Finnie's August 2010 Pairs

[Finnie 0]

Time for an update. So much happened yesterday, and the forum was DOWN!!!

 

First of all, Finnie's chicks are getting big, and I did a photo shoot of them:

 

 

 

 

 

Now, the light and shadow in the above picture makes it kind of hard to tell whether some of those chicks have white down, or whether it's just the bright light shining on them. However, the grey down looking chick is DEFINITELY grey-downed. In fact, I don't know if any of my other chicks from last time breeding ever had such grey down. The white chick directly behind, that's the plum eyed one, who must be cinnamon. I've been crossing my fingers that she is also opaline, and it looks hopeful, but I have been told that greywings can have white down, and there is the possiblilty that she has greywing, too, so I will have to wait for real feathers to see about any opaline. The down on the older two is ambiguous. They don't seem as light as the third chick, and until the 4th one got that dark grey, I was thinking that they had grey down. Now I'm not so sure. Chick #1 is normal, and I've been pretty sure all along that chick #2 is greywing. Between the two, the second one's skin markings have always been lighter, and the more they grow, the more I think it's a greywing.

 

Chick #1:

 

 

 

 

 

Chick #2:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicks #3 and 4 to come later, when they are bigger and have more to show.

 

So that was all from Saturday night, and I didn't have a long enough turn on the computer to download the photos to the computer, then to photobucket, and then to go onto the forum. Figured I'd do it Sunday. :rip:

 

Then on Sunday afternoon, I found this in Aveline's nest box!:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TWO AT ONCE!!!

 

It was on about day 22 since the first egg was laid, and I was beginning to think the first couple weren't going to hatch. (Those were the ones that had the blood on them.) But they both showed fertile when I candled them, so I'm glad they didn't die.

 

AND, they are both red-eyed! So both ino hens. It would be nice if Aidan is split to blue and one of them can be an albino.

 

 

Then, finally, in the evening when I was doing my final check for the day, I saw a broken half shell on the floor of Kevin and Teagan's cage, so I knew they had a new chick, too!

 

 

 

I'm pretty sure this is a regular black eyed chick. But since Kevin is Donovan's brother, and Donovan seems to be split for cinnamon, then I will be keeping my eyes out for plum eyes in this nest as well.

 

So three chicks in one day!! I was so excited, I wanted to come on here and tell everyone. But to my dismay, I could not get onto the forum. So I had to wait until this morning. But wait, there's more...

 

 

This morning, Aveline now has 3 CHICKS!!!

 

 

 

3 Chicks in less than 24 hours! Go Aveline! And this one is also a red-eyed hen. Now, I'm fine to have inos, but I really need some boy chicks here, if I'm ever going to figure out what other genes Aidan is masking or carrying.

 

Well, there are 5 eggs left. I could get some boys. I will do my best to keep them from getting gunked up, but as I have nowhere I can foster anybody, it will be up to fate, whether they all hatch. I'm thinking, that since Finnie is such a good mother, I might be able to foster some of these inos to her, but with the big age difference, I don't know if that would work. But I might try it at the first sign that they play soccer with their younger egg-siblings! I will have to play this by ear. In the past, Colleen hatched and raised 7 chicks just fine, so maybe Aveline can too. (And Teagan, too, of course.)

 

Things are getting really fun, around here!

 

Oh, and I think it's time I start really working with the oldest two chicks, so GB, I need some of your hand-taming advice! I'm going to go search for the thread about Houman's chick you raised for him.

[nubbly5 0]

Sooooooo cool - I LOVE seeing red eyed babies in the nest (usually what I'm aiming for either with lacewings or fallows) to me they are super exciting! And the really nice thing about breeding mixed variety birds (unlike most of the show birds these days) is that you are more likely to get those little surprises all the more often....

 

Really looking forward to fledging pics to see that jigsaw of varieties start to slot together!

[**KAZ** 0]

Great photos

[Finnie 0]

Thank you, Nubbly and Kaz. :thumbs_up:

 

One of the cool things is that every time I look at Finnie's chicks, which is 3 or 4 times a day, now that I am working on taming them, they have more feathers and more color, even if it's just been a few hours!

