R&t's Breeding Journal

[Daz 0]

Fodder Mites: Nuisancemites which may hatch out of that new bag of seed that you have just opened.They are quite large and visible to the eye. They just keep coming andtumbling out of the bag! Fortunately these mites don't seem to have anyinterest in chewing on our birds (Finches)! What to do: When you realize the source ofthe problem, take the bag of seed outside and feed it to the wild birds whodon't seem to mind a little meat with their dinner. The mites can be killedwith a Vapona strip or by spraying with AIL or Ambush. You can also put yourused Vapona strip (i.e. after 3 months of use) on the side of your seed bin,close the lid, and the remaining fumes will be enough in this small space tokill any critters within, which will also include those pesky seed moths!

 

[/quote]

 

 

 

fodder miteLepidoglyphus destructor (Schrank

http://www.ces.csiro.au/aicn/name_c/a_1584.htm

[renee 0]

 

fodder miteLepidoglyphus destructor (Schrank

http://www.ces.csiro...me_c/a_1584.htm

 

Well cheers Daz. Yes I looked at this image as well as many, many others and it doesn't look like a tiny spider to me, eh. Although it is from the arachni - something family so I figured that maybe from a different angle it might.

[splat 0]

That is one ugly little bug.

[renee 0]

Today is the beginning of Week 7

I included it in the Chick Report yesterday but didn't mention that yesterday that another little chick arrived to my DF Recessive Pied pair I have a picture up at the beginning of the thread of the 11 cock, very nice bird. I initially had him paired to a 11 Cobalt hen but she kept on rolling the eggs out of the nest so he went down to his cousin. There were 4 eggs in this nest with 2 clear and I was hoping for 2 chicks but it appears that that will not happen ...

 

 

My suspicions about the Sky hen may have been confirmed today insofar I have been checking on the 4 chicks in her care and while she seems to be in the nest box a fair bit she doesn't seem to be feeding the little ones as frequently as I would like - pigging out on the millet sprays no doubt instead! Any way I have decided to top them up myself in the morning and evening and monitor their progress. Even though it is a dry nest with no runny bums I popped a little Triple C into the crop mix. What does disturb me is the little ones do not appear to be crying out for food. Maybe they aren't that hungry .... maybe I am stressing out about nothing ...

 

Moving on

 

 

I did an Egg Check yesterday and almost all nests have eggs now with a few showing fertile. I am going to focus on these

 

The 11 Violet Cobalt cock down to the 08 JK Cobalt hen: 3 eggs / 2 fertile.

She laid a large clutch of I think 9 eggs last time with a high number of fertile eggs that then addled so I have decided not to check on her again for a fortnight. The cock bird does tend to jump in the nest box so the less I disturb these two the better.

 

 

The 11 Dommie Pied Cobalt to the 10 Green: 8 eggs / 5 fertile.

This is a new pairing as of the 5th Sept. But I have to say I have my doubts about this nest 'cause I don't think she is turning her eggs properly.

 

 

The DF Albino pairing of 11 Albino to 08 Albino: 7 eggs / 2 showing fertile at this stage

She also laid a large clutch last time of 6 eggs but only 1 showed fertile and then addled. I am hoping the Maiden cock bird has improved his mating technique this time around.

 

 

The 09 Grey split RP to 11 RP: 5 eggs / 2 showing fertile at this stage.

I was very disappointed last round with this nest. She laid 6 eggs of which 3 showed fertile but they then addled. From what I see he does not go in the nest box. Any way I am not going to check on them again for another fortnight give or take.

 

 

Another DF Albino pairing of 11 Albino to 11 Albino: 6 eggs / 4 fertile

Identical story to the other DF Albino pairing. It looks like the cock bird knows what he is doing this time around.

 

So basically the nests that did have fertile eggs last round do so again this time around. I am still waiting on some more nests yet but it does NOT seem like I'll be getting any DF Green Normals. Grrrrrrr.

[~ Charly ~ 0]

You seem to be doing a pretty good job there ! I haven't even added a nest box to my birds cage, I'm still preparing. This is my second round at breeding, and I decided I would do LOTS of research on some stuff before I tried again.

