Aussie Finch Forum

The Postman has just delivered my free maggots 12 noon 25C day sunny.
They are packed in two tube one bigger than the other, tubes have travelled well and I can hear a sort of quiet burbling noise from the tubes, the smaller one I can hear the occasional buzz of a fly.
Both have now been placed in the fridge as the instructions said.

Recieved mine this afternoon in very good condition - thanks Gerry. My wife (who already thinks I'm a bit mental) picked them up from our small general store/post office and says the owner now knows I'm completely mad.
Note that I haven't fed maggots for years, so a new experience for my birds. Fed some out in an aviary I know have chicks - replaced the termite bowl with a similar bowl with maggots to gauge their reaction. There are diamonds and tricolors with chicks and also strawberries and maskeds on eggs. The diamonds and tricolors were straight down but just looked at them for ages with a WTF look. Certainly very interested but I haven't actually seen one eaten yet. In another aviary with heaps of recently fledged longtails a similar experience, but all are very interested. Fun too watch. I suspect they're probably eating them as I write this.
I've refrigerated most and also put a small tub of maggots in the freezer to see how that goes.
Thanks again Gerry, and will keep the forum updated...

SamDavis wrote:just looked at them for ages with a WTF look.

Gold! .....can almost picture this! LOL

Put it in there about half an hour ago, with some Seeding Grass I grabbed (Got about 1kg today! Should last em a while!) and they're all down on it after about 20min! The Parrot-Finches love it! And the Painteds, Nutmegs, Scarlet-chested and Firefinch are quite enjoying it! Mine are still in their container in the fridge, and I'll put them in the way they suggested on the paper soon! Looks great!

Thank you!!!!

Hi i recieved maggots today just wondering do they need to be put in bran to clean them selves before serving to birds? Or is it ok to just seive them out and serve as is? First timer

Mine arrived today. Can't imagine the look on my 16 year old's face when he got home from school and found them sitting at the front door . Pupae are in the house fridge, maggots will go into a container and out into the fridge in the garage in the morning (have 14 birds in quarantine cages in there too, so can't disturb them tonight). I'll be freezing some and keeping some alive for a in the fridge but am planning to try a few in the finch aviaries in the morning to see what happens!

I must say, having never had live feeders before, this is getting all very exciting. Can't wait for the chats and wrens to arrive now.

Hmmm my poor little guys are stuck somewhere between Sydney GPO and Dubbo .
Be strong little fellas .

I would like to say thanks Gerry, mine arrived today as well, as BB said two containers one with pupae and the others with maggots all containers in good condition and all maggots alive, very good container Gerry like the mesh at the top so they can breath only every got them in plastic containers (mealworms and pupae). Will pm you with my thoughts when I get to try them on all my birds as most hate never seen maggots. Gave them to my Cubans and they are just staring at them they haven't tried to many yet, will pm you with my results on friday as how they go. Thanks again Gerry.

Re cleaning maggots:
The material they are in is all bran and pollard based anyway and so they shouldn't need cleaning - i can't imagine it being a problem even if the finches ate a bit of the maggot food as it is mostly wheat.

djb78 wrote: ...snip... all containers in good condition and all maggots alive...snip...

You're brave djb, checking each maggot individually. All I was allowed to do at the kitchen bench was peer in the top and then re-seal them quickly .