[rachelm 0]

They are very cute Finnie. :thumbs_up:

[GenericBlue 0]

hi darl beautiful babys three red eyes lucky you :thumbs_up:

 

as far as taming goes

Oh, and I think it's time I start really working with the oldest two chicks, so GB, I need some of your hand-taming advice! biggrin.gif I'm going to go search for the thread about Houman's chick you raised for him. wink.gif

 

 

--------------------

really

its about spending time

quality time dayly from two weeks on taking one baby with you on your rounds carry it in your hand ,head poking out.

talk to it constantly sit and chat about how cute it is how you love it

yes sounds stupid but they like us love to be talked to and praised

 

get it sitting on your cupped hand and as it grows change to side of hand then to finger as it learns to perch

always bring close to face and rub your cheek on them as they love it and not s threatening as a finger coming at them to pat

the fingers should slowly be introduced pat over whole body with whole hand all way to tip of tail

each bird is different you will see what one likes what '

 

but most of all when learns to fly constant retrieval is key to making them stay with you

soon as it flys calculate where its going to and be their so when it lands you get it bring it straight where you were wanting it

do not give up even if this goes on for hour

you give in bird wins

[Finnie 0]

Thank you for the advice, GenericBlue! :thumbs_up: Today was the second day that I've done 10 minute sessions with each of the two. The 10 minutes goes by so fast. I think I will do longer, tomorrow. One of them cuddles down into my hand or against my shirt, and the other one tries to climb all over my hand, and grabs on with it's legs pretty good. But I will be careful not to come at them with my finger, like you said, but will use closed hand.

 

I think they are both greywings, now. And they are looking girl-like. The oldest seems to have blue feathers on it's wings, so I am thinking opaline. Here are today's pics:

 

Chick #1:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chick #2:

 

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2010 by Finnie

[Wendymoon 0]

Your babies are so cute! I'm not breeding birds, so I love seeing other pics of chicks growing up. :thumbs_up:

[Finnie 0]

Thank you, Wendy

[**KAZ** 0]

Chicks looking fantastic !! So cute and so pretty

[ishtarsands 0]

Since joining this forum it's great to see others' little pinkies hatch and grow up. It must be such a rewarding feeling when you put all the hard work in and it pays off with lovely healthy chicks Finnie!

[Finnie 0]

Chicks looking fantastic !! So cute and so pretty

 

 

Since joining this forum it's great to see others' little pinkies hatch and grow up. It must be such a rewarding feeling when you put all the hard work in and it pays off with lovely healthy chicks Finnie!

 

 

Thank you, Kaz and Ishtarsands.

 

It is rewarding. But as a new breeder, I haven't really had any big disaster. Until today. I have experienced the first death of a chick ever.

 

It's not really a big disaster, just a hiccup. It's not like I expected to never have to go through the pitfalls that everyone else has to go through, sooner or later. But it does make me feel bad, every once in a while, when I think about it.

 

The chick that died is the 3rd ino girl from Aveline and Aidan's nest. She was just 4 days old. I'm glad it wasn't an older, feathered chick. I think that would make me much more sad.

 

I have no idea why she died. She looked like a perfectly fine chick, only dead. There was food in her crop, and she didn't appear to have a stuck shut beak. But my suspicion is that her mother tends to be a messy feeder, and I wonder if dried food could have smothered her. In that nest, I am constantly picking food off of the sides of their faces. But so far, their beaks have all been free and clear of dried food. And the dead baby was clean, so it's just a wild guess about smothering. I just hope the other babies in there will be okay.

 

The funny thing is, that the previous day, I had fostered the two older chicks out to Finnie's nest, because I was afraid that so many babies would addle the remaining eggs. Those two babies are doing great, even though they get somewhat trampled by their HUGE foster siblings. I think Finnie feels they should be eating as much as a two week old, because she has really STUFFED their crops.

 

So Aidan and Aveline now just have two younger chicks in their nest, and 3 more eggs to hatch. (I just realized that I never posted when the 2 youngest hatched, they are both black eyed boys.)

