**KAZ**

Two. Okay Good, so after omelette finish's raising her next nest she's done for the year? Yes.

Gonna look like the RAT RITZ I reckon mate

This playgym or one very much like it is available for sale and is at my house in Beechboro western Australia ....it is NEW. right now. Contact me if interested..........KAZ

Babies

Cool and the photos are coming

If only one or two young, then maybe the hen is getting old, or the cock, or timing isnt right. But if only 1 or 2 then try another clutch.

Two.

The hen has begun laying her next clutch with the two chicks still in the nestbox............. The grey is her chick, the grey green is Omelette's youngest

Two more of Omelette's babies are in other nestboxes. One fledged yesterday..............grey green opaline hen and the other is in the Clint Ault hen's nestbox. the grey green normal in the middle :WobbleSign: Omelette's nestbox............. sixth egg due today.

Liv has a topic on her aviary and breeding room :WobbleSign:

Thats why I brought up coccidiosis as that is what happens with it, but you say the aviary is dry so it cant be that. If the whole flock went down sick...then and only then would I treat the flock. But you dont have the whole flock sick.....so treat as you find. Only treat the sick one or ones.

They try to go to a corner of the cage or the side of the cage, as at the stage of dying they are weak and they need to lean on something. I hope all your others continue to stay well.

Fertility central at your place Dave :hmm:

They will regrow, dont worry :hmm: Mating is normal behaviour for budgies. Its recreational budgie sex and all okay. They dont need anesting box to trigger them to mate. Its laying eggs that a nestbox triggers. Your female could not have been eggbound or she would have been sicker and more distressed longer than what you have said.

Have you had any water get into the aviary ...any dampness ? re the poop issue, if the aviary gets damp you can get coccidiosis. The gagging sounds like what Renee advised but can be two or three things.

Sounds fantastic Look forward to some photos :hmm:

Dave is offline..he must have gone to take those photos

Try corn first and grated carrot :hmm:

Saying to use a product every week on the bottle is a sure way to ensure repeat sales as the product is used up and bought again. Please be careful with string in the cage ....I have lost budgies who hung themselves on toys with fringing only 2-3 inches long. :hmm:

You cannot be sure it was the mite spray, but as the spray has been used every week without real cause.....best to stop. Most of these sprays have poison warnings on the side of the label.

As stated ( regardless of directions on a mite product ) It is NOT necessary to spray for mites unless the bird has them. I would stop using it.

This to me is a real concern. Petshops products with information to spray regularly when not necessary. There is never a need to spray a bird every week for mites. If a bird has them then you spray with a good product from a vet or Avian Insecticidal Liquidator, or you get spot on ivermectin treatment from the vet ( a once only treatment ). Did you buy this at a petstore ? Was it a recommendation from the pet store ? Who advised it was a good idea to spray them weekly for mites that they may or may not have ? Sorry for all the quizzing about the mite spray but I really think its important.

Check the dead budgie over for signs of weight loss. Poopy bottom etc. I am concerned that you said you spray them for mites every weekend. You should only treat for mites if and when you see them being an issue. It is not one of those regular things you do regardless as maintenance. If you use a mite spray you must be sure it does not get into food or water. It would be a kind of poison and if used too often could present issues. Good move removing the wooden toy. Some chinese toys do not use safe paints or dyes. Better to be safe than sorry. Another thing is...do you know the age of the one that died ? How many males or females will have no bearing on your loss :rofl:

Dietary iodine for budgerigars Where do I start? Iodine is an important part of any bird's diet and a deficiency in this vital nutrient can lead to serious health problems. Unfortunately budgerigars are much more susceptible to iodine deficiency than most other aviary birds and need higher levels to keep them in peak condition. Iodine is needed for normal functioning of the thyroid gland. Hormones produced by the thyroid are vital in controlling the metabolism of the body and help regulate many functions in the body including growth, digestion, heart rate, body temperature, the nervous system and the reproductive system. Symptoms of iodine deficiency . . . Iodine deficiency leads to a decreased production of thyroid hormone and the body responds by increasing the release of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). This in turn causes enlargement of the thyroid gland. The main sign of iodine deficiency in budgerigars is difficulty in breathing, caused by pressure of the oversized thyroid on the trachea (windpipe). The affected bird typically develops a "clicking" noise or audible whistling or squeak as it breathes. If left untreated it can lead to death by suffocation. In domestic poultry, iodine deficiency in breeding hens results in reduced egg iodine levels, reduced egg production, decreased hatchability, prolonged hatching time, and thyroid enlargement in the embryos. Since a deficiency of iodine will decrease breeding performance, some budgerigar breeders use iodine supplements to enhance the metabolism of budgerigars and stimulate the birds to breed, to accelerate the moult of young birds and to ensure birds are at their peak for showing. Prevalence of iodine deficiency . . . Iodine deficiency tends to be a regional problem as natural exposure to iodine is greater in coastal areas. Although wild budgerigars predominantly inhabit inland areas of Australia (and eat a diet based on seeds from a wide variety of species of ground plants) they are thought to balance their diet by foraging in dirt and river edges in search of minerals and trace elements. Pet budgerigars are thought to be at increased risk of iodine deficiency due to their natural reluctance to supplement their diets with additional foodstuffs, particularly when fed on seed-based diets. The iodine content of the various seeds fed to budgerigars varies with the climate and location where they are grown. Australian birdseeds tend to be naturally low in iodine, although marked regional variations occur due to differing soil types and salt deposits. Until the 1960s, symptoms of iodine deficiency were commonly seen in domesticated budgerigars fed on all-seed diets. The WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition (WCPN) was responsible for establishing the incidence of iodine deficiency in budgerigars, where researchers found that 85 percent of budgerigars suffered from thyroid disease and 24 percent died as a result. In light of the fact that seed-based diets may be deficient not only in iodine, but in a number of other vital nutrients, responsible birdseed companies supplement their seed mixes to increase the levels of certain minerals and vitamins. For example GOLDEN COB Budgerigar diets are supplemented with a number of essential vitamins and minerals, including iodine. Treating iodine deficiency Treatment for iodine deficiency should only be carried out on the advice of your veterinarian. The usual program consists of a drop of iodine put into the drinking water daily for two weeks, then once a week thereafter. This should continue for at least eight weeks. Iodine toxicity . . . Excess iodine can be just as harmful as a deficiency and interferes with normal thyroid gland function - particularly in young birds. Iodine toxicity is rare in birds and animals since it requires a regular elevated intake of iodine and is most likely to occur in an aviary through misuse of disinfectants containing iodine or over-zealous use of iodine supplements. The safe upper limit for iodine in poultry food has been set at 10mg/kg by EU legislation. The concentration of iodine in the TRILL budgerigar formulation exceeds the minimum requirements established by the WCPN and is below the EU safe upper limit for poultry. Iodine toxicity has not been well defined in caged birds, but has been observed in poultry fed a ration with an iodine content of 625mg/kg. Broiler chickens showed signs of iodine toxicity, including poor growth and reduced food intake, when fed a diet containing 900 or 1,200mg/kg iodine for nine to 13 days. Excess iodine in grower diets can prevent sexual maturation in male and female fowl. In breeding poultry, fertility of female breeders is unaffected by high iodine intake, but hatching of fertile eggs is reduced, hatching time is extended and embryonic mortality and dead-in-shell proportions are increased. In contrast, male fertility is decreased because of an increased incidence of dead spermatozoa, although hatchability of eggs from normally fed hens is unaffected. All reproductive variables, together with feed intake and body weight, have been shown to return to normal within seven days of feeding a diet with normal iodine levels.