Aussie Finch Forum

Super! Congrats.
They are adorable. I just love Pekin Robins.

Great to see they are still being bred

And

On a slightly different tack . .

Where did you get your mesh? .. Looks like > 12mm and very sturdy

arthur wrote:Great to see they are still being bred

And

On a slightly different tack . .

Where did you get your mesh? .. Looks like > 12mm and very sturdy

Thanks guys. Am determined to do my bit with these guys. I remember first seeing them in a book when I was 10 years old and only being able to dream of playing a part in helping preserve them for future generations.

Arthur, the mesh is actually 6mm welded stainless steel on a steel frame, painted with water based bitumen paint. The mesh needs a special tool to cut it and the cut edges slice like a scalpel. Completely over the top but I still haven't gone as far as razor wire.....

Well done,They are a great looking pr.

Some info on maintenance and breeding diet would be good,( lots of crickets I would imagine) and age of parents, aviary mates, and how long you've had them. I've bred Pekins a few years ago but unfortunately I only have two males now and have had trouble obtaining hens.
thanks
P.S. Did they come from Peter Mandry or Pepper bro's.

Craig . . not over the top at all. Your aviaries would be 'falling tree branch proof' and 'wandering stray dog proof' and my guess is that you would have got purchase price back over a period with breeding results

I bred quite a few robins 20 or so years ago but have none now

I found that the best livefood when young were in the nest were cockchafer larva (curl grubs) which would breed in lawn grass cuttings compost heaps. Most backyards have one so neighbours, in-laws etc were 'Raided' . . but from time to time supply was limited

Crickets were used and I was supplied by a chap Ernst from Melb, who used to be a bird curator at a German zoo. Often when the robins had young it was too hot in Melb to send them and then it was action stations . . green grasshoppers from the garden etc

I only fed mealworms in such times of desperation, and then only small ones which had just shed . . older ones will kill robin chicks (learned the hard way)

I tried breeding crickets with no success but have since seen many articles on this recently which seem a bit easier and a bit more reliable than what I was doing

I tried breeding silkworms but too hot

Anyway wil leave it at that . .

What an amazing little bird! They are gorgeous!! Good job!!!

Well done

wonderful. great work. lovely little birds.

i imagine silver eared mesias are very similar to care for/breed. are these birds harder to come by?

Is this normal timing for Sydney or is this a particularly early clutch. Ours don't fire up here until end September?? Well done.