Aussie Finch Forum

I have my fly box up and running now thank you to eorix.

my pupae seam to be hatching well. so just thought i would get some hints and tips from here on how everyone runs there fly box set up? eg what sort of mixture do you make for the flys to lay in, how long should mixtures should be left in/rotated, general do 's and donts to make breeding some maggots as successful as possible.

Heres a good link by Marcus Pollard.
http://www.finchsociety.org/cfa/livefood/flies.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Similar to how I do it,I rotate everything every 24 hrs though,and sieve my maggots instead of using a hair dryer after they have been in pollard.I use whey powder aswell. Got onto some cheap stuff awhile ago,Unlike to get it that cheap again for those who got it off me normally $240 for 20 kgs.Maybe why I am having the best ever breeding season with maggot eaters.

The simplest method that I have is to rotate 4 x 2 ltr ice cream containers
Step 1 Two thirds fill 1st one with bran or pollard or mill run, mix in 1 large cup of powdered milk (full cream), mix and add enough water to make a porridge like consistency.
Step 2 Two- three days later repeat step 1
Step 3 Two -three days later repeat again
Step 4 Two -three days later repeat again

Step 1 Flies will lay eggs in a large lump at one end, in two days eggs hatched into small maggots
By step 3 maggots are ready to use and be step 4 leave a scoop of pupae to hatch for next group of breeders. Everything is done in the same box for simplicity.
A container of sugar is left in the box to give breeders carbohydrate, the only moisture the flies get is from the bran/milk/water mix.
I have used this method for about ten years, it is simple and supplies me with enough maggots and pupae to feed about forty small softbills and various finches and weavers.

tintola I have been trying to find a supplier for mill run, any leads or suppliers would be appreciated.

Gomer, it should be available at most produce stores that sell horse food. Download this link for a brand name and analysis.
http://www.riverina.com.au/website/file ... illrun.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My local rural store had never heard of it.Their supplier had not either,Thanks for the link at least I have a brand name now.

How does calf rearing powder go? Around $70 for 20kg.

Calf rearing powder is ok,It is what I used to use murf,The protein amount is just not as high as whey.

Well not sure what I'm doing wrong but can't seam to get any maggot from my mixture, I have tried a mixture floppies then another, mixture is turned at least 2 times a day plenty of flies but no sign of maggots. Any ideas

gomer wrote:Calf rearing powder is ok,It is what I used to use murf,The protein amount is just not as high as whey.

What proportion of whey powder do you use compared to milk powder.