Drogo

You have to join a club and buy the rings off them. This is what people mean when they describe their birds as "club rung". Rings are pretty cheap. I take it that you are working with show stock?

If your grandfather was breeding showbirds, the year of hatch should be stamped on the rings, or you can go by ring colour: http://forums.budgie...opic=13461&st=0 If there are no rings, there is no way to tell the age of adult birds. At least 10 months after leaving the box. You decide this, but no more than two rounds of chicks per year is a good rule. Joining a club is a great way to learn.

Interesting topic. When I was thinking about making cage fronts for my canary show cages, the local welding supply shop recommended welding rods for the cage bars and silver solder to join them. In the end I bought cages from a man who imported the steel for his cage fronts from the US.

Visually, yes. Although your non opaline males may also be dominant pied etc.

Sorry for your loss hanna.

How big is the hole in the nest box?

That's a shocking story. I always thought Trill was a good brand because it was vitamin fortified.

Yep that's the one, the February-March issue. http://www.birdkeeper.com.au/australian-birdkeeper-subscription-options/australian-subscription/australian-birdkeeper-magazine-australia-start-with-current-issue However, the standards are on the Miniature budgerigar societies website https://sites.google.com/site/miniaturebudgies/home/documents-and-policies I really don't like a lot of what is written in that last link

I may have to eat my words, I just picked up a copy of Australian Birdkeeper. The Miniature Budgerigar Society have now drawn up their standards and they do appear to be an early version of the show bird not a bush budgerigar. The ideal size is 18.8cm long.

Hi ggmab, The miniature budgerigar association is apparently developing a standard but I suspect it will look more like a bush budgerigar than an old style showbird. The proposed standard in this facebook link was shot down: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=280949318649351&set=pb.210336612377289.-2207520000.1363174668&type=3&permPage=1 I'm surprised someone would maintain a line of old style showbirds in their backyard all this time. Did your deceased relative just pull out of the show scene when imported birds started making an impact in the 90s? I would love to see some pictures. M.S. Christian's book "Budgerigars: All you need to know" printed in 1983 has great pictures of showbirds of the time before the great changes seen in the 1990s.

In addition to trimming the vents, cut out the liquid calcium. It is easy to overdose on liquid calcium which can cause infertility. Cuttlefish and shell grit will provide sufficient calcium without any danger of an overdose.

Sent you a pm.

Hi Paul, PM me your email address and I will send you some photos. The birds arn't through the moult yet but some photos should give you an idea about what colours are available. I have emailed the other breeder in Cairns and when he gets back to me I should be able to provide you with his email address as well. Cheers

I should be around this site if you want to discuss canaries. If you are thinking of having birds shipped down, there is someone for whom I am sending birds to Cairns airport in a month or two when the birds finish moulting. It could be an oppurtunity for you and him to halve your air frieght costs. If you like this idea, I can let this other breeder know and give you his email address. Cheers

Hi Paul, Most Plainhead breeders sell their birds for $40 Cheers

Hi Paul, Australian Plainheads were the old style of Norwich of the 1930s and are now a bit of a rare breed. Other than the differences in type, they differ in that they are much easier to breed (don't need fosters to rear thier chicks) and cost less than the modern Norwich. It's also pretty hard to find Norwich in this country that arn't green whereas most Plainheads studs have variegated birds with at least some clears. Below is an Australian Plainhead. Note the difference in the neck. I have sent you a pm.

Hi Paul, I don't breed modern Norwich I breed Australian Plainhead. Interesting that you are in Cairns as I have been sending birds to breeders down your way. The best canary forums are the ones mentioned above. I can pm you an old contact for the Yorkshire Norwich Canary Club of Queensland of you like. Cheers

That's interesting I find cod liver oil is easier because vitamins given by water have to be given daily. Are there vitamin supplements that stay fresh long enough to be of use in automatic drinkers?

I feed cod liver oil daily and year round at a rate of 1ml per kilo of seed. I feel it is necessary to provide a source of vitamin D when the birds are kept indoors. Insufficient UV light = vitamin D deficiency. I mix up a kilo at a time and keep it in tupperware in the fridge. It does not go rancid when kept this way. Outside the fridge the seed is eaten within a couple of weeks and I do not have problems with rancid seed. If oil treated seed does go rancid it smells strongly of fish, but as I said if you store your excess in the fridge this is seldom a problem. Drogo

Hi Jono, The canary section of the Aussie finch forum is probably the best Australian site. CanaryNest has the most members of any canary forum but it can be a little slow. ColourCanaryForumotion is more active but if you arn't breeding colour canaries for show I would probably stick with CanaryNest. Canary forums tend to be even less active than budgerigar forums. Is there any specific canary breed you are interested in?

I don't think so. The small budgerigars the Americans call "American budgies" are just small pet shop birds. Why America thinks it invented the budgerigar I will never know.

I actually prefer the big birds but I don't oppose having two distinct show breeds. If enough people can agree on a miniature standard and breed towards it, the "miniature" show budgerigar might get off the ground. I guess we will know in ten years time. It is unfortunate that the article's tone is insulting, which does not reflect well on the Miniature Budgerigar Society.

I thought it was just a typical media beat up. I don't think anyone would take the author's angle too seriously and the person I spoke too on facebook didn't seem to be prejudiced against the modern show birds. The only real news presented is that a Miniature Budgerigar Society held their first show and Don Burke is involved.

Just noticed I didn't add a link for the Miniature Budgerigar Society of Australasia's website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miniature-Budgerigar-Society-of-Australasia/210336612377289

Cinnamons are nice. I have no problem with keeping normals as well. However, I saw a class for suffused birds on the Budgerigar Council of Victoria's website so I will be looking into dilutes. If the standard for suffused birds is to my liking I will stick with them. Some dilutes in pictures from the UK look spectacular. They were heavily suffused with green not like black eyed yellows, very nice.