**KAZ**

I put some babies from the kindie cage out into the aviary today as well. Weather has been great and they were doing so well, so they were ready. Here's some kindie cage babies taken earlier today

That nestbox has flakey bran in it

Mum and her baby ( Omelette's grandchild )

Chicks from the spangle greywing hen and her skyblue greywing cock are starting to leave the nestbox Mum Dad and a couple of the babies out and about An opaline grey in a nest.. odd seeing such a clear mantle like that some others

Real cute baby photos

Plain fact is most every hen will try and chuck out anything in her box to get it the way she wants for breeding. Most people just go with the concave. Later when chicks show up they add some nesting materials......whatever they choose to use from a wide range of possible combinations and materials on offer We all do what works for us. What works for one person may well not be anothers chosen method.

You are doing a great job Amy !!! PS last chick looks to have plum eyes.

If its any consolation Dean I have had chicks dead in nestboxes too. I have had mothers not feed babies and had to move them all around sometimes more than once. I have had two babies with congenital defects that had to be euthanased. I have had three runts due to mothers not feeding right. I have had DIS eggs. I have had clear eggs that I gave my dogs to eat. I have had hens that scrambled their eggs upon nestchecking. One very good hen found dead on top of her eggs. One paralysed from lack of calcium. two hens eggbound. What can I say ? lousy season too. Mind you most of the birds I am breeding now are first timers as well

If you are colony breeding you will have a whole lot of troubles like this. Best one pair only to a cage with their nestbox.

Got some aviary shots of these babies growing up

Cara is right...........it does sound like a respiratory infection. And when that happens time is not on your side as far as a delay getting to the vet. Baytril would have fixed it. PS Welcome to our forum

In MOST cases mating ( if it occurs ) does not lead to eggs unless there is a place to lay them. If you make sure there isnt a place to lay them then IGNORE any mating you see as it wont mean much Mating does not automatically mean eggs.

Usually when you move house birds take a while to settle in,it's happened before to other breeders from what ive heard Kaz.New enviroment new surroundings etc so breeding results may not be as good as expected. I get what you are saying Its no different to buying in an auction bird and expecting instant results. My mate Mark Hawke has moved house and he only just brought his birds over to the new place the past few days. Thrilled to bits they are finally moved too, but I am sure you are right about the settling in phase and how it affects the birds.

I dont know if its because I have put my very best birds down to breed and currently filled 50 breeding cabinets, or what... But I look in the flights and I see the babies looking at their gangly weedy growing stage the birds moulting....pin feathers all over the older adult birds some reirees and a mix of others..... and I think to myself "They are all cr*p" !! Maybe its because the best are in breeding cages right now so it leaves the dregs and second stringers etc. Maybe its because my ideal of the perfect show budgie in my head has changed and now I look at things differently. But either way I figure until I see good results come on from the nestboxes, I am looking at the dregs in the flights and feeling very disillusioned. Others tell me you do reach such a stage and its normal. If I had a petshop nearby right now I could easily catch up more than half of them and sell them off. I will resist that urge to a degree. BUT........ is this a normal way of thinking ? Do we all think this way ?? I know I have reached a point where there is very little I feel I need such as buying in anything. I am pretty happy to work with what I have. The only thing I would consider buying in now is a special one or two that are of certain bloodlines I currently work with and am happy with. I have figured out what bloodlines work with the ones I have. Thoughts from any of you show breeders out there ? Do you also look at whats left in the flights after pairing up and think all thats left is cr*p ? Or are they really still good birds but our expectations have become higher ? Cheers kaz

Why are you expecting bad breeding results ?

Not a dilute but possible DF spangle if her eyes are black

A new generation ................. One of Omelette's daughters ( grey green opaline ) has produced her first chick with a very nice cinnamon grey green opaline Jan McMahon cock ( his brother got 2nd at the Nationals 2010 ) Here is the cock his brother that got 2nd at the nationals and the hen that is Omelette's daughter

They are really good................looks real professional. Well done. Bet you cant wait to fill them

Seed in the nestbox does not attract moths. Besides I have a mozzie zapper in my birdroom so I have no moths. If you take particular notice of chicks in nestboxes......they peck around and eat ANYTHING in their nestboxes at around two weeks of age. Better they eat seed in there than poop. Dont knock if you havent tried it http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....showtopic=22446

You can candle the eggs at around day five for each egg. No need to touch them or remove from the nestbox. Just put the torch in there and point it forward to where you can see. Yes, they will be mating between eggs. Does your albino have red eyes as she looks like she has black eyes in that photo.

Auction is this coming Sunday. If anyone wants anything they had better organise it quick

I use flakey bran in the box now as its finer and the birds dont usually even try to throw it out. If I dont use flakey bran I use dry porridge oats. At aged two weeks I start adding seed to the nestbox, because chicks peck around and eat whats in the box, whether eating is poop or not. So in adding seed at age two weeks they do begin to eat earlier and come out of the box knowing what their food is.

Hi and welcome :) :budgiedance: :budgiedance: :budgiedance: :budgiedance:

I am real sorry to hear you lost your hen Nubbly Was there any eggs prior to this one that could be saved ?

You will have reason to get excited this breeding season Dave