renee

Oh Splat I'm so sorry to hear about this. I'm glad his legacy will live on and he will always be in your heart.

I am so very happy for you Splat! DO NOT sell your birds!!!! I know it like flattery BUT DON"T DO IT. You need depth in your stud to accommodate unforeseen disasters.

Thank you for your kind wishes All is good and thanks to the fantastic surgeons and nurses I have made a very fast recovery and am back at home already. Can't do much myself - But at least I can supervise! Well in my absence my Mum (severely hung over from jet lag), my hubby and my friend Trish have done a wonderful job looking after the budgies. I am sure Kaz will understand when I say I panic at the mere thought of leaving my budgies in anybody else's care and partly because of this I was imagining that all my birds were getting sick last week in anticipation of my hospital stay. In all fairness they did get knocked about by last Sunday's heat wave but happily there have been no fatalities or fluffed up birds. Any way, there have been 2 new hatchings to the Cobalt Dommie Pied nest yesterday and today, I think that makes them 4th and 5th and there looks like another egg to go. There is maybe another viable egg in the Violet boy's nest but I am not holding my breath as there have been a DIS there. And then I am waiting on a whole clutch of fertile eggs from one more nest and that is it for the season.

Just a quick update First the good news in that I have received my trusted second opinion from my friend and she tells me I'm stressing about nothing. Yes they are breathing fast but it is warm in the Breeding Room and at least they are eating the soft food and extra hulled oats I am providing. She also reckons that the fledged chickies are okay as "they'd be dead by now if they weren't feeding themselves". No new chicks so far tody but here are a couple of photos of some newly fledged chicks - Here is the only Lute of this season, not very good body colour but then he is split Blue This little one can't perch yet Its the sibling to the Cobalt Spangle Okay well I will be offline for a few days as I need to go into hospital for an operation but I hope to be back online before too long with all the news. Until then Best of Luck to those of you with birds in the Shield Show!

Cool, thanks Finnie. Here's the blurb: Liquid calcium, vitamin D3 and magnesium supplement For caged and aviary birds Calcivite Plus has been developed by avian veterinarians and aviculturists to supplement the diets of caged and aviary birds that may be deficient in calcium, vitamin D3 and magnesium. It is ideal for canaries, budgerigars, finches, cockatiels, grass parrots, rosellas, cockatoos and other birds. The diets provided for aviary birds, particularly those based on dry seed, often contain low levels of calcium. Calcium deficiency can lead to thin bones, poor growth in babies and reproductive problems including soft-shelled eggs, poor quality eggs, egg binding and post laying paralysis. The calcium in Calcivite Plus is in its proteinated (organic) form, making it water-soluble and more easily absorbed from the bowel. Vitamin D3 is necessary for absorption of calcium from the bowel. The levels of calcium and magnesium in the body are related, with levels of calcium in the diet affecting the magnesium requirement. As the level of calcium in the diet rises, this increases the requirement for magnesium. It is therefore useful to also provide magnesium in a calcium supplement. Calcivite Plus is a fully water soluble, clear liquid that is readily taken by the birds. It can also be added to wet mixes and soft foods, such as fruit or soaked or sprouted seed. With the calcium in its proteinated form and also containing vitamin D3 and magnesium, Calcivite Plus represents an extremely useful way for the aviculturist to provide essential calcium to caged and aviary birds. Active constituents: Calcium as calcium proteinate 33g/l; vitamin D3 25,000 iu/l; magnesium sulphate 0.5 g/l.

Okay Splat that is not the same as Calcivet, does it have the same sugar content? I tried your link but couldn't read the blurb, please could you post it for me?

It is a new day and at least for now I am going to look on the bright side and not catastrophize and choose to believe that there is nothing too much wrong with my budgies. Tomorrow a friend is coming over and going to give me a second opinion, so until then all is well in budgieland. I have also come to the realization that some of my little fledged chickies are too reliant on me feeding them so I am stopping for now and assessing. At some point or other they are going to have to start feeding themselves and I am hoping hunger will be a big motivator. In the meantime I have crammed full the kindie cage with millet sprays, seed, hulled oats, soft food and fresh broccoli. No new chicks today but another DIS to the DF Albino pair and that makes 2 for them and that is it. They look healthy and happy so will be released to the aviary tomorrow. Instead I thought I'd do another pictorial update on 2 youngsters I am tracking at the moment - the Cobalt Spangle and the DF Yellow He is starting to get more of a blow going which is promising. He'll never do well in the Spangle Class 'cause he has **** markings BUT I am looking to put him into my DF White line. He's coming up to fledging time, still not looking particularly good but I really do like him.

You think? Actually it's the little ones who sit so obediently on my finger long enough for me to get a couple of photos in!

