First Breeding Journal

[**KAZ** 0]

Usually, if there's a single chick, I would transfer it into a suitable other nest( same age chicks or an egg due to hatch ) and let the parents start again.

[GenericBlue 0]

Usually, if there's a single chick, I would transfer it into a suitable other nest( same age chicks or an egg due to hatch ) and let the parents start again.

 

 

i two would do this but ...if you have not breed this pair before or the eggs were not fertile bar the one id actually let them raise the chick sometimes this helps them come into breeding condition better egg fertility rate second round

however if they seem like one round would do them id foster chick as kaz said and let them start again

[Maddy 0]

I did think about it...but the size difference may just be a little too much between the nest that already has chicks.

Had my other pairs done something more constructive than feed the walls and stay in the nest all day then it may have been a great idea lol

 

So I'll let them raise it, get some experience under their metaphorical belt and see how it goes

 

Checking on Pair #1 this morning, I notice something strange about the youngest chick.

It doesn't seem to be able to move one of its legs our from next to its body.

I guess from the term 'splayed legs' that the legs are splayed and can't be pulled underneath the body, so this is like the opposite.

 

I will try and get a picture of it later

Edited May 18, 2011 by Maddy

[Maddy 0]

Photo time!

 

Seems it was all in my head and I was just being paranoid (not the first time)

So the chicks are all well

Mum likes to pluck down, I already know.

But no pin feathers have been pulled thank goodness.

Chick #1 - 14 days old

Chick #2 - 9 days old

Pair #4's nest

Took three of the 6 eggs out to relieve some stress on the parents trying to incubate them.

Left 3 as pillars for baby

And of course Potato, Ace and Leela

 

These three are going through their first moult now

They're all messy and spotted with pin feathers.

[Finnie 0]

 

 

 

How exciting to see your first batch of chicks growing up. Their first moult!

 

It gets even more exciting when they are old enough to breed, and you get to start a second generation.

[Maddy 0]

It is very exciting. Soon I will let them loose into the aviary

 

Now,

I went to check the nests and confirmed that chick #1 in the first pairs nest is definitely coming up blue.

A lovely cobalt colour in fact

I'm not disappointed in the slightest, I wouldv'e been if it was green though.

 

However, this means I'm getting closer to figuring out what Gandalf is hiding.

So hopefully some of you genetics experts can give me a hand...

 

Hen = Cin Grey/Blue x Opaline Cina Grey

The grey/blue I'm not sure if that means spit for blue or blue in colour as well as grey....it was written by the member I got the birds from

 

Following this I can safely say that any cocks I get from this pair will be split for cinnamon, and I'll get Normal hens.

But I'm unsure about the blue gene. I know grey is dominant so it must mean that Gandalf is split for blue?

I really have no idea lol

But I'll appreciate anyone's thoughts

[Finnie 0]

" Hen = Cin Grey/Blue x Opaline Cina Grey"

 

By this I take it you mean that Gandalf is Opaline cinnamon grey? And the hen is also cinnamon grey?

 

I guess I didn't realize that Gandalf was cinnamon. Are the chick's eyes plum? Because if the hen and the cock are both cinnamon, then all of the chicks will be cinnamon.

 

As far as the grey and blue color goes, the grey is a color adding factor, like violet. They are still blue series birds, but they have the grey factor added. So technically, we don't say "grey split to blue". (Although from what I've read, a lot of people do say it that way, even though they are wrong. The blue gene and the grey gene are on different locations of the chromosome.)

 

So, you have two blue birds, and they each have at least one grey factor. I think, but am not sure, that you can't tell visually whether they are single or double factor grey.

 

If they are both single factor grey, then the chicks will be 25% double factor grey, 50% single factor grey, and 25% no grey.

 

If one is double factor grey, and one is single factor, then you get 50% double factor grey chicks and 50% single factor grey chick. And then if both parents are DF grey, all the chicks will also be double factor grey.

 

So for you to have gotten a blue chick (not grey), then your parent birds must both be single factor grey.

