R&t's Breeding Journal

[renee 0]

Another day and all is good in BudgieLand!

 

 

 

i have decided not to move the newly fledged chicks from the Cobalt Dommie Pied and Sky hen and just leave the 2 of them in the Breeder Cabinet for now, as the hot weather returns I will put them into the Kindie Cage but for now I am going to leave them there.

 

Same as with all the chickies in the Kindie Cage, I know there are some that are ready for outside but I am going to hold off till I absolutely have to, ie a few days before the next heat wave.

 

 

In the meantime I managed to get some half decent photos of a few of my Adult birds .... as most of them didn't breed for me this year it is just a sad reminder of what could have been ... No trick photography, they actually look even better most of the time.

 

 

My Double Factor White Spangle boy ... 5 chicks last year, this year zilch

 

The best of my Armstrong line .... filled a couple of eggs and then addled them

 

Well I can't speak for her but this boy did give me 1 chick to Medusa

 

I reckon this guy has Mega ... moping over the perch NOT a happy Chappy

 

 

I know it's not a good photo but here is my Violet split Opaline guy ... note he has flights just not much of a tail

 

These are the guys that bother me .... the ones that sit on the aviary floor!!!

[renee 0]

Technically today is the last day of my Breeding Journal. Yes I have been a bit slack lately ... you know how it is, when everything is going well there is little to say except "touch wood" and fingers crossed" things stay that way!

 

 

But any way I am going to endeavor to provide an overview of sorts and this may take a few days as I go reviewing things.

 

So this year I increased the number of Breeding Cabinets to 37 and used Fussy Cat Litter aka Attapulgite in the bottoms and also in the nest boxes although half way through I started adding Flakey Bran to soften the laying surface and hopefully reduce the number of addled eggs. I have decided that from now on I will use both again and the addition of Flakey Bran is a good idea.

 

 

In August I judged all my birds in Classes and then popped them in-together in Holding Cabinets for almost 2 weeks where they bonded. I still like this way of doing things and will do it again. Although next year I am going to pay more attention to whether they are properly in condition.

 

 

If there is anything I will take away from this year's failed season is to remember to vent pluck the cocks and hens before putting into the Holding Cabinets and then again before they go into the Breeder Cabinets.

 

 

I still like using Muscle XL Protein Powder in the Soft Food for breeding pairs, Breeding Aid, Iodine, Calcium Supplements, Murphy's Minerals, Vitamin B12 and a good quality seed and fresh veggies.

 

 

This year I bred 55 chicks of which 53 have fledged which is a simply dreadful outcome, bearing in mind that from 37 cabinets there were 18 fertile nests - barely 50%

 

 

I discovered that in spite of my distaste for Opalines a number of my cock birds are split for it as well as most of my Recessive Pieds being actually Cinnamon

 

 

And while some may mature into nice show budgies most of them will just be okay ...