 

And Teagan and Kevin had another hatchling last night. So they are up to 3 right now. I wish I could foster their older chicks out, to protect the younger eggs, but I have no more fostering options, so I will just have to keep my fingers crossed that a good percentage of the 4 remaining eggs hatch. (There were 8 total, but one was clear.)

 

Will have to do pictures next time.

[Squeak_Crumble 0]

Exciting! I am so happy for all of your beautiful budgies. It is always sad when we lose a chick, but rewarding when we raise one

[Finnie 0]

Thank you, Squeak. Over all, it has been rewarding, so far. And I have a lot to look forward too!

[Finnie 0]

Some pictures from this morning. The chicks are 23 days old and down. (Finnie's)

 

Chick #4:

 

 

 

 

 

Chick #3:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chick #2:

 

 

[Finnie 0]

Today's update:

 

Finnie's nest: Finnie is not doing well. I have taken her out to a hospital cage. I also put the 2 foster chicks from Aveline back with their mother. It seems that since Finnie spent most of her time outside the box today, those two youngest had empty crops. Finnie's own four chicks seem to have plenty of food. The oldest is 23 days old. Donovan is left in charge, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will feed them properly.

 

Aveline's nest: I was expecting an egg to hatch today, but it didn't happen. Maybe tomorrow. Aveline is a very messy feeder. The babies often have seeds and goo all over the sides of their heads and shoulders. I am beginning to get worried about their nostrils, and am working to keep their faces clean. All the beaks are fine so far.

 

I gave Aveline back her two oldest ino chicks, as Finnie hadn't fed them. Aveline fed one right away, but not the other. After checking a couple of times, I removed all the chicks except the one that needed to be fed to a holding box, and after about half an hour the chick looked partially fed. Then I put the other 3 chicks back. The chick that needed the feeding doesn't look very good, so I am worried about it's survival.

 

Teagan's nest: The fourth chick hatched today! (Finally, some good news.) It appears to have plum eyes! Three eggs left to go in that nest.

 

Pics of the new chick:

 

 

[Sunnie 0]

Great thread Finnie. I hope your chick survives, it is always sad when we lost a chick, no matter how or why.

Your pictures are awesome

[Finnie 0]

Thank you, Sunnie.

 

How things stand this morning:

 

Aveline:

 

That sixth chick did make it's appearance overnight, and it has food in its crop, so that is good. Only two more eggs to go. (Oh, and #6 is another red eyed ino hen.)

 

The iffy chick still looks iffy. It didn't appear to have any more food than it did last night. Its crop looks saggy. So I mixed up some hand rearing formula, and using a small pipette, I worked on getting some food into it. I could see it sucking and swallowing, there is at least some food inside, so I am hopeful, but it's crop is now also full of air. Either I squeezed the pipette incorrectly, or the chick just swallowed air on its own. Anyway, it was quite an ordeal, and I am a more messy feeder than Aveline. I had to do a lot of face-wiping of the chick. At least all the struggle caused its skin to pink up some. Hopefully I have given it enough to make it more lively, and then get more of Aveline's attention.

 

Teagan:

 

All of her chicks look clean and fed.

 

Finnie:

 

Donovan doesn't seem to go inside the box. So the chicks are not being fed. I tried to hand feed one, but I made a real botch of the job. One of the reasons for my logging on this morning is to search and learn better how to hand feed. Getting food into those chicks is my top priority for today. Finnie seems to be holding her own in the hospital cage. I didn't think she'd make it through the night, but she looks more stable to me this morning.

 

I have gone from thinking this breeding stuff is a piece of cake, to being worried about a lot of things. I knew stuff was likely to come up, I just thought I'd be better at handling it.

[Ratzy 0]

Bad luck Finnie. These things happen. I don't have any hand rearing tips though, wish I did.

