shepard as advocates of this view, and says it applies equally to both subspecies. Myers reportedly puts five pair together, then after two pair have formed he pulls the rest to another aviary to form up another two pair.

I had understood that best results can generally be expected from single pairs, and that if you were running multiple pairs together it was better to have three or more pairs than just two.

Are redbrows an exception to this general rule?
With my experience with both the nominate and the lesser,the latter bred more easily as a single pr as i tried 2pr and 3pr with disasterous results,1pr would produce nest after nest of 4 and 5 young,2 & 3pr would have 2s and some times 3 young.
The nominate race will very rarely breed with just 1pr,as i have one pr set up now,a yellow hen and normal cock that just sit and do nothing.
Years ago,i had three pr in a large planted aviary that never stopped breeding and people were suspicious of where they came from when sold at bird sales,so yes,the more the merrier with the nominate and 1pr with lessers imo. Craig
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mattymeischke
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Joined: 25 Jul 2011, 20:25
Location: Southern Tablelands of NSW

Thanks for that, Craig.
I've finally finished the building for the lessers to go as single pairs, so I was a bit perturbed to read that last night.
They'll go as single pairs.

I always kept the nominate in a colony, with good results; never tried the single pair before.
crocnshas wrote:Years ago,i had three pr in a large planted aviary that never stopped breeding and people were suspicious of where they came


Yeah, it's funny, isn't it. They breed like the clappers when they get going, but if you show up with 6 pr. people assume they are wild-caught. It would be just as easy to catch wild double bars, but no one seems to cast aspersions if you show up with a box full of them....
Avid amateur aviculturalist; I keep mostly australian and foreign finches.
The art is long, the life so short; the critical moment is fleeting and experience can be misleading, crisis is difficult....... (Hippocrates)
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