Jacarinis

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Lukec
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Posts: 614
Joined: 26 May 2009, 15:55
Location: Sutherland Shire Sydney NSW
Location: Sutherland Shire Sydney NSW

Hi

Do many people here keep them?

Whats your experience with them?
Living In a Unit is Worse Than Being Attached to a Ball and Chain.
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jusdeb
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Joined: 12 Mar 2009, 19:43
Location: Dubbo, NSW
Location: Western Plains NSW

Other half would kill for a pair of them , myself I cant see the attraction as they are only black when in breeding season and apart from then they are quite drab to look at.
In their favour though I beleive the mating dance is spectacular and they do look pretty darn gawjus when all blacked up.
Old mate over here tells me If we are to get them get them soon as the trend at the moment is to export them as thats where the $$$$ are as with a lot of foreign breeds.
Suppose to be reasonably easy to keep but a bit tricky to breed , this is based on my research not experience .
If you get some keep us informed hey never know when I may need a pair for you know who :D
Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue.
David Brent
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toothlessjaws
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Posts: 534
Joined: 25 Apr 2009, 09:54
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Location: melbourne

i come across them relatively recently. they are rather inexpensive also at around averaging from $100 - $50 a pair (with the exception of the guy at bird city, who, seriously tried to sell me a pair for $250 .

i have resisted the temptation to get some as i agree they are a rather drab little bird.
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dano_68
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Joined: 20 Jul 2010, 22:29
Location: Brisbane, QLD

Lukec wrote:Hi

Do many people here keep them?

Whats your experience with them?
Hi I kept Jacs for about 5 years.

Obviously beauty is in the eye of the beholder. To me, there is nothing more spectacular then the glossy blue-black of a mature cock in breeding season. As stated, their courtship dance is something to behold.

You have to get up early to see it (dawn) but the cock will hop very high, then do a backwards summersault – I kid you not. They do this in front of the hen on the floor.

They build a cup shape nest usually in the brush, fairly low down. They are a very shy bird and outside of the breeding season you hardly see them if you have brush in your aviary. I would not recommend them for cabinets / cages.

As I said, they need to be able to hide to feel secure. The other must for breeding is live food. They feed their chicks almost exclusively on live food for the first week or two. Back then I offered termites and mealworms. They will occasionally take soft food and egg food. They don’t mind fresh grass seed, but usually come down after all the other finches have had their share.

Mine would produce around 3 chicks, twice a year, with a lot more hens bred than cocks.

NEVER mix them with Cubans. First, they are from the same part of the world however they do not get along. Cubans will go out of their way to belt the pisser out of them!

Other than Cubans they are a very docile finch and do well in mixed aviaries. They tend to stick to themselves and rarely barge in when the other finches are feeding.

Don’t underestimate Jacarinis. They are an excellent “intermediate” bird giving you great experience before you move onto more expensive and finicky birds.

If you are serious about honing your skills as a breeder you need to get over the “drab” bird thing. To a true “dedicated” breeder, there is no such thing as a drab finch. Each species has it’s quirks, challenges and rewards. Do yourself a favour – get something a little different, you wont be disappointed!
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Jayburd
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Joined: 08 Dec 2009, 12:08
Location: Canberra

I love them
I have had a few pairs, lovely quiet birds. very fast flyers though, which could lead to escape problems if the aviary lacks a safety door.
They eat lots of greens, and some livefood.
They are quite secretive, but if there are dense shrubs to hide in they are far ore forthcoming.
Actually, I've found they go fine with cubans and ruddies, and are all living peacefully in a friend's small aviary. This is just our pair though.But yes, lovely bird, great for mixing :) get yourself a pair, you won't regret it!
Julian

Birdwatcher and finch-keeper.

Feel free to check out my photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lewinsrail/
And my birding antics here: http://worthtwointhebushbirding.blogspot.com.au/
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E Orix
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Joined: 29 May 2009, 23:30
Location: Howlong on NSW/Vic Border 30km from Albury
Location: Howlong NSW

I have Jacarinis in a number of my aviaries and possibly 6 pair in the large flight.
Unless the flight is huge stick to one pair per aviary
To me they are a great little bird and really nice to watch and hear them in the summer.
They can be secretive, at the end of the season we do a drive to collect all the young and each year I get a surprise
as to how many are bred yet you only see young on occasions.
As far as I know they are still common and they sell for around $40 per pair.
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Jayburd
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Location: Canberra

yup still common and here about $40 - $70.
Julian

Birdwatcher and finch-keeper.

Feel free to check out my photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/lewinsrail/
And my birding antics here: http://worthtwointhebushbirding.blogspot.com.au/
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shox
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Joined: 21 Jul 2010, 18:46
Location: Sydney NSW
Location: Sydney NSW

I have had jacarinis for about five years, i would recommend them to anyone considering the bird. As previously stated the mating routine is worth the purchase. The cock has a very unique whistle and just before dusk he will come to the front of the aviary and sing. The hen is quite timid to human contact but will mix well with other birds. I would not put them with cubans (which i have as well in separate aviary) the male cuban gives the jac a terrible time. I find that one pair is enough, but you must put brush in your aviary for breeding results. The hen will disappear when breeding, in fact when I first got them I thought the hen had died never seen her for weeks was considering buying another hen when three young and mum appeared. Very good bird to learn from for the next step. Also very easy to sex at a young age.
dont be scared to try.
bargara

Yes - I keep them.
They remind me of Willey Wag Tails. I just love seeing them flit through the aviaries. Have had varying degrees of success with them, but the trend seems to be to produce only one or two young. On saying that a friend kept them in a very large aviary, and couldn't stop them breeding. Sad story, but he had to shoot them eventually to thin them out. They would not go in any trap he tried. Have a go at them - you won't be disapointed.

Bargara
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arthur
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Joined: 13 Mar 2009, 10:22

Obviously a finch lover :hothead:
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