[renee 0]

You seem to be doing a pretty good job there ! I haven't even added a nest box to my birds cage, I'm still preparing. This is my second round at breeding, and I decided I would do LOTS of research on some stuff before I tried again.

 

Thanks for your post Charly .... but oh I wish.

 

In years gone by I bred from Anzac day through to September with very good results, especially in 2009 (with red and blue rung chicks). But with the ring date changing from January 1st to September 1st and as my set up is no good in the heat (and I wouldn't want to breed in the summer months anyway) I increased my number of Breeder Cabinets to 37 and have just tried to do one round with chicks hatching out in September to mid October. I didn't do so badly last year but this year has not gone to plan.

Edited September 26, 2011 by renee

[renee 0]

Okay so now for a Miscellaneous Update.

 

Last week I had a couple of chicks that were getting badly feather plucked in the Green split RP nest. It started off with a nibble but by Day 2 of this I was plastering their wings in Detol cream. On Day 3 things were worse so I mixed up a paste of Olive Oil, Garlic Salt and Crushed Garlic and smeared it on them. Unfortunately at this point the hen decided not to feed them any more. So they were fostered on and I released this pair into the aviary on Sunday.

 

My Fabulous DF White Spangle boy was down to his daughter and once again she laid a large clutch of 6 eggs but all are clear so she went into the aviary too. However, in the past week he seemed very alert so I popped him into another Breeder Cabinet with one of the back-up hens I got from GA. They seem keen on each other and she is visiting the nest box but it is early days (well actually shockingly late in my season .... but no matter).

 

Same story with my GDA DF Yellow boy. His hen actually wasn't even laying eggs at all but he perked up too so she is now in the aviary and I put him to an old Manno RP hen. But you know I have my doubts about this pairing.... time will tell.

[fordmob 0]

Do they still sell Vapona strips, I thought they were no longer on the market after being shown to have various bad side affects.

 

I would go and buy a $5 1 litre bottle of Garden Pyrethrum spray from the supermarket, cover up all seed and water and spray everything. It is recommended on the bottle that you shouldn't spray directly on humans or animals. Its virtually the same stuff as the pet stuff just more highly concentrated. You could save your expensive AIL just for the birds then.

 

After breeding season I would let a couple of flea bombs go in the birdroom before I washed everything down.

[renee 0]

Do they still sell Vapona strips, I thought they were no longer on the market after being shown to have various bad side affects.

 

I would go and buy a $5 1 litre bottle of Garden Pyrethrum spray from the supermarket, cover up all seed and water and spray everything. It is recommended on the bottle that you shouldn't spray directly on humans or animals. Its virtually the same stuff as the pet stuff just more highly concentrated. You could save your expensive AIL just for the birds then.

 

After breeding season I would let a couple of flea bombs go in the birdroom before I washed everything down.

 

Thanks for the tip fordmob!

 

Funny you should mention the Flea Bombs as my hubby suggested doing just that in preparation for the nest breeding season.

 

 

[renee 0]

Just a quick update today - it was supposed to be a Chick Report, but my camera has run out of batteries ....

 

 

I have transferred the Green split Blue 5 day chick out of its nest into the DF Recessive Pied nest today as the hen was sitting too tight and squashing the little one. Good news is it has been accepted and fed and I have tied its little legs to correct the severe splaying. If the hen unravels the dental floss I will look at making something out of foam for it.

[renee 0]

Another quick update before I do a detailed Chick Stat Report ....

 

Yes the RP hen did unravel my carefully woven design of dental floss to correct the splayed legs of the little chick I transferred yesterday. I have had another look today and it is off its back and taking tentative steps so I am going to monitor its progress for now. I am hoping I caught it just in time at 6 days and it self corrects over the next week or so, I have seen that before. Fingers Crossed!

 

 

In other news I'm facing another feather plucking crisis. This time in Medusa's nest. It's a pity because she has been such a good mother hen up until now. Once again I tried the detol cream and gave her 1/2 hour but she had scraped it all off by the time I checked and what's worse she had drawn blood on one of the little chickies wings. I have nowhere to foster unless I bump up all nests to 5 chicks so I switched nests with the Dommie Pied Grey and gave her another 20mins. Sure enough she was starting to have a go at these chicks. So I tried Daz's remedy of Olive Oil and Detol liquid (I did a 50:50 mix) and painted them all and seeing as they hadn't been fed so I gave the 4 of them a crop feed. Only time will tell .... so Fingers Crossed again.