A chickie arrived today. A first to the Sky Dommie Pied and his Cobalt hen. It hadn't been fed so I swapped it with an Albino chick. No fatalities but a number of birds are breathing rapidly and not eating. What confounds me is they are not fluffed up. Any way I am hoping to turn the corner tomorrow and see some improvement then. Fingers Crossed. I thought I'd do a pictorial update on some chicks featured earlier, the Green Normals from the Light Green Spangle nest are looking very nice but the little buggers have figured out they can flap flap their wings and fly away and won't pose on my finger for a photo Here are some photos of some more trusting chicks - Cobalt Dommie Pied Normal Sky Normal Cobalt

Oh Tch Tch! You've been up against these Champion Breeders before and done very well. And you will be up against them in the future .... imagine they are all walking around in their underwear and their budgies are not perching From the photos I've seen I still like the Light Green boy best, I'll be very interested to know how they both place.

I am going to be hoping and wishing and wanting your budgies to do VERY WELL at that Unbroken Cap Shield.

Just read this and canker would be my first guess. Thanks for that Dan.

Oh they are nice! Breeding without any hassles? Is that possible?

Well I am slightly more confident about my initial diagnosis of Canker today as Medusa had some dark green dropping stuck to her vent this morning and along with the Light Green Spangle (still no poopy bum) are the 2 looking the worse for wear. Interesting as they have not been in contact with each other. So now I am treating every bird with Turbosole and hoping I caught it in time. Fingers Crossed. No new arrivals today but I thought I'd share with you the best bird I have bred so far. Well actually it's his brother as he wouldn't perch on my finger. Still a bit young to look very good but he has the overall size and length (ie shape in the body) that I am looking for, nice depth of mask, promising feather and most importantly I like the look of his face - which is more rounded with more on top when he is relaxed.

The temperature dropped quite dramatically and by 4pm I was able to open up the Breeding Room to cooler breezes. As I suspected the little number 3 Albino chick I transferred to the Violet nest is being fed very, very well. The latest chick to the Cobalt Dommie Pied, number 3, was looking a bit dehydrated so I popped it in with the Albino Maiden hen who seems to be a very good feeder of little chickies. I am concerned by a couple of adult birds which seem to be gaping a lot and making whooping sorta noises. Clean vents but sudden loss of weight but no discernible staining of the feathers. I have seen this before but it was that long ago I can't remember. If anybody recognizes the symptoms please let me know. In the meantime I have upped the acid content of the drinking water and crop fed a couple with a mixture of Turbosole (for canker) and budgie mix.

I guess from the topic title that at least one got in - maybe all 3!!!! Go on Splat: Tell All!

It's 13:45 and very hot outside! However, it must be a full 5C cooler in the Breeding Room so I am grateful for that. I have just finished adding ice cubes to the drinkers and the little fledglings have 2 ice packs wrapped up in plastic to keep them cooler. Earlier this morning I swapped the Violet chickie with Albino number 3, this evening I will look to see how they're going.

They are simply adorable Finnie!

Oh Ho Here's one to watch! I do believe you have a winner! I'll be very interested to see how the others develop - their a bit too young at present to gauge. Gorgeous, gorgeous little doggies!

I remember being told early on to keep the adults all together as the hens could get lazy all on their own - the cock birds keep them on their toes!

You're doing a wonderful job! Well Done you!

A fifth chick has arrived to the DF Maiden Albino nest! That's it for them, there is another egg but it is clear. I have moved chickie number 2 into the Grey cock and Recessive Pied nest with 3 others so that leaves 3 in the nest. I have noticed that the little one in the Violet boy's nest is always peeping and now my suspicions have been confirmed this morning - the hen, very experienced, is under-feeding it, its little crop always seems to have air bubbles. I squeezed the air out and will monitor, it is usually just a phase and hopefully will self correct. Other than that all is good in budgieland! It is already 20C outside so I have turned off the lights and closed up the Breeding Room. There is a coolish breeze blowing but I know at any time it is going to turn hot. Later I will add ice cubes to the drinkers, turn on the fan and add ice packs to some nests.

I know! It will be interesting to see if the shade cloth makes any difference. Fingers Crossed!!!!

Well it is late and I'm tired so this will be a very quick update. This afternoon I cleared all infertile nests, all eleven of them with possibly another two tomorrow. Not all but most birds were released into the outside aviary. My worst fears have been confirmed and tomorrow's forecast is for 34C. Luckily the temperature will drop back to a balmy 20C+ on Monday so I see tomorrow as a test run for the warmer weather that will come in a month's or so time. The little fledged chickies are doing well and I am seeing signs that they will start feeding themselves but so far they are not able to fill their own crops yet so I am still doing the nightly top ups .... the benefits of the daily contact mean that they associate me with yumminess and all perch on my finger quite easily.

I think this one's your winner He has a lovely depth of mask as well as a bit on top