For sure, I love Red Brows....well, all natives, to be honestLachlan1 wrote:Red Brows are fantastic little birds, It's just a shame that so many people don't give them a second look because of how common they are (partially due to wild trapping). I highly recommend them whether you get crimsons or not but would always suggest getting more than one pair due to them loving each others company.Painted4 wrote:I must say i'm very interested to know about the mixed aviary with Crimsons. (Also want Red Brows, so tell me how it goes it you decide to go down that road )
Hopefully getting a pair or 2 next year too.
New Crimson owner
- Painted4
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- Posts: 390
- Joined: 27 May 2014, 20:13
- Location: Adelaide Hills, SA
That's awesome Lachlan, how exciting for you. Thanks for sharing the feeling. Nothing like getting new birds. Hope it all goes well. Best luck and good wishes to you. Regards.
- Spitfire
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- Posts: 367
- Joined: 15 Jul 2014, 20:28
- Location: Melbourne
Hi Lachlan I can now feel your excitment ,because today I bought a pair of Crimsons myself, these will compensate for the ones I lost in June.
And my desicion was ,put them straight in the aviary and let fend for themselves. Whatever happens it's my decision, not some EXPERT telling me what to do.
And my desicion was ,put them straight in the aviary and let fend for themselves. Whatever happens it's my decision, not some EXPERT telling me what to do.
- Lachlan1
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- Joined: 03 Aug 2014, 21:06
- Location: Castle Hill NSW
Just thought I'd give everyone an update for whoever is interested and how I went about things + a few more questions.
When I first got them I put them in holding cages next to each other with forced interaction by having the seed and water bowls on facing sides of the cages. I released them into an aviary (3m x 1m) around 3 weeks later with 2 pairs of red broweds who I allowed to have a few weeks in their prior without them. I watched them for a lot of that day and to be honest there was no level of aggression worse than I have seen in my gouldians. The cock bird started building a nest a few days in and went mental with the feathers, so much so I has to stop supplying them. Then they seemed to lose interest for a few weeks but now have been sitting for a couple of weeks so eggs should be hatching any day or some already have. They were given the option of brush, nest boxes, cane baskets and a wire cylinder stuffed with brush. They chose the brush to my surprise and only nested at about hip height (which has been a relief considering the heat of late). I've offered them a large array of food but have found you are better off minimising the diet and just giving them more of what they want. They get regular finch mix (clifton), 1 bowl of plain canary and white millet, 1 bowl of greens and grains, millet spray, cuttle bone and a mix a few grits and minerals I've put together.Daily they get a feed of greens and mealworms. I offered kale, spinach, leb cucumber crickets, maggots, sprouted seeds, egg and biscuit and a few other things and they had no or little interest (not to say that is the case with all crimsons).
I have a feeling the eggs started hatching a couple of days ago as the sitting patterns have changed a lot with the hen spending a lot more time off the nest now and the cock doing a lot of sitting whereas before it was the opposite.
My question I had for you guys was what age can I expect to hear the young? I don't want to go anywhere near the nest atm.
Enjoy the pic.
When I first got them I put them in holding cages next to each other with forced interaction by having the seed and water bowls on facing sides of the cages. I released them into an aviary (3m x 1m) around 3 weeks later with 2 pairs of red broweds who I allowed to have a few weeks in their prior without them. I watched them for a lot of that day and to be honest there was no level of aggression worse than I have seen in my gouldians. The cock bird started building a nest a few days in and went mental with the feathers, so much so I has to stop supplying them. Then they seemed to lose interest for a few weeks but now have been sitting for a couple of weeks so eggs should be hatching any day or some already have. They were given the option of brush, nest boxes, cane baskets and a wire cylinder stuffed with brush. They chose the brush to my surprise and only nested at about hip height (which has been a relief considering the heat of late). I've offered them a large array of food but have found you are better off minimising the diet and just giving them more of what they want. They get regular finch mix (clifton), 1 bowl of plain canary and white millet, 1 bowl of greens and grains, millet spray, cuttle bone and a mix a few grits and minerals I've put together.Daily they get a feed of greens and mealworms. I offered kale, spinach, leb cucumber crickets, maggots, sprouted seeds, egg and biscuit and a few other things and they had no or little interest (not to say that is the case with all crimsons).
I have a feeling the eggs started hatching a couple of days ago as the sitting patterns have changed a lot with the hen spending a lot more time off the nest now and the cock doing a lot of sitting whereas before it was the opposite.
My question I had for you guys was what age can I expect to hear the young? I don't want to go anywhere near the nest atm.
Enjoy the pic.
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- Craig52
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Hi Lachlan,nice looking cock bird of the Eastern race so a lot less aggressive to each other and the other occupants.All my crimsons nest in boxes and the nests are so stuffed with Emu feathers that i rarely hear the young so mostly i am surprised when i see young out of the nest.
I read you feed an array of foods,when my birds have young they rarely eat dry seed other than greens and grains with phalaris seed mixed in as well as soaked/sprouted seed with a finch soft food and V+M mixed with that.
They relish seeding grass heads but ignore flat leafed greens and the only livefood they eat are bushfly maggots and loads of them when they have young.
If they have made their own nest in the brush you will hear the young at about 14 days old and they sound the same as young stars.
Crimsons usually wont desert their nest so long as you don't touch it as they are tight sitters. Cheers Craig
I read you feed an array of foods,when my birds have young they rarely eat dry seed other than greens and grains with phalaris seed mixed in as well as soaked/sprouted seed with a finch soft food and V+M mixed with that.
They relish seeding grass heads but ignore flat leafed greens and the only livefood they eat are bushfly maggots and loads of them when they have young.
If they have made their own nest in the brush you will hear the young at about 14 days old and they sound the same as young stars.
Crimsons usually wont desert their nest so long as you don't touch it as they are tight sitters. Cheers Craig
- Craig52
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Hi Lachlan,it's been a long time since i kept BB crimsons but i remember they seemed to eat virtually anything provided in the way of livefood where as the WB's,in my case will only take maggots.I supplied mealworms,termites as well as maggots but the latter was all they will take,i'm not complaining as it makes life easy just feeding maggots and what i mentioned in my earlier post.Lachlan1 wrote:Cheers Craig, I appreciate the advice. Have you found the WB ones have different diet preferences to the BB ones?
When i specialised in lesser red brows it was the same with them but after talking to breeders who purchased them they were seen eating termites in mixed collections so it looks like they learn from the other inhabitants.
Cheers Craig
- Lachlan1
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- Posts: 234
- Joined: 03 Aug 2014, 21:06
- Location: Castle Hill NSW
Hi Team,
Just an update for you all. They have successfully raised 3 young. Not bad for first pair, first clutch etc . Thanks for all the info that helped make this possible. Cheers
Just an update for you all. They have successfully raised 3 young. Not bad for first pair, first clutch etc . Thanks for all the info that helped make this possible. Cheers
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