Aussie Finch Forum

Oh boy am I happy.
I had thought that my Javas had gone down to nest, but as they were using the 25cm square box that I put in with them in mind and had put up by the roof where short people like me couldn't see in.
I could only go on the fact that Mum (white hen with slight colouration in tail) was very scruffy on the front and invisible half the time.
But there was no noise and she stopped being invisible so thought, must have been a fizzog.
Then just went down to top up food and water and check everyone out and joy.
A beautiful almost 50/50 pied fully feathered youngster.
Dad is a normal gray. (If mums double factor pied that works) I don't mind either way this youngun is beautiful.
Have always loved the regal look of the Java's but only got my first about 5 years ago. And several years of nothing. Think previous problems were due to "pairs" being same sex.
My loverly mother only picked Dad up for me during a trip to the big smoke less than 6months ago. After I lost mums previous mate. But he did seem to be hearding her gently from the start so though this was the best sign I had seen.
Dad was in the nest, when I re-checked, first time I've caught him near it since he built it. So I will cross my fingers.
Happy.
LML

congrats, hope there are more soon

Excellent news hope we get to see pics when the baby fledges.

Congradulations I'm jealous as I've never even had them look like breeding here but reading your post perhaps I'm impatient.

Patience is a virtue. I've noticed a little Java face poking out of a 1/2 open nest box I installed after some reading up on Javas and so I decided to look and yes i have "an egg" I hope it's the start of clutch. My javas were the only finches that I didn't expose to the cane toad in my main aviary so I have high hopes given the sterility amoungst the other finches (and king quail). Fortunately for me and unfortunately for the birds I'm going back to Australia for Christmas so I won't be able to give extra soft or live food when they hatch. Does anyone know if Javas can raise young on dry and green seed alone? If they are like my cut-throats the question is probably irrelevant as they would rather let their babies starve than feed them a diet different to what they had a youngsters. Still I'm very happy that at last I've got wild sourced birds to nest and lay as this is not as easy as I hoped.

whenever I'm going to be away for a few days I place a large jar full of mealworm in the aviary. a few holes punched in the lid. have it above a dish for the worms to drop into when they find the way out, which they always seem to manage. broke my last one a while back so cant get any pics of it did seem to help though

No further signs of chicks here but Mum and Dad are still looking a bit scruffy on the front so haven't given up hope.
These little darlings raised their beauty on dry seed, almost daily handfulls of green seeding grasses and what little live food they could locate in the avairy. Dirt floor set up to breed meal worms in the aviary, being a naturally slightly lazy person anything that does itself after initial set up suits me and it works quite well.
LML

Greg,

Back when I had Javas, mine were raised on sprouted seed with soft food mixed in twice a day. I wouldn't worry about live food.

That's one of the kids. I am delighted with them.

Well I lost the Mom Java mentioned in my earlier post without any more chicks. Then last year Dad put his daughter down (yes I know you don;t approve) and they had 2 unsuccessful nests of 7 and 5 respectfully. Got the young almost ready to fledge and lost them. But this was in a box less than 6" square. Think they just smothered. BECAUSE. This year they went back down (both are very big healthy birds) in the original big nest she was hatched in. And have produced 2 nests of 4 and 5, all big and heathy and just moulting out into adult plumage. Only loss was last week, think this cold wet weather combined with the moult did it.
Half the young are normal looking and half pied.
LML