This is the first time I've done a breeding journal on the BBC. I thought I might share some of my photo's and experiences.

I started my 2013 season in late July this year and so far I've bred over 80 birds, all show birds. I also love to breed pet budgies, with my main focus being on pretty colours. I have put down 8 pet pairs so far.

Pair 1: Hen- Australian yellowface (AYF) sky opaline greywing spangle

Cock-Australian yellowface (AYF) sky opaline spangle

 

Pair 2: Hen- Cobalt violet opaline

Cock- AYF sky greywing recessive pied + dominate pied

 

Pair 3: Hen- Yellowface (probably mutant 2) sky opaline.

Cock- AYF sky greywing recessive pied + dominant pied

 

Pair 4: Hen- AYF cobalt greywing spangle

Cock- Cobalt violet spangle.

 

Pair 5: Hen- AYF cobalt violet

Cock- AYF sky violet opaline recessive pied greywing/ yellow face Mutant 2.

(Already sitting on 8 eggs 5 fertile so far)

 

Pair 6: Hen- AYF cobalt recessive pied + dominant pied

Cock- Grey dominant pied/ cinnamon

 

Pair 7: Hen- Yellow face sky opaline greywing recessive pied (she hatched with one eye missing)

Cock- Double factor AYF sky greywing

 

Pair 8: Hen- Yellow face sky greywing

Cock- Cobalt violet greywing fallow

Hi Rachelm. Your pairs look gorgeous. I'm looking forward to hearing about their progress. You should get some gorgeous babies from those pairings.

Hi Rachelm. Your pairs look gorgeous. I'm looking forward to hearing about their progress. You should get some gorgeous babies from those pairings.

Thank you Flip. Fingers crossed.

 

As of today-

Pair 1: No eggs yet.

Pair 2: 2 eggs one already showing fertile.

Pair 3: 2 eggs

Pair 4: 3 Lay so far but keeps eating eggs.

Pair 5: 9 eggs, 6 fertile first due 19th November.

Pair 6: 5 eggs 0 fertile.

Pair 7: 5 eggs 2 fertile

Pair 8: No eggs yet.

Pair 9: No eggs yet ( will add photo of pair nine)

Hi rachelm, I really like pair 2. Should be interesting mix.

Some beautiful birds there Rachelm, good luck with your breeding,sounds like a promising start. Except for the egg eater, could you try to rescue a couple of hers to foster? At least you may get some chicks from them.

Some beautiful birds there Rachelm, good luck with your breeding,sounds like a promising start. Except for the egg eater, could you try to rescue a couple of hers to foster? At least you may get some chicks from them.

Luckily the egg eater has stopped eating and has 3 eggs, 1 is fertile so far.

 

Pair 9: Hen- Green recessive pied.

Cock- Violet Greywing

Update.

Pair 1: 0. Will probably replace hen at end of the week.

Pair 2: 6 fertile out of 7 so far

Pair 3: 4 fertile out of 7 so far

Pair 4: 5 fertile out of 6 so far

Pair 5: 2 chicks and 4 fertile eggs remaining.

Pair 6: 5 fertile out of 8 so far.

Pair 7: 4 babies and 2 fertile eggs remaining.(7 days old, then 5,3 and day old)

Pair 8: 1 egg so far.

Pair 9: 0

 

Here are some photo's of my other chicks today.

Lacewings.

Green.

Blues.

Dark Green and Light Green.

Violet cobalt opaline.

Yellow face grey.

Violet cobalt opaline.

Your Lacewings look like Lutinos! Do they not have the red eyes and white patch? you sure know the mutation! I actually posted a new topic tonight help identify mutations? as I don't know half the birds I have bred's classifications I have an Albino female and a Lutino Female and have paired them with Spangles \olive green (Left on my member photo) and a blue and yellow headed budgie? CAn you tell me what they are

This is chciks from Olive green Spangle male and white Albino hen: what would you call them?/albums/ag66/Maz758/Daffodil5_zpsce3125ce.jpg[/img][/url]

 

Your Lacewings look like Lutinos! Do they not have the red eyes and white patch?

 

Hi Maz,

 

A lacewing is the same as a normal lutino but a lacewing will have faint brown wing markings instead of being pure yellow. They will also have faint brown spots around there neck.

 

Thanks

Your Lacewings look like Lutinos! Do they not have the red eyes and white patch?

 

Hi Maz,

 

A lacewing is the same as a normal lutino but a lacewing will have faint brown wing markings instead of being pure yellow. They will also have faint brown spots around there neck.

 

Thanks

 

Lacewings are ino (albino or lutino) + cinnamon. At this age you can tell they are lacewings because their tail feathers are brown instead of yellow .

