It's me again... and I have some great news!
My lovely Parakeet pair have hatched 6 eggs! Yes, 6! Isn't that awesome? The parents are so good... the poppa is always making sure the mommy has food for her and her babies. He is a good daddy! And mommy is always in the nest feeding her babies. I am so proud of them! I will start pulling the babies on August 1st, that is when the oldest will be ready.
If you are interested in one of our Parakeet babies and want to hand-feed, just let me know and I would be willing to share with you all my knowledge about hand-feeding. It is such a wonderful experience and your Parakeet will love you! They are so much friendlier when you hand-feed them. It is a great experience that is worth your time and energy!
Also, if you are interested in Button Quail, I now have approximately 30 to sell. Both male and female and beautiful colors! :)
Please note our latest news and updates! Lots of good stuff... and more coming! Keep on checking in!
The new birds are doing great! I think they have adjusted well and are wonderful companions. I am blessed to have them!
The show is coming up soon and Neal is working very hard to get everything organized. He is good when it comes to that stuff. I am so proud of him! What a man!
Again, if you ever have any questions, please ask! We love birds and want to help as best we can!
Thanks again for your interest.
Phoenix
Fire Crest Aviary
Hi Everyone! :)
Phoenix here.
Just wanted to write a few more things to continue where Neal left off...
The new birds are awesome! I love the little Rosella and the Lories. Both are so unique in their own way. I purchased a book so I can learn as much as I can about Lories. I heard they are somewhat hard to breed, but that does not seem to be the case. Neal and I put them in a nice, huge cage and they love it. As most birds do, they tend to stay at the highest point. But, that's ok. We have hooked them up with some awesome cups so they don't have to travel too far. But, we have also left a few down below so they get some much needed exercise. They are a bit messy, but in this larger cage, their poop and "watery" food seem to stay confined to inside.. for the most part.
As for the Rosella and his kind, it seems to be they are very easy to breed. He is young still, so he will not be breeding for a while. However, we have a mate set up for him and will be picking her up at the next bird show (which is August 13th in Orlando). I can't wait! He really seems to love fresh corn and some veggies. As time goes on, I would like to get him on a better diet. I give all of my birds a choice with their foods. They have a bowl of pellets and seed. My thought about this is... in the wild, birds do not conveniently have a pellet they can eat. LOL! To tell the truth, most birds in the wild eat seeds in different forms and so why not provide them? As I was saying, mine get both so they can choose what they want to eat. They are so lucky! :) As for the Rosella (Casanova), in time he will hopefully switch to eating both which will be much better for him.
Today, we are going to finish up the cages we are refurbishing. I have found in many articles that Rustoleum, which is safe for children's toys and such is safe for birds also. Once you finish painting, you have to let it dry for about a week, but then you can put your bird(s) inside. I did not realize Rustoleum was a safe paint. It states in most of the articles, do not paint with anything that contains Lead, Zinc or Chromate. So, remember when you want to redo your bird's cage, use a bird safe paint such as Rustoleum (it should say on the back it is safe for children), and follow the directions.
The Parakeet babies are coming along well. There are three now and mommy and daddy are faithful parents keeping them nice and full. I have been fortunate to have such good parents for my babies. I can't wait to pull them and start handfeeding. I will be including an article in the Bird Articles section of our website about handfeeding. Please check back to read it. And, if you ever have any questions, please ask! I am always available to answer questions.
I will write again soon.
Have a super day,
Phoenix
Fire Crest Aviary
Hi there, and welcome to the weblog of Fire Crest Aviary...
Well, the latest news is that we went to the Ammermans Exotic Pet Fair out towards Tampa, and it was very impressive indeed. Essentially the show is held on the Ammermans Farm, which is covered in live oaks for shade, and the vendors consist mostly of Breeders. I was impressed and depressed all at once at all the birds there. Some of the breeders seemed to be ok, treating their birds nicely, but there were some that were overcrowding their poor birds like crazy. What really killed me however was the lack of concern over where the birds were going, and how they would be treated. No one really wanted to educate the public on what it means to own a bird and what they needed, they just wanted to sell birds. It made me very sad to tell the truth. Sometimes I think we are a lone voice in the wilderness as far as breeders are concerned.
The good news is that we got some new additions to our family. We bought a proven pair of Blue Mountain Rainbow Lorikeets, and they are absolutely adorable. We have been wanting a pair for awhile, and we are very excited. Lorikeets are very particular about their diet, needing nectar and lots of other things, but to tell the truth, their requirements for fresh fruit and veggies don't vary much from what we give our birds everyday anyway. We got a cage for them that is very large, but I cannot wait for the day when I can make a free flight for them. The biggest surprise is that for being a breeding pair, they are fairly sociable. They are absolutely adorable in the way they preen each other and cuddle. We named them Ambrosia and Snake (as Snake does the typical bob and hiss that Lorikeets do), and we are keeping them in quarantine until we know they are disease free.
The other cool bit of news is that we got a Golden Mantel Rosella from a breeder friend of ours. We have reserved a mate for him, so we will be selling Rosellas eventually. He is a little flighty, but he is a very pretty bird, and likes to whistle! We have named him Cassanova.
