Hi All,
I know they are the most debated finch in the avicultural world today, but what are all your experiences with crimsons?
is the only way really to tell to test them out?
is it even possible these days to find white bellies under $1000?
I don't plan to think about them too much for a long time, but I want it all figured out I'm too organized I guess
Mine are in mixed colonys of Australian finches.And are kept as a pr per avairy,I have also kept them as three cocks to one hen with success.Some have redheaded gouldians in with them,With only one cock over the last four years suspected of killing a red headed gouldian,But not proven.Personally they are my favourite finch,And it has taken me three to four seasons to get the stocks i want,After many years of just having a dabble.Firstly was getting them to live,As some didnt survive,Then breed as some that did survive were age unkown.The a season of all cock birds bar one.Then the following season of mostly hens.So they have been a challenge for me in my climate.As for the white breast ones good luck finding some.The one around are generally traded between people already with them,And when advitised they sell in a few minutes.
I think I lost a few from getting them from different climates,Buying them when available but the wrong time of year for my setup.Buying them both to young and to old unseen.As for price here they sell for $250 a pr.They were $160 a pr listed here for N.S.W viewtopic.php?f=91&t=2013
Had some young hens to pr up today of crimsons.So i thought i would give the suspect cock another chance with a hen since i had some to spare.So i took out a cock bird, from an avairy I have had no luck producing young out of a year old pr.So that the hen was in an avairy its used to and the cock would have to settle in.With in a minute of putting the cock in he was very aggresively fighting the crimson cock through the wire next door,Like nothing I had seen before.Well I thought this will keep him busy,And maybe a break for the hen if he spends his time gaurding her.I went away for 10 mins and came back,Hen missing,Now aggresion toward masks.Was thinking of putting him in a cage in the avairy,Thought i would leave him for another 5 to 10 mins,Nothing had changed the hen was still persumably hidding and still to much agression.So I decided to pull him out.Caught him up,and on inspection of him, he had torn all the feathers off the top of his head, as far as he could push his head through the wire,And lost a few all round.So I put him in the sin bin.Left for a hour to give the hen time to come out of where she was hiding.Getting late in the day still no hen,So went looking for her,Found her in the tea tree dead,Not happy at all,I could have rang his neck there and then.He is not staying in the breeding program,Not sure at this stage what to do with him,If i had three cocks and one hen i would consider him aslong as he was not the sire of any young,Or if i did what i felt like doing he would be minus a head.
Several years ago I tried 5 pr in a colony by themselves. Released them all into together at the same time. Minor pecking order disputes over an hour or so. These birds came from a similar colony breeding situation, very successful breeding good number each year, so the first step was positive. As the breeding season started I dropped a hen. The dynamics of the colony had changed. This was the beginning of the end of the colony experiment. No successful nests eventuated. The crimsons started to become very territorial and aggressive. The cocks were attacking each other and the hens were fighting as well. Witnessed 1 hen chasing and grabbing other hens throwing them of the perch. I separated the remaining birds, 4 cocks and 3 hens, into other mixed aviaries. 1 pr just was so aggressive I isolated them into a small aviary by themselves. This pair did all the breeding, 14 young on the perch, until I dropped the hen. The others just did nothing but build nests and eat lots of live food. I think I bred about 5 or 6 in the next 2 seasons. I gave a close friend a young pair and they bred straight away, 10+ young on the perch, in his mixed collection.
Compatability is a MAJOR issue with crimson finches and it is always the hen that suffers.
These birds are for the more experienced finchos. $250 is the asking price with hens in very short supply. I have just started again with the crimsons with no success. With this seasons rain falls and seeding grasses I hope this will trigger them into action. Nesting and eggs are not the problem its getting young on the perch. Fingers crossed for this season.
Life in Port Macquarie is the ultimate Aussie sea change lifestyle.
I'm too organized I guess 