Update as of today: 27 chicks

Pair 1- Replaced hen with a cobalt violet greywing and so far they have 2 eggs.

Pair 2- 6 chicks, 2 hatched with plum eyes so I know they are hens because the father is split cinnamon.

2 of the biggest chicks are in foster nests.

Pair 3: 4 chicks, 1 of them is a cinnamon hen, father is split cinnamon. (plum eye, top and black eye)

Pair 4: 4 chicks, 1 cinnamon hen.

Pair 5: 5 chicks. Oldest is AYF cobalt violet opaline greywing hen, 2nd oldest is AYF cobalt violet greywing, 3rd chick is AYF opaline cobalt violet, the other 2 are AYF but I have to wait a bit for the colours to come through.

Cute and cheeky oldest chick (21 days old) with this massive duster ( 28 days old).

Pair 6: 3 chicks, 2 are cinnamon hens.

Pair 7: 5 chicks. All chicks are a yellow face of some kind, there are spangles and recessive pieds.

Spangles are easy to pick at a young age because the two main tails are clear.

Dom pieds will also have two clear tail feathers.

Recessive pieds have one clear and one coloured tail feather.

Pair 8: 1 fertile egg out of 7. I love how neat this little circle of eggs are.

Another hen with some of her own chicks are a yellowface pied foster (left).

Pair 9: Nothing.

Edited December 10, 201311 yr by rachelm

Oh my gosh they r the cutest! Fostering can only appen if a mom has chicksnhey?otherwise she wd abandon? You do u do fostering?

 

For e g if a mom lies on unfertile eggs for the third time?can a person put babies in? Or must they have chicks.

Oh my gosh they r the cutest! Fostering can only appen if a mom has chicksnhey?otherwise she wd abandon? You do u do fostering?

 

For e g if a mom lies on unfertile eggs for the third time?can a person put babies in? Or must they have chicks.

Yes, I foster all the time and at times it gets very confusing remembering who is who. You can foster to a nest with no chicks, just make sure the eggs are 18 days + and the chick is less than a week old.

Hi rachelm. You certainly seem to be having a successful breeding season. Your new chicks look gorgeous, and you have so many of them too! It would be useful for the less experienced forum members like myself if you are able to share some information about your breeding set up and processes. I, for one, am always looking to learn from others.

By the way, I didn't know you could foster a chick to a nest with no chicks (noting the required age of eggs) - thanks for that.

It would be useful for the less experienced forum members like myself if you are able to share some information about your breeding set up and processes. I, for one, am always looking to learn from others.

Yes, I will certainly try to help.

Yes I didn't know that either! My problem is fostering out when 1 mom has2 many and 1 too few. Will that work? Or will they kill them?

Yes I didn't know that either! My problem is fostering out when 1 mom has2 many and 1 too few. Will that work? Or will they kill them?

Yes, that will work. Keep in mind chicks need to be of similar age and not too feathered, 3 weeks old is about the limit.

Some beautiful babies there Rachelm. Also beautifully clean nest box's well done. Good luck with your duster, it looks great at this point. Hope you have it for a good while yet.

Some beautiful babies there Rachelm. Also beautifully clean nest box's well done. Good luck with your duster, it looks great at this point. Hope you have it for a good while yet.

Thank you Robyn. I'm in love with that duster, I need to come up with a name for her. It's my first and I think its nest mate could be one also. I will keep it going as long as possible.

Wow, what beautiful birds! Love looking through all the photos.

The monster is getting bigger and fluffier. I don't know if it is a duster now. Maybe not a full one anyway. Here's a photo from yesterday 40 days old. She weighs 70grams, which is double the size of the the little pet chicks.

With her younger nest mate.

And all three nest mates together.

What gorgeous birds? What is a duster?

It doesn't really look like it's a duster when you see it next to it's siblings. I bred some with similar feathering and advice said it was a type of long feather gene. The ones I bred, they said, because I had both parents with that gene/mutation, I got a double wammy with long feathers. Advice was breed either parent with smaller pet type birds to reduce the affect in later clutch's.

Show breeders should be able to advise more info.

Thanks Robyn, you are right about the long feather gene. I'm guessing that's what I have here.

I put a photo up on a facebook page and the response was 'duster/mop'. I have also sent a photo to some guys in my budgie club and they said wait until it molts out. But looking feather dusters on the internet, it looks nothing like them.

 

What gorgeous birds? What is a duster?

http://forums.budgie...showtopic=23257

Edited December 17, 201311 yr by rachelm

How are the other babies doing rachelm?