Pink Budgie Nest 2012

[Bad Hair Day 0]

Hello Maddy, Are you trimming vent feathers when pairing? Sometimes the extra feather length and bulk of show type birds can get in the way of a successfull mating.

[Maddy 0]

I have read several articles regarding trimming the vent feathers. From what I've seen it doesn't really change the success rate.

 

Chick #2 died tonight. Fed it in the afternoon, came back late at night and it was so weak, crop empty.

I couldn't save it.

 

I just don't know what to do. These were the only chicks this round among all the pairs and the stupid hen wouldn't feed them.

I'm so down. Its upsetting waiting for the day they hatch to have them die.

[Matt Welchman 0]

Hi Maddy, Budgerigar breeding is no easy task, and full of Heart breaks. You might find its a timing issue , because if your hens are laying then you have to look at the cock birds.

I have 22 cabinets down , 4 did not lay, the rest laid, of these 5 have fertile eggs, now I need all these eggs to hatch if im to make anything of this round, but I can bet that wont happen.

Keep your chin up , throw the eggs , pluck the vents and hope for the best in the second round.

Also I dont think the weather we are having here at the moment is helping, the birds just dont seem to be moulting properly, and so not coming into full condition.

[Maddy 0]

Okay so we are up to round 2.

 

A lot more fertile eggs, spread out amongst majority of the nests (so not just one)

As I was cleaning this morning, I heard some peeps. Opened a nest and an egg was starting to hatch ( I could see the little pink head sticking out)

But it is in the fail parents nest, so I'll see if the hen makes good of her second chance.

 

Also, a little puzzle for you guys.

I was cleaning the hens' flight and realised I had an empty cabinet. So I decided to put in an experienced hen I had gotten at the last club show.

Well I looked...and looked....and was thinking to myself after two thorough looks at the hens "Where the **** is she?"

I checked the corners, any holes, the cocks' flight. Everywhere, and no sign of this hen....it's like she was never there.

 

Has this happened to anyone? You know, a hen turning phantom and disappearing off the face of the planet?

[Squeak_Crumble 0]

I have read several articles regarding trimming the vent feathers. From what I've seen it doesn't really change the success rate.

 

 

From personal experience, I can say it really does change it! I was getting 1 or 2 chicks a nest (5 nests) and one clear in my first round, in the second I trimmed the vents of the cocks birds, and some of the buffer hens, and I got 4 chicks a nest (4 nests) and two fosters nests of 3 and 5.

 

Also, in regards to the missing hen, check she hasn't slipped through into the cock flight (I'm not sure on your aviary set-up) but I found I had a pet-type slip into my show flock. Also, check the ground, sometimes bodies can be hidden under seed husks, or the bird died and was eaten (you'll find a skull)

Edited April 20, 2012 by Squeak_Crumble

[Maddy 0]

But I've found I have the same results without trimming. So in nest #6 I had all clear last round. Now I have 4 fertile, without trimming.

 

I checked the cock and hen flight. She would be the only grey bird amongst the two so she wouldn't be hard to spot I would think.

I also swept up all seed in the flights this morning. So I am completely clueless as to where she went

[robyn 0]

HI Maddy, glad your 2nd round sounds more positive. I don't want to question your sanity but are you sure the missing hen isn't already in a breeding cabinet?

I did put one hen down and a couple of days later decided I'd try her with a different cock. Looked through the flights to find her, no go then "found" her already paired up. (don't tell anyone that will you)

[Maddy 0]

Funnily enough that was the first though that popped through my head.

But then I remembered that she couldn't be because she only came out of quarantine last month.

 

I had another look again today and she is still missing. It's got me baffled.

 

On a lighter note, the chick is still alive

[robyn 0]

Good luck with your chicks, don't suppose missing hen could have got out when you entered flight somehow.? They are so quick it's hard to keep eye on all of them even with safety door.

[Maddy 0]

No because my flights open up into the breeding room, which is closed when I open the flights. So I would of seen her.

 

It's just one big giant mystery

[**KAZ** 0]

Check for rodents and snakes...........check all possible holes and crevices for entry points. Do you have mesh to ground ?

 

 

 

check behind and sides of these cabinets ( I once found a squashed bird between wall and cabinets where it had shimmied down ) and also check the nestboxes up the top too. And have you blocked the holes where the bends on the metal roof meets the sides ?

Edited April 22, 2012 by **KAZ**

[Maddy 0]

I will Kaz. I'll have to do a thorough search, though I'm not expecting to find anything alive (unless its a spider, lots of those)

[**KAZ** 0]

re spiders..........if you spray around your birdroom with A.I.L Avian insecticidal liquidator the next day all spiders and cockroaches will be dead...........and its safe.

[Maddy 0]

I have done that, however, my back yard seems to have bred some kind of super-resistent spider that laughs in my face when I spray them directly with the liquidator lol.

 

The hen seems to have finally picked up her game though, as the chick is still alive and has a full crop. Another chick hatched, but that one seemed to die of unknown causes.

[Maddy 0]

Still not the best of luck here

 

After having 6 chicks at one time, all of them are now dead.

One died of yellow belly, another got crushed by its bigger siblings and the other four....well, I have no clue.

 

They have been dying at about 1 week of age. They look perfectly fine (except for being dead) and have food in their crop.

One I found yesterday morning on deaths door, freezing and in the same position as the others when i found them. I took her in and fed her, took her to work, kept her on a heat mat and she was fine.

I woke up this morning and she was dead. She looked fine, still had food and it seemed as though she had died standing (or in her sleeping position).

 

Its depressing. Does anyone have any idea what's happening? And why did she die? Did I do something wrong?

I keep blaming myself.

[robyn 0]

Hi Maddy, sorry your 2nd round has turned sour as well. Trying to think what may do this

 

Have you given breeding cages any different seed etc to non breeders? If adults are okay does it just effect chicks?

Could it be connected to what food breeding cages are getting, I think splat had all sorts of trouble last year and it turned out to be a seed issue.

Have you used any meds or sprays etc around nest box's?

 

It's awful to get them looking promising and then this happens, worse that you can't pin point what it could be.