 

A new question for the experts: If a chick is grey, will it be obvious as soon as it feathers up, or will the blue show up first, and then the grey?

[Maddy 0]

What I wrote next to the hen was her lineage

 

So by the theory you mentioned, if the hen is a DF grey and Gandalf is SF grey...I shouldn't of gotten any blue chicks lol

Its so hard not knowing his lineage, But he is definitely not hiding cinnamon otherwise the chick would be one...which its not.

[Finnie 0]

What I wrote next to the hen was her lineage

 

So by the theory you mentioned, if the hen is a DF grey and Gandalf is SF grey...I shouldn't of gotten any blue chicks lol

Its so hard not knowing his lineage, But he is definitely not hiding cinnamon otherwise the chick would be one...which its not.

 

 

Oh, thanks, I didn't get it the way you meant it.

 

Well, just because both of her parents were grey factored, doesn't mean that she's double factored. If one of them was only single factor, she could still be single factor.

 

(I didn't think Gandalf's photo looked cinnamon, but knowing that it's sometimes hard to tell in photos, I would have believed it, lol.)

[Maddy 0]

Thats my bad....I didn't write it down very clearly

 

Like I said, I am in NO way disappointed with a blue baby.

In fact he is turning out to be very nice, and I have a name for him

 

Champ

 

 

 

My fingers were cold, but he was quite happy to perch on my arm anyways.

He is 20 days old.

 

Its a little ambitious I know, but ambition is never a bad thing

But In my opinion he is very nice in terms of features and I can't wait for him to feather up completely.

 

Then there is Chick #2

 

 

No name yet

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Okay, I just went backwards in my topic and had a look at Gloria at 20 days old.

 

 

I thought I was just being paranoid crazy again....but champ is growing remarkably fast compared to her.

Can someone please tell me that there is nothing to worry about

(as in, it's NOT a mop)

Edited May 25, 2011 by Maddy

[*Nerwen* 0]

those wing and tail sheaths do look super long.....

others that have seen them in real life will tell you more.

 

he does look so cute in that first picture.

[Maddy 0]

Champ is so adorable, but so very ambitious.

Found him (her?) on the bottom of the cage this afternoon.

Was worried because it is a bit chilly today. So I popped him/her in my jacket for about 5 minutes to warm him/her up...

and he fell asleep lol

 

I didn't want to disturb it, but I had to

So I've put a bomb shelter filled with sawdust on the bottom of the cage.

Its a 1 litre takeaway container with a hole cut in the side and end, the hole is the same size as the nest box hole.

 

When cleaning out the nest yesterday. I filled it up again with sawdust and a scoop of seed.

Found champ chewing on it this morning.

 

Champ is only 23 days (3.3 weeks) old

 

 

 

I've also been calling it him/her as I see a blue/white tinge to the cere and its usually early signs of female...but this is why i choose unisex names lol

 

But I am very positive that he/she is not a mop.

I've been reading topic after topic about them on the forum and feel that it isn't one.

She/he has the right amount of tail feathers and flights and I see that mops are all over the place with theirs.

He/she also sounds like a regular chick when calling for food.

So I think it is just a budgie on invisible steroids lol

[Maddy 0]

I feel a bit mean that I left the other two chicks I have out

 

Both are fine, no where near as big as champ though (not even his brother/sister who is nearing 20 days)

But Champ's sibling seems to be turning out to be a normal Grey.

 

The single chick I have in Nest #4 is turning out to be Yellow. Whether or not it will be a green spangle or a DF I will have to wait and see.

That pair has been fantastic so far. Dad has been feeding baby since day one as well as helping mum to keep him warm.

