Native Bullfinches.

[KittleRox 2,147]

Pinkies as in frozen maggots,maggots from the fishing shops as it were can carry salmonela so you have to keep them in bran for a few days till the black spot you can see in them is clear,this is their gut and once it's clear you scold them in boiling water,then straight into cold water then into the freezer with them.This kills the salmonela bug and makes them safe to feed to the birds,you can buy them pre cleaned and frozen from some bird suppliers like Priors for eg.

I see bud its just the mate keeps snakes and they use the term pinkies for new born mice

[KittleRox 2,147]

I used to let my zebra finches fly free and never lost many, had to stop though because of moaning neighbours

[downsouth 6,808]

Craigyboy (god rest his soul)once told me of a chaffie cock his uncle had i think that escaped one day and flew into a bush and started to collect insect food for a hen who was sat on eggs in a aviary,the cock then flew to the aviary door and wanted back in so they made a flap in the wire and he would go and come with wild food for the hen and chicks but he could only do this during breeding season as it would have done one at any other time.Must be a grand thing to see happening mind and bet the chicks grow better than fully enclosed reared chicks due to their better diet?.

He said he could only do it when they had chicks and it was only bullies he did it with even though he kept different species of british finches.

[fireman 10,774]

He did have a chaffie cock do it as well as i was talking to him about a chaffie cock i have that took over the rearing of a greenie mule chick and was feeding it like his own,the same greenie mule turned out a hen and now chirps like a chaffie hen ,what ever birds he did it with it sure showed he had a way with his birds that i can only dream of having .

Thinking about more i'm sure he told us about a linnet (maybe ??) that also flew free and would always come home as well as his cock jay,clever man sorely missed. .

[fireman 10,774]

Here's my flight that has my bullies and a trio of redpolls in it,

plenty of room but they have a keen eye being kept on them .

[tong po 129]

when you give them pinkies make sure they are the uncoloured ones

[Millet 4,497]

Cracking stuff that pinkie tip is safley stored in my grey matter.. .. i was talking to a fellow the other day who done the bird run to swaffem for us and he was saying that fruit fly culture's in bucket's or bag's go down a treat in the aviary especially with a good dollop of horse manure to attract other natural live food.. ..also fireman i was looking at your last aviary picture and it made me think..why don't you stick a feeding hatch in there to save you crawling about in there unless you have too..

[fireman 10,774]

To be honest mate i'm in there putting up branches with buds for the bullies so have to go in anyway as they won't fit through a hatch but after this summer the whole lots coming down and a total rebuild is going to happen and it won't look far off your set up when finished seeing as the same fella may well be building it .That fella sure knows what he's talking about and we'd not go far wrong following his advise Millet for sure mate .

[KittleRox 2,147]

To be honest mate i'm in there putting up branches with buds for the bullies so have to go in anyway as they won't fit through a hatch but after this summer the whole lots coming down and a total rebuild is going to happen and it won't look far off your set up when finished seeing as the same fella may well be building it .That fella sure knows what he's talking about and we'd not go far wrong following his advise Millet for sure mate .

You lads are giving me the bird bug again

[Millet 4,497]

To be honest mate i'm in there putting up branches with buds for the bullies so have to go in anyway as they won't fit through a hatch but after this summer the whole lots coming down and a total rebuild is going to happen and it won't look far off your set up when finished seeing as the same fella may well be building it .That fella sure knows what he's talking about and we'd not go far wrong following his advise Millet for sure mate .

Just let me know when i need to sharpen my saw.. ..and i know where you are coming from with the branches..funny enough i picked a load of hawthorn shoot's yesterday and all the bird's have been picking away at them..

[earth-thrower 490]

A mate of mine had a pair off bullies years ago when the chicks had hatched he used to open a little flap on the front of the flight and they used to clear off feed up on wild food and come back he reckoned hed had them in cages before where he could open the cage during the day if the had chicks and the would always come back to feed the chicks.Has anyone else ever seen this?

I used to know a few birdmen round my way.I remember one of them telling me about this sort of thing,with the native birds.

[earth-thrower 490]

 

A mate of mine had a pair off bullies years ago when the chicks had hatched he used to open a little flap on the front of the flight and they used to clear off feed up on wild food and come back he reckoned hed had them in cages before where he could open the cage during the day if the had chicks and the would always come back to feed the chicks.Has anyone else ever seen this?

I used to know a few birdmen round my way.I remember one of them telling me about this sort of thing,with the native birds.

Brings back some memories.That was the days, when you could still exhibit your british birds,wearing the old metal split ring.

[digger. 615]

Here's my flight that has my bullies and a trio of redpolls in it,

plenty of room but they have a keen eye being kept on them .

thats not a bad setup you have there mate

[Hammo 42]

Craigyboy (god rest his soul)once told me of a chaffie cock his uncle had i think that escaped one day and flew into a bush and started to collect insect food for a hen who was sat on eggs in a aviary,the cock then flew to the aviary door and wanted back in so they made a flap in the wire and he would go and come with wild food for the hen and chicks but he could only do this during breeding season as it would have done one at any other time.Must be a grand thing to see happening mind and bet the chicks grow better than fully enclosed reared chicks due to their better diet?.

that's if mister sparrow hawk doesn't clobber him ! Lol

[Hammo 42]

Tong po on here is the one to ask about bullies , he's over run with them ! I'm on my way round his now to help him catch some up and put them in his new flights he's had to build cause he's run out of places to put em lol !