Breeding Early 2008.... With Updates

[Dave_McMinn 0]

There are exceptions to rules Norm, and I suppose that is where the grey area comes in.

 

The Tasmanian Devil is a great example. In nature, they have developed a cancerous, tumour like growth that is wiping out the population. We need to intervene there. I suppose the difference is saving one or saving a species.

 

okay, cleaned things this morning, and the story goes like this.

 

Sebby and Cheese - I put some Millet int he nest box and the babies are learning to chew on that. I removed the old twig the demolished and put a new one in there. All look good, no more escape attempts and the littlest ones are really feathering up well now. Need to make sure that I can clearly distinguish between the 3 pieds. If only I joined a club I could have rings - (Laughing out loud).

 

Hugo and Angel - The journeyman is not going to be a normal blue, but rather a yellow faced blue. Too early to tell if he will be a type 1 or 2 yet, but I am guessing 2 as there is some yellow on his tail and wings. The eldest of this clutch is beginning to feather up and appears to be going well, as does the middle child. The youngest, the pale ale, is hanging in there. We will see how he goes. He is growing the little pin feathers and he has a full crop, so wait and see I suppose.

 

Tralia and Nibbler - well the slow starters are definitely making up for lost time. The oldest is feathering up now, and he looks like he might be a blue spangle. I have no blue spangles, so that would be nice. The others are all too young to tell, so we must wait. I put some new shavings in each nest box, which meant locking mum's out and lifting the little ones out. Forgot my camera, but such is life. The good thing was that in this nestbox there are now 5 young, all with full crops. The littlest must have only been born yesterday, but it has been well fed already.

 

Overall, all looks good. Might get some more pics tomorrow.

[**KAZ** 0]

Re rings...you can buy plastic split rings dave for the ones you wish to tell apart

[JimmyBanks 0]

Overall, all looks good. Might get some more pics tomorrow.

 

Great to hear all the news at your place dave. Can't wait to see those pics that might be coming

[Dave_McMinn 0]

Re rings...you can buy plastic split rings dave for the ones you wish to tell apart

 

I actually have some I think. I can attach them now right? Since they are split, that should be easy.

 

It is funny, remember when you told me to make sure I had handraising formula, and I looked in my tubs, and I had some. Same thing with the split rings, they are int he tubs, multiple colours actually along with the little metla thin to put them on with - (Laughing out loud)

 

I would have made an awesome boy scout - always prepared.

[**KAZ** 0]

Re rings...you can buy plastic split rings dave for the ones you wish to tell apart :hap:

 

I actually have some I think. I can attach them now right? Since they are split, that should be easy.

 

It is funny, remember when you told me to make sure I had handraising formula, and I looked in my tubs, and I had some. Same thing with the split rings, they are int he tubs, multiple colours actually along with the little metla thin to put them on with - LOL

 

I would have made an awesome boy scout - always prepared.

too many containers, not enough remembering they are in the containers

[maesie 0]

All sounds good and I'm glad your little pale one is still with us. Good luck with ringing those you wish to.

[Dave_McMinn 0]

True to my wrod here are the pics as promised.

 

First Sebby and Cheese's nest. I am not as good as Kaz, so i waited til they were older to sex. This my take on things.

 

Eldest is male, all the rest are female. If you can tell by the pics, please let me know what you think.

 

Eldest

 

2nd

 

 

Middle

 

2nd Youngest

 

Youngest

 

Group

 

Angel and Hugo

 

Journeyman is the eldest. He looks out of place in this nestbox as he has no white, being a yellow faced blue. Oldest hatchling is beginning to featherup. Pale chick is hanging in there. We will see how he goes from here.

 

 

Tralia and Nibbler

Slow starters, but today their 6th youngester hatched. He is being kept warm by his siblings in this pile. I had move them aside to see him. he is little, but healthy. i have never bred a spangle before, so I do not know what they look like young. I am thinking that the oldest is going to be a blue spangle, judging by the white pin feather aound his/her rump. Am I right?

 

Eldest

 

Piles - in the last photo you can see the little bum of the 6th chick sticking out at the top of the pile.

[maesie 0]

They're all looking really good and VERY, VERY cute! I love the bowl shots... esp when they are trying to climb out (and your signature look great too)

[Norm 0]

With that eldest chick it looks like you could be right Dave, look to see if it’s two main feathers in the tail are white or Yellow that’s a pretty good sign. That pale chick is hanging in there, at this stage it might survive, it certainly looks a lot different to the healthy ones, if it survives if I were you I wouldn’t be breeding with it, maybe give it to someone for a pet. You never know it might be some new mutation. In that case keep it…(Laughing out loud)…

[Dave_McMinn 0]

With that eldest chick it looks like you could be right Dave, look to see if it’s two main feathers in the tail are white or Yellow that’s a pretty good sign. That pale chick is hanging in there, at this stage it might survive, it certainly looks a lot different to the healthy ones, if it survives if I were you I wouldn’t be breeding with it, maybe give it to someone for a pet. You never know it might be some new mutation. In that case keep it…(Laughing out loud)…

 

Thanks Norm. Hard to tell at the moment as the pin feather are so small, but in a couple of days it should be clearer. If the little one does survive, no, i will not breed with it. If it is a new mutation, I will call it a pale ale budgie. nice ring to it.