Mum is also leaving baby's down intact. Which means this is the first fuzzy baby I've had lol

Edited May 29, 2011 by Maddy

[GenericBlue 0]

maddy i wish i had of seen this earlier champ is lovley

nice board head

good deep coloring ) loong mask -looks cobalt to me

he could be violet sky which will look cobalt but the wings and tail will have a aqura look about them into the flights and along edge of tail to tip but looks normal cobalt to me

 

the time i got blue chicks i got

from a grey hen to a violet grey cock

violet

mauve

and cobalt

a sky and a light Grey no no dark factor

so that i dont understand but thats what i got the journal is on here i thought at time i may had a slate cock bird as only the hens came out mauve

but thought we dont get slates here so ...

 

anyhow hes beautiful and never looked moppish

just good chick ish lol

[Taboo 0]

Champ is very nice, and he looks very healthy.

[Maddy 0]

Yes, its very hard not knowing one side of the gene pool.

Because Gandalf is such a vibrant grey colour in person,

he could very well be a mauve or violet grey.

 

Is there a way to tell in grey birds whether or not they have a violet factor?

I'll have to look for the journal of yours, maybe I can compare Gandalf to your cock.

 

I'm really hoping that Champ is the beginning of my budgie show days.

I would be really excited if he turns out to be good enough, as I was expecting to have to breed for a while before having any high quality birds.

[GenericBlue 0]

the secret is the cheep patches to tell a violet Grey

[Maddy 0]

Oh?

 

Are they more vibrant than a normal grey?

I have a violet spangle that I can compare it too if need be.

And a normal Grey cock. I'll have to go have a look.

 

But the pictures don't do champ's colour any justice,

especially since it has been so miserable and wet lately, the lighting in my photos aren't great.

[Maddy 0]

Photo spamming time

 

We have had really horrible weather lately around here. It flooded the roads and the yard...and my bird room!

Strangely enough, the flight was bone dry.

 

You can see the mess it made.

This happened overnight, and as you can see...the bottom nest box is drenched. It also ruined my torch, my diary (its dry now) and leaked a little into my seed (seed is okay)

This pushed me into overdrive as I figured out how I could fix it. The problem was the sheer weight of the water on the roof had caused it buckle in and had made some leaks.

 

Well I drove over to the scrap meal yard in the pouring rain to get something to prop it up.

I spent a total of $4 on a piece of rusted steel to hopefully hold the roof in place. This was the result

 

 

All cleaned up

 

luckily for me I had spare nest boxes so I was able to swap the wet one for a dry one.

Also lucky was the fact that I didn't do anything to that piece of metal. It was the exact size I needed.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Today, I checked the nest box.

It seems the dilemma I was having about the youngest chick from pair #1 having something wrong with its leg is back.

I'm not sure if this is a new problem or its managed to hide itself.

 

You can see how the leg is backwards. This is not just an awkward photo...this is how the chick walks. It pushes itself along with that leg and grabs with the other one (which is fine)

I'm not sure if this is splayed legs or just a genetic condition. Some insight of someone with experience in this would be great.

 

Chick #1 is doing fantastic however.

I tried to get him/her out, but he was taking refuge in his bomb shelter. So I just took the whole thing out.

 

 

What really surprised me...was that Gandalf came with it

 

 

I don't know what got into him, but all of a sudden he is my best friend lol

 

 

Finally Champ came out and I managed to get a face shot (sort of)

 

 

The gender is getting to me a bit

But I'm guessing at female. What colour is visible on the beak so far is a whitish blue (this photo is true colour)

You can also see the lovely colour he/she has turned out to be.

 

I thought champ had an attitude against me like his/her mum....but then chick #2 started doing it and it looked remarkably like he was trying to get food out of my finger.

 

Now I have been neglecting the 4th nest picture wise, but I have named the singular chick in there Pancake

Its the first time I've ever had a chick with down. Its so fluffy

From the dark in the wings I'm guessing at a yellow spangle.

 

All the parents are doing great and are looking in the right condition to go for a second round so far.

I'll be getting some new cabinets today to hopefully replace this one, and the wire one (as well as an extra for when I upgrade the birdroom)

The nests don't stick out and are a drawer system, so I should have more room for manoeuvring.

 

Just a quick question regarding them however.

