2014 Hobby Breeding

[mysixbabies 0]

Hi All,

I was just reading back over my breeding diary for 2009! What a long time ago that was! Since then I think I have only bred once. Tragically, one of the two chicks that were hatched died unexpectedly and the other escaped from her cage - she was too smart for her own good I say.

Anyway, I'm back into it again. For good hopefully.

The happy couple are:

 

Aussie

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and

 

Able

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And the beginning of their family:

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Looking forward to them hatching. (Due date...April 5th)

Have a good one!

[maz7 0]

Welcome, try not too go too big. I am on 18 adults+10 babies hatched between 4 couples. I also have 6 Lovebirds, finches,IRN s x 2, and a few others in total 63! Far too much work+cleaning to do.

Once again welcome

[Finnie 0]

Welcome back, mysixbabies. What a coincidence- the other day I too, got the bug to look back at my own first breeding journal, which was also in 2009! So long ago! Back then, my son was 11, and was helping me out with the birds. Now he is in High School, and driving, and has no interest in them whatsoever.

 

I hope you have good luck this time around. Your parent birds are gorgeous.

[mysixbabies 0]

Welcome, try not too go too big. I am on 18 adults+10 babies hatched between 4 couples. I also have 6 Lovebirds, finches,IRN s x 2, and a few others in total 63! Far too much work+cleaning to do.

Once again welcome

 

Hi Maz,

Thanks for the warning. I don't think I'll ever get that big but you never know. Animals of any kind (well almost any) are addictive to me, especially breeding them. I want a zoo!

 

 

Welcome back, mysixbabies. What a coincidence- the other day I too, got the bug to look back at my own first breeding journal, which was also in 2009! So long ago! Back then, my son was 11, and was helping me out with the birds. Now he is in High School, and driving, and has no interest in them whatsoever.

 

I hope you have good luck this time around. Your parent birds are gorgeous.

 

Hi Finnie,

Wow! How times change? Have you been breeding all that time?

I'm really looking forward to doing it again. I love animals!!!

Katie

[Finnie 0]

Hi Katie,

 

Yes, been breeding the budgies all along. I'm up to the 170s of ring numbers now! It's so hard to believe I've had that many customers! Well, not counting how many I've kept.

 

I love animals too. It was always my dream to have a farm with horses and chickens and dogs. If I ever got to have one now, I'd add an outdoor aviary to the list.

[mysixbabies 0]

Hi Katie,

 

Yes, been breeding the budgies all along. I'm up to the 170s of ring numbers now! It's so hard to believe I've had that many customers! Well, not counting how many I've kept.

 

I love animals too. It was always my dream to have a farm with horses and chickens and dogs. If I ever got to have one now, I'd add an outdoor aviary to the list.

 

Wow! That's so cool! One day...that will be me. For now, I'll just train my little sister up in it. Hehe

I have a problem though. I have five younger siblings and they all want their OWN house-trained budgie...hmmm....not sure how that'll go down with mum and dad hehe

[Finnie 0]

Hm, yeah, six can be a little noisy in the house, if they are used to the budgies living outdoors! Maybe the younger kids could compromise and share one or two.

[maz7 0]

he he he sounds like my household!- Aviary outside but Cages galore in my Patio area, 2 Dogs running around. my 2 cats, my daughters 2 cats being babysitting, 2 Tortoises! Gekkos all round, and I even had a pet Cameleon or 2. used to put them out in Garden and always found them at same place at sunset-into potplants for night-then out to garden early morning for dewdrops. What fun we are having in the sun! ha ha ha

[mysixbabies 0]

We have a chick! So this is how it happened, perhaps it wasn't the best way to go about it but nature seemed to take over!

