**KAZ**

Looking good............will be a decent size wont it

Just to refresh Colony breeding ? and timeframes for stuff........................ If the pair is bonded and start mating with a nestbox in sight..............1 week to ten days to first egg To begin to sit and incubate add another week or so as they begin to incubate around egg # 3 or 4 Say 5- 6 eggs around 12 days or so and 18-21 days from the 3rd or 4th egg to incubate to hatching the first egg. Chicks in the nest that need checking twice daily over 4-5 weeks once all are hatched out. If you are going away at the time your birds are just beginning their egglaying, then you will have to be watching closely for any that become eggbound. if you are away during that time and the person watching your birds doesnt notice or doesnt act fast enough you can have a dead hen from eggbinding. With all these things to consider...you will need to time your breeding and holiday to coincide with the easiest part of the breeding.............either be away when they first pair up ( but if you are colony breeding thats the time when they will all fight over nestboxes ) or after the eggs are laid and hens are sitting and waiting for hatchings. Something to think about

I also am known for calling a spade s spade. Its true what Renee says.....when you say "My Birds Wont Stop Breeding" AND you still have nestboxes in the aviary, its not the birds that wont stop breeding, its you as an owner that is kind of dictating how it should be. Birds will breed when conditions are right...that is when food and water is plentiful and there is somewhere to raise that family. The nestboxes are a main incentive for continual breeding. AND it surely is taking a HUGE risk also to have youngsters in that environment. They shouldnt be where nestboxes are...pure and simple.

Its the location of a budgies preening gland...and where they get the oils they protect their feathers with

The mesh is screwed onto the mtal framework using metal self drilling screws with washers :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

The presence of a nesting box turns a budgies recreational sex into a determined effort to breed. Even a 12 week old baby budgie will breed if they get the idea into their head by the presence of a nesting box in the aviary.....the future plan must be that you have somewhere that there is NO NESTINGBOXES for the under 12 month olds to be.

I agree

whether you continue the hen laying and keep the eggs is up to you, the hen, the condition of the hen and whether or not she is up to it, or due for a rest. A hen determined to lay again usually doesnt want the chicks in there while she does. She may attack her own chicks. If you allow this to continue with chicks in the nest, you run the risk of attacks on the chicks still in the nestbox. Some hens are fine, others arent.

if the dad is a good feeder of his chicks, maybe you should remove the hen to another cage out of earshot and allow dad to finish raising the chicks.

Your pied seems to be a male also

Agreed. Any budgies I have with "ïssues" are never sold on to others but euthenased so noone buys a problem from me. That's my morals, ethics or philosophy...I wish others would feel the same. There are some "sharks" out there in the bird trading world.

You have absolutely nothing to worry about with regard to blindness re lutinos. You may have heard an old wives tale about it. There is no truth in any rumour about blindness in any kind of ino budgies. If you mean budgerigar by "parakeet". Parakeet is a name given to a whole family of 15-20 small parrots of which the budgerigar is just one. So if yours is a budgerigar then it is meant to be called budgerigar or budgie not parakeet.

Update on the Princess Parrots. My husband hasnt been able to bring himself to have any euthenased. We have 9 left. Some have since died from the secondary diseases they get when afflicted with Beak and Feather.

I don t know if I could bring myself to drive Quiche to the airport Dave...you might have to come and wrestle him from me

We have a cobalt and a grey out of the first clutch.

Of course Macka BUT as Renee and I know each other, it was a tongue in cheek joke with her :doh:

Appearances are deceiving Of course as the babies grow up they take up more space .... :doh: I refuse to even contemplate a cull when so many are looking very promising! You can always build another aviary good to see they are using their new swing

Looking good Renee Looks a little " crowded" too :doh:

You wish Cec has requested a chick from this pairing.

Checked the little chicky.....all well. Wriggling and fit, good colour and a full crop.

I agree. I also would put triple c in the parents water.

No...that is NOT handrearing formula. Its egg and biscuit. Its what most people put in the aviary for finches and canaries who are feeding their own babies. You need proper handrearing formula for baby budgies.

First chick of second round has arrived. May have arrived a day too early as the egg sac was still attached to the umbilical.........fingers :doh:

I took his brother out of his foster nest today and put him in the kindie cage with Quiche/Benedict He doesnt look as good as Quiche The cinnamon grey brother was immediately attacked by Frannie So Frannie went straight into the aviary.