Red-eared firetail dramas
Posted: 20 Sep 2014, 12:02
Hello all.
I got a pair of REFs from a bloke in WA last year.
They went down while they were in quarantine (1.6 x 3.2 x 2.0m aviary, heavily brushed) and made a nest.
They were taking wintergrass seed and green leafy veg, but no insect food, and they gave up the nest after about four weeks.
The second nest was a few months later; they laid eggs this time.
In this time, I found they would take fly pupae (but never maggots), ant pupae (from the defenders of termite mounds, about 3x12mm so quite big), and temite eggs (the fine white granular stuff you sometimes find deep inside the mound).
Unfortunately, and as predicted by Mr. Smeelie among others, the cock bird dropped dead for no good reason just when everything was going well.
It took some time to source a replacement cockbird. Thanks to GaryMc from Kalgoorlie, I got one from a man in the Hunter; DNA-sexed, young bird, lost his hen so had this spare.
Spent some time preparing the new aviary, had the new bird (with it's escort of redbrows) in a holding aviary with the old hen.
Went to move them to their new home, caught my old hen but couldn't find the new bird.
Found him dead in a corner.
Post-mortem attended promptly showed:
Small linear scab up belly, distended abdomen.
- possibly injured in handling?
Scruffed up head and neck feathers
- possibly bashed by the other one?
But most surprisingly, it showed an ovary.
I checked the DNA cert: numbered metal band matching the band on the dead bird.
Now, I have had one case before when the DNA result did not match the sex of the bird (a diamond firetail who developed a plum-coloured beak, did the grass dance and has since fathered chicks). I don't think the seller knew the DNA result was wrong, as he had had it in with a hen. In fact, given my experiences with REFs to date it seems that the hens are especially aggressive to other hens. I think it is possible that his original hen was killed by this 'cock', then when I put 'him' in with my hen he had a hard time.
So, add my name to the list of hearts broken by the red-eared firetail. On the bright side, I didn't waste a year wondering why they wouldn't go down...
If anyone knows of a spare cockbird out there, or knows someone looking for a hen (DNA certified, for what it's worth), please let me know by PM.
I got a pair of REFs from a bloke in WA last year.
They went down while they were in quarantine (1.6 x 3.2 x 2.0m aviary, heavily brushed) and made a nest.
They were taking wintergrass seed and green leafy veg, but no insect food, and they gave up the nest after about four weeks.
The second nest was a few months later; they laid eggs this time.
In this time, I found they would take fly pupae (but never maggots), ant pupae (from the defenders of termite mounds, about 3x12mm so quite big), and temite eggs (the fine white granular stuff you sometimes find deep inside the mound).
Unfortunately, and as predicted by Mr. Smeelie among others, the cock bird dropped dead for no good reason just when everything was going well.
It took some time to source a replacement cockbird. Thanks to GaryMc from Kalgoorlie, I got one from a man in the Hunter; DNA-sexed, young bird, lost his hen so had this spare.
Spent some time preparing the new aviary, had the new bird (with it's escort of redbrows) in a holding aviary with the old hen.
Went to move them to their new home, caught my old hen but couldn't find the new bird.
Found him dead in a corner.
Post-mortem attended promptly showed:
Small linear scab up belly, distended abdomen.
- possibly injured in handling?
Scruffed up head and neck feathers
- possibly bashed by the other one?
But most surprisingly, it showed an ovary.
I checked the DNA cert: numbered metal band matching the band on the dead bird.
Now, I have had one case before when the DNA result did not match the sex of the bird (a diamond firetail who developed a plum-coloured beak, did the grass dance and has since fathered chicks). I don't think the seller knew the DNA result was wrong, as he had had it in with a hen. In fact, given my experiences with REFs to date it seems that the hens are especially aggressive to other hens. I think it is possible that his original hen was killed by this 'cock', then when I put 'him' in with my hen he had a hard time.
So, add my name to the list of hearts broken by the red-eared firetail. On the bright side, I didn't waste a year wondering why they wouldn't go down...
If anyone knows of a spare cockbird out there, or knows someone looking for a hen (DNA certified, for what it's worth), please let me know by PM.