Hi from New Zealand

[Mack O B]

What a great site this is. I found you a couple of weeks ago and have visited regularly since and found so much interesting and helpful information. I have mainly canaries, button quail, and a small unbalanced colony of Orange Breasted waxbills (8 males and 3 females). The females are soooo hard to get over here and you can usually only buy them in pairs. I haven't had much luck with breeding the OB's over the last couple of seasons, with various mishaps and an invasion of mice, but now have them in their own avairy so hopefully things will change as I am now able to feed them livefood and hopefully keep the mice out. I look forward to learning more and hopefully contributing my few cents worth. Cheers, Karen

[Will_36]

Welcome and nice to have you onboard.
Nice place NZ.

[Lukec]

Welcome.

I have found housing them as single pairs far
more productive so they don't interfear in each
others business

[Mack O B]

Hi, I had wondered that but was told they are best in a colony and that they pair for life. Most of the males are not leg banded so I am unable to tell which is paired with which female. There is one banded male constantly with a female but she seems to also have another male on the run. I noticed this evening a nest with 3 or 4 eggs in it but am a bit worried as it is getting a lot cooler now and we have had such bloody awful weather the last 2 days, the front cover got blown half off the avairy last night. Guess I'll just have to wait and see how they go.

[Diane]

Hi and welcome to the forum Karen.

Nice birds the OBs I have a pair in my aviary and after a couple of clutches that didnt make due to heatwaves, they now have 3 babies just colouring up.

[Mack O B]

Hi, Well done, that is so rewarding.
I live in hope. Hope of finding more females and hope of successfully breeding them.

[finchbreeder]

Welcome to the forum Karen. Orange breasteds are beaut little finches, and yes the young do seem to be over 50% male.
Have found of all things the most successful live food is weevils from seed that has been infested, tiny like the birds. So when someone grumbles about their infested seed run round and grab it for live food.
LML

[gomer]

Welcome Karen to the forum,Sounds like those hens would be getting plenty of attention,Not to much I hope.

[dRAG_jUNKIE]

G'day and welcome to the AFF

[fincher]

hi and welcome to the forum
yes the orangebreast are nice birds

thanks chris