 

 

My little Dommie Pied Green chick that I have been hand rearing has been doing very well (stat details later). Today he is 22 days old and I decided it is time that he learnt how to eat seed so I popped him into the LGreen Spangle nests where the 3 chicks are almost his size. Good news insofar that he has been accepted but I'll have to wait some more to be sure he is being fed.

[Taylor 0]

Shame about the feather plucking.

Like you said though, only time will tell.

Hope that daz's remedy works...

Good luck

[renee 0]

Shame about the feather plucking.

Like you said though, only time will tell.

Hope that daz's remedy works...

Good luck

 

No, I'm afraid it did not. By the time I finished weighing everyone she had stripped all 4 of the Dommie Pied Grey's chicks - simply vicious. So they have been distributed about the place.

 

But in good news I have just checked all chick's crops and they are nice and full.

Edited September 28, 2011 by renee

[**KAZ** 0]

Pity there isnt muzzles for budgies

[renee 0]

Before the Chick Stat Report I am just going to address the issue of Feather Plucking which is when one of the parent's, usually the hen, starts to remove budding feathers are they emerge. Although sometimes a hen will just remove the chick's down and leave the feathers alone, that is not feather plucking.

 

There are many theories for why a hen would do this- Maybe it is a mineral deficiency she is trying to compensate for, maybe she is bored, maybe she is tired of raising the chicks and wants to start laying again, maybe she was plucked as a chick in the nest and so it is a learned behaviour .... and those are just the ones I know of. I don't know the answer but I really wished I did.

 

So here is Medusa's chick.

 

 

And here is one of the Green split Recessive Pied chicks that was feather plucked before I fostered it into another nest last Thursday (ie, 5 days ago).

Note how the white down has started to re-grow?

 

Edited September 28, 2011 by renee

[renee 0]

And now back on topic to the comprehensive Chick Stat Report!

 

 

This afternoon I took photos of all chickies as they were being weighed but unfortunately the photos are ****, and by that I mean even crappier than my low standards - so much so that you can't actually see some of them. So photos where available

 

 

Betty Rae's Weights for chicks

 

@ 6 days: 9grams / @ 9 days: 20grams / @ 10 days: 22grams / @ 12 days: 27grams / @ 14days: 35grams / @ 18 days: 53grams.

 

 

MEDUSA'S NEST (prior to fostering to the Dommie Pied Grey's nest)

 

14/9 (LGSp) R&T 607 @10 days: 26grams / @ 12 days: 30grams / @ 14 days: 33grams

 

15/9 (RP) R&T 608 @9 days: 23grams / @ 11 days: 28grams / @13 days: 31grams

 

15/9 (DPG) R&T 609 @9 days: 22 grams / @ 11days: 28grams / @13 days: 27grams

 

 

14/9 (V/O) R&T 610 @8 days: 18grams / @10days: 22 grams / @ 12 days: 25grams

 

 

 

LIGHTGREEN SPANGLE NEST

 

5/9 DPG/L SWBC 030 @16days: 41grams / 22 days: 63grams

 

 

9/9 (LGSp) SWBC 021 @15days: 53grams / 17 days: 57grams / @19 days: 64grams

 

(I really like this chick! It is not a Dommie Pied as I once thought but a gorgeous Light Green Normal ... hen? I think)

 

 

10/9 (LGSp) SWBC 022 @14 days: 39 grams / @16 days: 48grams / @18 days: 53grams

 

 

14/9 (LGSp) SWBC 023 @10 days: 32grams / @ 12 days: 41grams / @ 14 days: 46grams

 

 

GREY SPANGLE/CINNAMON NEST

 

14/9 (GSp) R&T 603 @10 days: 26grams / @12 days: 33grams / @14 days: 39grams

 

 

16/9 (GSp) R&T 604 @8 days: 22grams / @10 days: 30grams / 12 days: 35grams

 

 

18/9 (GSp) R&T 611 @6 days: 13grams / @8 days: 18grams /@10 days: 23grams

 

 

Okay well I've had enough of this for now so I will post the rest tomorrow!