As some of you know, Aussie and Able's first clutch of eggs (2) sadly turned out to be both unfilled. Because I didn't want Aussie to run herself completely ragged by nesting again right away (which is what she seemed to be planning on), I covered the entrances to both nests in the avery with cardboard. They cannot be removed otherwise I would have taken them out. Aussie explored what I had done and then went away to live her life - I thought. I randomly looked into the nest box some weeks later and found a pile of chewed cardboard and an egg or two (I can't remember exactly). Oops. This was against my better judgement but I'm too much of a softy to take out the eggs out and put an end to the family development. So I left it. I watched those eggs pretty closely. I was doubtful. I suspected that they might be unfilled again. Because I was away when the first couple of eggs were laid and they had been irregular and I had been a terribly Mama and not recorded dates, I wasn't even suspecting that they could begin to hatch any time. Yesterday morning my brother came and in told us that one of the eggs had hatched. I didn't quite believe him but concentrated on holding back a stampede to look in the nest box. Later on I peaked in and sure enough...a cutely ugly little chick lay flopped over one of his bother/sister eggs.

So...life has begun once again! I can't wait to watch this little family grow.

 

Chick 1

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Aussie

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Able

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Sorry about the links...I'm too lazy to work anything else out and my photos are way to awesome (big) for this forum!

[mysixbabies 0]

Chick 2 has hatched. Therefore I assume that Chick 1 hatched on May 18th. Both looking very health and have a doting, protective mother.

 

Little Family

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Lunch Break - Mum and Dad

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Have a great day! I am!

[mysixbabies 0]

I love how they grow so quick! These little guys have been well fed - their crops look like they're about to explode. Looking forward to another baby hatching tomorrow...hopefully

 

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[mysixbabies 0]

No new baby today. Oh the doubts of it all!

Took this photo just on sunset this evening. Trust me, Mama wasn't as calm and peaceful as she looks!

 

DSC_4183.jpg

[mysixbabies 0]

Still no new addition. Still hoping against hope but also a little scared that soon it will be too dangerous for a new baby to come into the nest box? When are the older chicks too big for it to be safe for a little one. They're likely to crush a new one aren't they?

 

-twbLL2mf6uszWlhIVm7U6DhA1poxnxofPiw74ielx8=w888-h590-no

[mysixbabies 0]

May 24th

 

 

 

 

May 25 - Eldest chick is 1 week old today!

Still waiting to see if those eggs will hatch... The mother would/should have kicked them out if they were no good? Right?

 

 

Edited May 25, 2014 by mysixbabies

[Kaj 0]

No mum will often just continue to incubate them but you may wish to check the eggs ( by candling. Some say that "Dead in shell"(DIS - baby inside but dead ) can make hatched chicks sick. I do tend to leave any infertile eggs in the nest as a support for hatched chicks until they can sit up okay for themselves.

[mysixbabies 0]

No mum will often just continue to incubate them but you may wish to check the eggs ( by candling. Some say that "Dead in shell"(DIS - baby inside but dead ) can make hatched chicks sick. I do tend to leave any infertile eggs in the nest as a support for hatched chicks until they can sit up okay for themselves.

 

Hi Kaj,

Thanks for your reply.

I had a bit of a look at the eggs this morning. One I'm pretty sure is fertile and the other I'm not sure about. I do know that one egg was laid very late compared to the others - it was a surprise. So perhaps that is the fertile one. I'll leave them and see I guess.

 

Will there be a problem with having a new-hatch in a nest with two week-old plus chicks? I've been thinking about and preparing to take the two older chicks out and hand-feed them while the younger one gets big enough to hold it's own if I need to. Is that a good plan? I've never had to handraise a 'normal' budgie before. (I did keep a deformed one alive for a while but sadly it died.)

 

Thanks in advance for your advice!

[mysixbabies 0]

while I was cleaning the nest box out

 

big brother, A1 - notice the pin feathers starting to come through

[mysixbabies 0]

 

A1 - Is going to be yellow by the looks of things. I was hoping for some blues but... that's okay!

 

 

 

A2 - no idea but looking healthy and happy

Edited May 28, 2014 by mysixbabies

[Kaj 0]

Hi Katie, the largest difference I have had in a clutch between any two siblings was about 6 days but I have had a clutch of six previously with 13 days between the oldest and the youngest and they were fine. I think you will just have to see what happens and hopefully you will not have to hand raise any babies as that is a huge around the clock commitment.

