how to go about introducing major mitchell hen?

[spanna]

yeah very relieved!! hand is fine now, she got my index finger on my left hand so no worries, only lost a bit of skin from the top part of the beak and a bit of a gash from the bottom, but have closed up and stop bleeding, bit of a wash and betadine and hey presto!!! neighbour asked if it would need stitches though... there was just a liiiiiiitle bit of blood. like, trickling down hand slowly i prefer the bite of a gouldian or diamond firetail any day!!

*edit*
just looked at my hand and check this out!

Elmo's damage lol by spanna0031, on Flickr

look at that perfect lower mandible curve

[spanna]

hi all, just an update on my 2 majors.
decided that since these 2 have been so good this far, i'd let the male out of his temporary section and see what happened. couldn't have gone better. fed them some apple and he even gave her a little bit

thanks all for the advice, went down brilliantly in the end

[Buzzard-1]

[jusdeb]

good news .... not the being bitten by a feathered pit bull part but that they are getting along so well.

[finchbreeder]

Just goes to prove that birds like people come in all types. Nice ones like your pair and not so nice ones. Congratulations on getting it right. Now like Deb said, time for a log, and keep up the apple etc. and who knows next year or the year after the squark of little MM's.
LML

[Myzomela]

That's a great start Spanna.
I'd still be watching them very closely as the breeding season approaches- just in case- because that is the time he'll show his true colours!!!
Enjoy them!

[Tintola]

Another point to keep in mind is, has either bird been hand raised and is totally malimprinted. I had a MM cock many years ago and he would not accept three different hens over several years, even using the time consuming methods mentioned above. He always saw them as a foreign species! Good Luck.

[spanna]

not sure if the male was hand raised, but the hen definitely wasn't. not really too fussed if they breed or not, just for company really, but they will be given every opportunity of course!

everyone's keeping their eyes on them whenever possible (which is most of the day for me i'm a slack uni student!) and i've left the temporary cage in there just in case it goes sour. also just witnessed the first sign of 'aggression' between them... the hen tried to come up to the male and take his peanut!! even then it was a squawk and thats all, crest stayed down and all! if he was gonna get angry, that would be the time that i would have guessed, never get between that boy and his morning treats!

[jusdeb]

Your doing all the right things and they are being monitored closely , Im sure they will be OK and if they are not, a time out wont hurt . Just dont mess with his peanuts and all will be good lol