If I were to move parents and babies into the new cabinets...would it disturb them too much to breed again?

Its just a question for future reference as I was going to wait until they've finished these lots before transferring them.

[**KAZ** 0]

 

 

Champ

 

 

 

 

Its a little ambitious I know, but ambition is never a bad thing

But In my opinion he is very nice in terms of features and I can't wait for him to feather up completely.

 

 

 

Gotta agree with you here .....Champ is a beauty

 

 

 

Today, I checked the nest box.

It seems the dilemma I was having about the youngest chick from pair #1 having something wrong with its leg is back.

I'm not sure if this is a new problem or its managed to hide itself.

 

You can see how the leg is backwards. This is not just an awkward photo...this is how the chick walks. It pushes itself along with that leg and grabs with the other one (which is fine)

I'm not sure if this is splayed legs or just a genetic condition. Some insight of someone with experience in this would be great.

 

 

Check the bones in the leg. Some chicks hatch with a deformity. They can sometimes have two "knee" joints and sometimes they actually have a section of bone missing in the leg. Its isnt splayed legs in this case. If the leg has gone black and it differs from the other leg in colour, it would indicate a loss of blood supply to the leg and may result in the loss of the limb. please investigate further and reply on what you discover

[GenericBlue 0]

wow sorry to hear your bad flood news

and im glad you have in under control

 

your young blue is a beautie

and as for daddy loving you hes trusted you with his chick and can see you are no harm

alot of my birds have this trust

the cocks that is

 

i think you will be surprised with the out come of your little fluffy pancake also

 

looks to have all the features of a nice chick emerging

is it possibly a cinnamon or am i just seeing things

 

 

as for chick with the leg issue

is it possible it was broken and twisted very young then reset its self

as kaz said look it over very close do as she has said checking its main joint points and come back with your results

look at weather the legs are same size or if it is longer than the good one also

[Maddy 0]

It could quite possibly be cinnamon.

I do not have the info for either parents though. All I know is the cock came from two DF spangles (which could be hiding cinnamon)

And the hen is definitely a cinnamon.

 

But I just followed the outcome I had for the first pair which was normal hens and cocks split cin.

However, I would be very happy if it were a cinnamon as I love yellow cinnamons

 

With the leg, I thought that when it was young something was wrong...it just wouldn't sit right.

Then it kind of went away, and now its back,

I can move the leg to where it should be...it just doesn't stay there.

It doesn't seem to be causing the chick any pain though which is good. He is happy, well fed, and very noisy like any other chick

But I didn't pay attention to length so I will do that. I didn't get to check him today as I was cleaning out one of my new cabinets to put in the bird room

(as i got 3 and only two would fit in the shed) And I was trying to do so before I lost light, but I ended up finishing in the dark anyway

[Maddy 0]

So I had a look at the chick again with the funny leg.

I looked for all the things mentioned, but couldn't find anything.

I think it might be a problem with the hip, as the foot and leg function normally, they just face the wrong way.

 

She(?) is able to pull it under herself but it seems like she can't bring it froward as in a step, it just goes backwards.

My hope is that she will at least be a good hen (if it is a she) so I can still breed her, as she can still stand up.

 

I'll try and get pictures this afternoon or tomorrow, as I have to go to work right now

[GenericBlue 0]

maddy it does sound like a hip issue

i would not be breeding it weather it is good hen or not

 

tame it for a pet and give it away or keep in flight to look at

hip disorders are not something you want to be breeding into your birds

and i myself cull them at birth soon as i see they are not fixable reason for this is they do struggle to get around as the leg has controle of the bird not the bird of the leg if you understand

as pets fine

but not many want a gammy budgie

[**KAZ** 0]

 

My hope is that she will at least be a good hen (if it is a she) so I can still breed her, as she can still stand up.

 

 

 

 

From a practical viewpoint you wont be able to breed her. Hens hips being right is essential for breeding and they have to be able to grip a perch and carry the male on top while they mate.

 

Forget it.