Steffi schrieb:
I appreciate you worrying about the African finches future in aviculture.
Hello Steffi,
I am worried and everyone on this African Finch Forum should be worried as well.
My Australian colleagues have many times told me how they would kill for the African finch species that we have in Europe. That is the expressioin that they actually used. It simply goes to show how badly they yearn to breed these birds. But these birds are forbidden to them by their government.
We must learn from this. We must do everything in our power to establish these precious African finches in our homes before it is too late.
Steffi schrieb:
I also think that most of the breeders who are rearing their African finches by the help of Bengalese don´t think about the future of that species in their country, but want to earn money because the birds are expensive! And that´s not my way and it shouldn´t be that of a serious breeder.
Considering the immense daily efforts that successful breeders of African finches must put in order to breed these birds [ even using Bengalese ], the thought that these people are breeding the African finches “ to make money” simply does not make sense.
There must be far easier ways of making money believe me....
Using Bengalese has nothing to do with making money as I have explained in my previous posts. It has to do with CONDITIONING the African species to hard boiled egg and human predators. If we continue feeding Africans their ant pupae, very few people will be able to afford breeding them. And in this way the African finch species WILL DIE OUT if importation of these finches stops.
Once the young of the African finches are conditioned to hard boiled egg and human predators, anyone should be able to breed them in their own kitchen or living room. It sounds incredible but it all boils down to what the birds have been conditioned to in their past.
Steffi schrieb:
You mentioned the amino acids of eggs: at present scientists know more than 200 different amino acids. The 22 of the eggs are those which are sufficient for the nutrition of men. For example the afore-mentioned "taurine" (lacking in cats´food) is none of the 22... Do you know, which ones lack in the birds ?
I see your point. But I have PROOF that the amino acids contained in hard boiled egg and pinkies enable Paul De Nil in Belgium to breed the following African finch species ON A YEARLY BASIS and CONSISTENTLY so. You can contact this breeder on 00/32/15757266 if you want confirmation of this. You can also contact Eric Van Tenderloo who is a Belgian bird seller who deals with this breeder. His telephone number is 0032 34 81 66 97. You can also contact the Waxbill Finch Society in England who will confirm that their members bought birds from this man.
Wienerastrild === Orange-winged Pytilia === Pytilia afra
Buntastrild === Green-winged Pytilia === Pytilia melba
Grüner Tropfenastrild === Green-backed Twinspot === Mandingoa nitidula
Monteiroastrild === Brown Twinspot === Clytospiza monteiri
Perlastrild === Rosy Twinspot === Hypargos margaritatus
Tropfenastrild === Peters's Twinspot === Hypargos niveoguttatus
Dybowskiastrild === Dybowski's Twinspot=== Euschistospiza dybowskii
Senegalamarant === Red-billed Firefinch === Lagonosticta senegala
Larvenamarant === Masked Fire Finch === Lagonosticta larvata
Nonnenastrild=== Black-crowned Waxbill === Estrilda nonnula
Blauastrild === Blue-breasted Cordon bleu === Uraeginthus angolensis
Blaukopfschmetterlingsfink === Blue-capped Cordon bleu === Uraeginthus cyanocephalus
Granatastrild === Violet Eared Waxbill === Uraeginthus granatina
Veilchenastrild === Purple Grenadier === Uraeginthus ianthinogaster
Steffi schrieb:
In many articles about using Bengalese as foster parents it´s written
that the offspring very often is weak and in bad physical condition.
I have seen fostered closed rung bluecaps and they were in excellent condition. Indeed they looked far better than the wild caught ones that I saw in other stalls. If anything, using Bengalese will enable you to breed birds that are more disease resistant in a human environment and therefore should live longer. I have explained about this in my article at:
http://astorwilliam.tripod.com/Fostering/bengalese.htm
Steffi schrieb:
And mostly they fail to rear their own young because they don´t know themselves as the African finches they are, but as Bengalese...
Again, these articles simply are not correct in what they are saying. Fostered birds will have no problem breeding on their own. Look at Gouldians now. They were all fostered years ago. And now most of them parent rear at 2 years. Christine tells me that she has had fostered bluecaps rear their young many times. And Connie has been using fostered Bluecaps to rear their young for years. Randy Taylor himself told me that the bluecaps that parent bred young on hard boiled egg and baby chick pellets [ no insects ] were from one fostered hen and one wild caught cock.
Steffi schrieb:
Oh by the way - where did you get your Blucaps ?
My bluecaps are wild caught of course.
William