 

I am going to give a few of these away I think. Maybe to some of the people on here as well as family and friends, not that the people on here are not friends, just people in the REAL world - (Laughing out loud).

 

Thanks Maesie

The bowl shots worked out well. They found it a little slippery, and I had locked the dogs out in case of escape attempts actually being successful.

[Indz♥ 0]

[JimmyBanks 0]

your signature look great too

 

I like it too dave. And all the pictures are great. To be honest I couldn't tell which one was the lighter ones on the other photo's but it really showed up on this last lot. Hope he makes it. Pale ale sounds like a great name for a mutation

[Dave_McMinn 0]

I am not sure I will ever breed budgies again. This time, I have had 4 younsters die in different nest boxes, and pale ale is hanging in there and could go at any moment.

 

One has now died in Tralia and Nibbler's nestbox. This is killing ME. I have no explanation on why this one has gone downhill so suddenly. all was good yesterday. There is no apparent reason. Last year, all young survived. Now, 4 have gone before they have even fleged. I cannot pick another dead baby out of a nestbox. Yet again, there was food in this one's crop.

 

No signs of illness, there is no reason that it would not be fed. Mum and dad have not neglected any of the others. It is not the eldest, so we can rule out that once it reaches a certain age it cannot survive due to some type of genetic defect in the nestbox. We should be able to rule out infection, one would think that all the others would be partial to it.

 

There is no apparent reason why it did not survive. If you can make any sense of it, please let me know.

 

picture is below. Circles youngster is not longer with us.

 

[Indz♥ 0]

Thats so sad Dave! maybe it is just the season or something we have had some strange weather :sad: Little ones who didn't make it RIP♥♥

[**KAZ** 0]

There are a lot of reasons chicks die in the nestbox and many times its not all that clearcut. Some chicks die early on if they carry french moult. Some chicks get accidentally killed by their parents when the parents break the chicks neck feeding them.

 

By the way...in a spangle chick just in pin feathers....you can tell its a spangle by the two middle tail pins being "clear"...a different colour to the rest of the tailpins.

[Dave_McMinn 0]

I know the spangle has clear tail feathers, I was asking if anyone could tell from the picture I posted.

 

I cannot tell if this one had a broken neck. french Moult - not that I am aware of. Like I said, I am nto sure why, I just know tht I am very sad about it all.

[lovemybirds 0]

I have just read from start to finish! What a journey you have been on. Sorry, to hear about your losses. You have some great looking budgies. :sad: Congratulations!

[Dave_McMinn 0]

Thank you.

 

It is tough to lose one little one, but to lose 4 now. Worse still is that thsi one is now from a different nestbox. before I thought it oculd have bene a parental issue. Now I do not know.

[maesie 0]

So sorry for your losses Dave. It must be very hard. I lost the only three bubs that hatched in Nov/dec when they were still little like yours. I haven't bred since. I may try again, but for now I'm happy to wait. It really knocks you for 6! Keep your chin up mate!

[Dave_McMinn 0]

You are right, it does knock you down a bit. I suppose as a breeder you have to get used to it, but it is not something that is easy to do.

[*libby* 0]

Definatly not something that is easy to do if you've become attached that chick or realllly wanted it because of the genes!

[Dave_McMinn 0]

Definatly not something that is easy to do if you've become attached that chick or realllly wanted it because of the genes!

 

I am attached to every chick that is born. The survival of an animal is far more important to me than the genes they carry. Losing a small pet type blue bird is as tragic to me as losing a violet male fallow chick of show size. Every deeath, no matter the bird, hurts. i am sure it is that way for most people. If it is not, then maybe they should not be breeding birds. Maybe they are the so-called Bird mill breeders.

[**KAZ** 0]

How is the pale chick doing today, Dave ?

[Dave_McMinn 0]

Pale ale is actually doing very well. he looks less pale, if that is possible. Maybe it is because he is about half covered now with those fluffy down feathers. He has really improved a lot. I actually look at him now and wonder, where before I thought he was definitely not going to make it. None of the birds that died had reached the fluffy down stage, they were all pretty much still skin and bones.

 

I look tody at the eldest in Tralia and Nibblers box and I think he will be a spangle. His 2 middle tail feathers look white. As for the next eldest, I am thinking not a spangle.

 

Colour combinations in there will be interesting though, I think there will be many blues. Dad is blue and Mum is either split to blue or is a yellow faced blue, so maybe all the young will be blue. A nice yellow face type II spangle would be good.

 

All growing up fast in Sebby and Cheese's box. I am going to have to put a container down soon fof the jumpers. Had 2 different ones so far. There is also a regular clean out of that nestbox going on. Not sure who is doing it, but if it is Sebby, she will be removed as I do not want her to breed again.

[deb 0]

sorry to hear that you lost another baby