 

Not that you could have planned this with your current clutch given how it came about, but I often find it helpful to breed 2 or more pairs at the same time so that the can be back-ups for each other. So far this has provided lots of benefits including not having to hand feed, providing an infertile egg laying hen with fertile eggs she so desired and much more. Maybe something for the future.

 

Your babies look nice and healthy - mum must be doing a good job.

 

What is the minimum age of the remaining eggs?

 

Can't quite see the ceres clearly but best guess is that perhaps a1- male and a2-female.

 

[mysixbabies 0]

 

A1

 

 

 

A2

[Kaj 0]

Yes I think I will stick with my original gender guesses for now. Love the yellow coming through on the wings - appears to be quite a deep yellow. By The Way is that just the photo or has A2 got purple eye shadow which has rubbed off a bit onto her back? Lol Kathy

[mysixbabies 0]

Hi Katie, the largest difference I have had in a clutch between any two siblings was about 6 days but I have had a clutch of six previously with 13 days between the oldest and the youngest and they were fine. I think you will just have to see what happens and hopefully you will not have to hand raise any babies as that is a huge around the clock commitment.

 

Not that you could have planned this with your current clutch given how it came about, but I often find it helpful to breed 2 or more pairs at the same time so that the can be back-ups for each other. So far this has provided lots of benefits including not having to hand feed, providing an infertile egg laying hen with fertile eggs she so desired and much more. Maybe something for the future.

 

Your babies look nice and healthy - mum must be doing a good job.

 

What is the minimum age of the remaining eggs?

 

Can't quite see the ceres clearly but best guess is that perhaps a1- male and a2-female.

Yes I think I will stick with my original gender guesses for now. Love the yellow coming through on the wings - appears to be quite a deep yellow. By The Way is that just the photo or has A2 got purple eye shadow which has rubbed off a bit onto her back? Lol Kathy

 

Just by looking at when A1 hatched, I would take a guess that at a MAX the last egg would have a week to go. One of them I'm pretty certain is 'past it's due date' - probably unfertilised. The other is a mystery! I'm just going to have to wait it out and see what happens. I'm all prepared to hand raise if I have to but as you said, hopefully not. Thankfully, I do have the time and whatever to commit to that as I'm working at home at the moment.

 

Hopefully one day soon I'll be able to breed more then one pair. At the moment I only have four adult budgies and the other two had no interest at all in each other. Next time.

 

How do you ever have any clue as to their sex at this age?!?! You're amazing!

 

Haha she does look like she is wearing eye-shadow doesn't she! lol

 

Hey, does the colour of their skin give any indication as to what colouring they'll be. Like A1 has rather dark, greyish colouring on his head and wings while A2 is a constant pink. Just wondering.

[mysixbabies 0]

 

A1

 

 

 

 

A2

[Kaj 0]

what differences are you looking for at that age KAZ?

Even at that age JB you can see a whiter cere for female and a pinker one for the boys. Hen chicks also seem to have more bulbous cere and larger nostrils. Boys have smaller nostrils usually.

There are some great examples in the section of sexing budgies on this forum. You are not always right but the more you practice the easier it seems.

 

In my experience the darker skin usually results in normal budgies black barring and the pink will be a lighter bird like a dilute, clear wing, ino etc.

[mysixbabies 0]

what differences are you looking for at that age KAZ?

Even at that age JB you can see a whiter cere for female and a pinker one for the boys. Hen chicks also seem to have more bulbous cere and larger nostrils. Boys have smaller nostrils usually.

There are some great examples in the section of sexing budgies on this forum. You are not always right but the more you practice the easier it seems.

 

In my experience the darker skin usually results in normal budgies black barring and the pink will be a lighter bird like a dilute, clear wing, ino etc.

 

Huh! That's cool Kaj. Thanks for going into the effort to find that. I will surely try and practice that.

I love learning new things about budgies