 

 

[renee 0]

Well I messed up with the photos of the chicks from Medusa's nest last night and got so fed up I cut the post short and went to bed in a huff! And this morning I am no longer able to go back and edit so that's the end of that. No photos from now on, you can't see the chicks anyway!

 

 

 

VIOLET split OPALINE NEST

08/9 SWBC 033 @16 days: 34grams / @18 days: 42 grams / @ 20 days: 46grams

10/9 R&T 602 @ 14 days: 36grams / @16 days: 42grams / @ 18days: 47 grams

12/9 R&T 601 @ 12 days: 32grams / @14 days: 36grams / @16 days: 41 grams

12/9 SWBC 032 @ 12 days: 28grams / @14 days: 36grams / @16 days: 42 grams

 

 

COBALT & SKY NEST

07/9 SWBC 040 @17 days: 42grams / @ 19 days: 48grams / @ 21 days: 58grams

10/09 SWBC 025 @ 14 days: 28grams / @16days: 32grams / @18days: 42grams

10/09 (G/RP) SWBC 031@14 days: 31grams / @16days: 41grams / @18days: 45grams

17/9 SWBC 039 @7 days: 19grams / @9 days: 23grams/ @ 11days: 25grams

 

 

DOMMIE PIED GREY NEST

11/9 R&T 605 @13 days: 33grams / @17 days: 45grams

12/9 R&T 606 @12 days: 28grams / @14 days: 33grams / @ 16days: 39grams

?13/9 (G/L/C) @ 11 days: 18grams / @ 13 days: 17grams /@15 days: 31grams

15/9 R&T 613 @9 days: 19grams / @11 days: 26grams / @ 13 days: 29grams

 

 

Really at this stage I should be able to start the detective work and figure out who is who but with all the scalping going on yesterday in Medusa's nest and the Dommie Pied nest (both with a high number of fosters) I am going to have to postpone that till they recover.

[renee 0]

Just a quick update today.

 

I was at a friend's house today bemoaning Feather Plucking and whingeing about having to top up the chicks in nests that are 5 chicks due to fostering the plucked chicks yesterday and she asked me why I hadn't just removed the hen? Duh!

 

Well the short answer is I didn't think the cock bird could raise a clutch on his own if the chicks were at the 10-15day mark, I always thought that was too young.

 

But it turns out that is not the case and if I think about it maybe I have read something about this on this forum. Double Duh!

 

So I got home, removed Medusa to another closed Breeding Cabinet and popped a "sacrificial" chick in. Ten minutes later and the cock bird was in there feeding this chick. I LOVE this cock bird! I am now very excited about popping another in there later this afternoon. And another tomorrow. I think I'll keep it at 3 for him to raise on his own.

Edited September 29, 2011 by **KAZ**

[renee 0]

Hmmmm. I'm having second thoughts about the chicks in the nest box with the Super Recessive Pied boy - Medusa's ex. I had an opportunity to observe him in the nest box with 2 of his chickies and he seems to be nibbling on the chicks. I have checked back and can't actually see any evidence of feather plucking and their little crops are busting full ... so I have popped a fully downed with feathers coming through chick to see if anything goes missing - too hard to tell with the others really. He has accepted it readily so I'll just have to wait and see.

 

 

In GOOOOD news for some reason I decided to check on the nest of the Cobalt Dommie Pied cock and Green hen and wadyaknow 3 chicks! You could have knocked me over with a feather! Evidently born Tuesday, Wednesday and Today. And here was me totally sceptical of this nest. She had 8 eggs and as many as 5 looked fertile but somehow I didn't think they were being turned properly .... well wasn't I wrong! They look very well fed so that's good.

[GenericBlue 0]

con grads on the new three amegos

[renee 0]

con grads on the new three amegos

 

Thank you GB.

 

 

 

Well this happy discovery prompted me to do another Egg Check.

 

Details of a new prospective fertile nests below:

 

11 Cobalt Dommie Pied cock & 10 Sky hen: 5 eggs / 2 Fertile

I was supposed to release these two into the aviary as the hen is the one who attacked her own chick and then killed a foster but by the time I checked on her again she had started laying again so I let it be out of curiosity. I am going to keep checking on this nest and maybe transfer eggs at some point before the hatch date.