[Sunnie 0]

Hi Finnie. The easiest way to hand feed chicks is to crop feed. It is very daunting the first time or two, but once you have done it successfully a couple of times, it is a breeze. It's quick and makes sure the babies are full. You will need a crop needle and syringe. I dont know if you have access to a crop needle, they arent sold everywhere, I bought mine off Ebay or some clubs sell them off their trading tables. It is really preferable if you can get someone with experience to show you how to do it, but I believe Squeak learned how to crop from a Youtube clip I sent her. I am currently cropping two babies as I dont have fosters the right age for them, and to feed two babies, it takes me about 10 minutes from the time of preparing the mix to getting them all full up. It is a fabulous skill to have, as I have also cropped medication to sick birds who were too weak to eat and it has brought them back to being strong enough to feed and get better. I wish you luck in feeding your babies

[Finnie 0]

Hi Sunnie

 

I don't have a crop needle, at this time. I know I should get one and learn how to use it, but I am afraid I will kill a chick if I try.

 

I've done four syringe feedings on the chicks so far, and I feel a lot better about it now, than I did the first time. But not because they actually eat. I just don't feel as inept. I can tell they eat a little. Some of them are starting to show a little interest in the formula. I have emailed a breeder friend, and she said it takes them 4 or 5 feedings before they recognize it as food. She also told me to check Youtube for feeding videos. But those chicks all seem to already know what they are doing.

 

Anyway, Donovan has been in the nest box at least once, that I saw. And so this last time I went down there to feed the chicks, they all had at least SOMETHING in their crops. There does seem to be a favorite, who looks well fed. I'm hoping that between Donovan and myself, everything will be okay. It won't be too long before they can learn to eat seed, anyway.

[Squeak_Crumble 0]

Hi Sunnie

 

I don't have a crop needle, at this time. I know I should get one and learn how to use it, but I am afraid I will kill a chick if I try.

 

I've done four syringe feedings on the chicks so far, and I feel a lot better about it now, than I did the first time. But not because they actually eat. I just don't feel as inept. I can tell they eat a little. Some of them are starting to show a little interest in the formula. I have emailed a breeder friend, and she said it takes them 4 or 5 feedings before they recognize it as food. She also told me to check Youtube for feeding videos. But those chicks all seem to already know what they are doing.

 

Anyway, Donovan has been in the nest box at least once, that I saw. And so this last time I went down there to feed the chicks, they all had at least SOMETHING in their crops. There does seem to be a favorite, who looks well fed. I'm hoping that between Donovan and myself, everything will be okay. It won't be too long before they can learn to eat seed, anyway.

 

I syringe fed lots of chicks, and boy was it messy! For one feeding I would spend nearly 15 minutes on each chick, reh-eating it all the time.

When I had 3 chicks to do, and a 45 minute time frame, it was cutting it close! .

When I learnt how to crop feed (off a youtube clip, as it was urgent) and I fed the chicks, I was SO suprised.

I realised how under-nourished the chick's had been before. They had been getting probably not even half a ml. I feed my older chicks 1 and a half, depends how big their crops are looking sometimes 2 if they are quite a bit older.

I would strongly reccomend crop needling. I must admit though, I have killed one bird. I think I wasn't concentrating, or I dont know I cant even remember, and he died in my hands. For the number of HEALTHY weight chicks I have bred, compared to one death I am still sad about, I think the odds tip in my favour.

[rachelm 0]

Chick #3 looks like he/she loves to nibble your hand Finnie. They are all so cute.

What is the youngest age we can crop needle a chick Squeak? It's something I need to learn to do also.

[Squeak_Crumble 0]

Chick #3 looks like he/she loves to nibble your hand Finnie. They are all so cute.

What is the youngest age we can crop needle a chick Squeak? It's something I need to learn to do also.

 

The youngest I have done is about 3 weeks. Maybe you could do it at two, I dont know about birds anatomy enough to say sorry.

[rachelm 0]

Chick #3 looks like he/she loves to nibble your hand Finnie. They are all so cute.

What is the youngest age we can crop needle a chick Squeak? It's something I need to learn to do also.

 

The youngest I have done is about 3 weeks. Maybe you could do it at two, I dont know about birds anatomy enough to say sorry.

Thank you Squeak.