 

 

I am sensing that I won't be getting anything else of consequence out of the remaining nests - sigh. Although I am quite happy to be proven wrong!

[renee 0]

Okay, today I am going to address the issue of Abnormalities Observed so far ...

 

First of all EGGS.

 

Never before have I seen such a weird array of eggs.

 

For the very first time I learnt what a soft shelled egg was and what a thick calcium coated egg was.

 

Neither have I ever observed such funny bubbles. I have seen multiple little bubble where the air sac should be and elongated bubbles in the middle of the egg with the absence of an air sac.

 

And then there's the funny looking eggs. Eggs with pointy ends, eggs that looked more like a fish oil capsules and very large eggs.

 

Here's an example of what I mean:

 

 

And these things I have not been happy about but then I hear and read that others are having similar events in their Breeding Seasons this year so I was thinking well I'm not alone, sooner or later someone is going to share why they think is happening - Cause honest to God I have no clue.

 

 

And then I went to ring a chick today, of course it would be a DF Yellow and I saw this:

 

 

Yes, that your eyes are not deceiving you. It has 2 thumb claws.

 

I am devastated. Now on top of a miserable breeding season I have the dubious honour of having bred a mutant chick. The parents aren't feeding it so I am inclined to send it to God.

[**KAZ** 0]

weird

[renee 0]

weird

 

Quite.

 

 

 

 

But back to the eggs.

 

So any way I have been thinking a lot about this and while I am aware that supposedly funny looking eggs are not that uncommon in either maiden hens or older ones, seeing as as it seems to be happening all over Australia I started to wonder whether it is a nutritional thing.

 

I mean a lot of people I know say it is the weather but Australia is such a vast country encompassing so many climate zones I am not so convinced.

 

But I am aware that with the seed crops failing due to drought and floods in a such a widespread manner last year I am wondering whether the seed we have been feeding our budgies leading into this season has just not been good enough.

 

I will go on the record and admit that my adult budgies thrived on a diet of seed (Budgie Breeder) and water with the odd veggie thrown in from December to June this year. I was much more attentive to my younger birds and they got soft food every day. But I only started to improve the adult bird's diet 6 weeks prior to breeding to bring them all in condition. Maybe that is just not good enough for them.

 

 

As for the mutant toes. Well I figure it's either a genetic thing (but the parents are NOT brother and sister or another closely related combination) or environmental. But I am at a loss because I only used A.I.L. for bug control and environmentally friendly products to wash down and clean all Breeding Cabinets.

[renee 0]

Okay, time for today's update.

 

After leaving a fully downed little chick in with my lovely Recessive Pied cock overnight I can safely say he is not a feather plucker. Yay! But boy is he a good feeder! I have popped a total of 4 scrawny bald little chicks in with his and I am confident he will be an excellent Dad.

 

Of course now there is nothing stopping me ... and I have removed quite few hens today

 

My Lute hen was the first to go, her Lute cock bird is a very hands on partner and as soon as she was moved he stepped right in. The 2 little DF Lute chicks have not been plucked badly per se but they are at that stage where the little feather are coming through and I am not prepared to wait and see like I did with the other 2 cases.

 

Also moved was the GreyGreen hen looking after 3 chicks and a foster on the LightGreen nest. She is not a feather plucker at all but those chicks are approaching fledging age and I just hate it when chick are attacked so I prefer to remove a parent before that stage. In past years it has been the hens but after reading about how some breeders leave the chicks in the Breeder Cabinet for up to 6 weeks I am prepared to give it a go

 

I tried removing the Sky hen and leaving the Violet split Opaline cock in there but he completely ignored the chicks for over 5 hours so he is out and she is back in. Those chicks are at the 3 weeks age. The reason I' did this is because she is not the best of feeders and I was hoping he would step into the breach. But this was not the case....

 

And for the same reason I removed the Sky hen to the Cobalt cock. Now I have seen him in the nest box with the chicks and I am relieved that he has started feeding the chicks on his own. I will monitor and weigh again in 3 days to see if he is doing a better job than she did.