Feathers

Hi Budgie-Girl, Welcome to you and your new girl, Pippa! I agree that is much nicer than 'seed face' :yellowhead: Feathers.

There you go Michelle, I know the breeder that would have given Kaz those birds and the information. He has many, many years of experience. That would fit some of my own theories too. I tend to give the 'official' advice in these matters. Check out Lemon and go from there. Maybe Pat could have another go at motherhood again after all! Feathers.

Hi Kaz, I assume so, I have only ever had type II or golden face budgies. Feathers.

This is a very valid point. Some birds are resistant to scaley face mites and can be carriers, whilst others will become infected at times of stress (moving, breeding, moulting etc). So birds can be bought in and show no sign of mites within their quarantine period. Putting a bird in with a couple of others in a pet cage situation wouldn't be a huge problem if it showed signs of scaley face mites later on as it is easy enough to treat the others all at once. Putting a bird into an aviary of even 20 or 30 birds plus could be a nightmare if it later showed signs of scaly face mites, having to catch all the birds one at a time to treat them and making sure you didn't miss any.... Feathers.

Missy, that is fantastic. it is so nice watching them have fun in the water. Feathers.

[shrugs] you did ask Feathers.

Daz, I am green with envy! I am forever pondering how I would like an aviary to be set up. I'd love to be in your neck of the woods to get breeding cabinets made. Feathers.

Thanks Daz, I trim all my birds now, just out of habit. Kelwyn certainly uses a different technique.. I must try it out. Feathers.

Hi Neat, I did start to write them all up for our FAQ's and we were going to see if we could start a new FAQ sub-heading for them. Very bad of us, we should get back onto that [goes off yelling out] Elly... oh Elleeeeey Feathers.

Hi Sean, providing more information would help. How old is the hen? Has she been used for breeding before and how succesful was it? Are you breeding in separate breeding cabinets for each pair or all together in an aviary (colony breeding)? How old is the cock bird and has he been used for breeding before? Also was there any particular hot spells during this time? Feathers.

Hi Erin, I have experienced that also and the first time I felt it (like his little feet were burning up) I was quite concerned. I guess in some cases it could be due to disease, but thankfully in the case of my little boy it was after racing around the room flying. Panic or a scare would also be reasonable explanations. As long as he is otherwise heathly and it only happens occassionally it shouldn't be a problem. Feathers.

Hi Dossie, I love all the reading and research you are doing. The following is the ideal budgie diet: Your budgie should eat a diet that includes 30% seed, 30% pellets, 30% fresh foods and 10% treats such as millet sprays and honey sticks. These treats are fattening and should be used only occasionally or as a training tool. Safe vegetables include lettuce (dark leaf types such as cos are the best), bok choy, carrots, corn, broccoli, sprouts, snow peas, spinach Some safe fruits are rock melon, banana, mandarin, orange and apple. These should be washed and can be given in large pieces or cut finely and sprinkled with seed. Be sure never to give your budgie alcohol, apple seeds, chocolate or avocado as these are toxic to them. In some places it is very difficult to get good quality pellets. In these cases good quality vitamin supplements should be used instead. Their water should be changed daily to avoid build up of bacteria and they should always have access to a cuttlefish bone (or calcium block or bell) and an iodine block. NB: Always check their seed level, a full seed dish may be filled with empty hulls. Your bird will starve if they are not refilled with fresh seed. In Western Australia, and more than likely in other areas too, any pellets that are available are unsuitable (being high in artificial colours amongst other things), or too expensive. So most breeders here tend to give added vitamins via suppliments. I took the above information from a leaflet I wrote called "My New Budgerigar Care Leaflet". A PDF file of this leaflet is at the bottom of this FAQ: Click Here Feathers.

Hi Dossie, I just do as Libby said in the first reply, hold approx 40 cm from the birds and spray. I found that if you spray their front first they will turn around and you can then get their back. Liv, I treat every bird that I get with one drop of ivermectin (mite treatment) when they are in quarantine. Feathers.

Hi Dossie, I agree with Maesie, you need to get a cage with more suitable bar spacing as soon as possible. If they can get their head out, they can get their whole body out. Feathers.

Hi Neat, Looking good! Feathers.

Birdluv, that is fantastic... Kazumi does that (comes as close as he can) when he is listening to me talk to him. He cocks his head to one side and listens really closely. Congrats on the breakthrough. Feathers.

Aww Liv, itsn't it nice to see the fruits of your hard labour being put to good use Must be good if he chose that spot to sleep. Feathers.

Hi Michelle, Your camera together with your photographic skills did an absolutely superb job! Great photos of your flock, all nice, bright eyed, happy little birdies from what I could see. Feathers.

Jenene, I just love it when you can hear them in the egg... then again I love the sound of any of the little ones chirping away to be fed Feathers.

Yep Kaz, I think he is going to be a very beautiful little boy! It's the first chick from this pair that hasn't been yellow face, so Jacquie and I were quite excited about it... once it feathered up further and I saw it was also a spangle I got even more excited Feathers. Remind me how this all works....does that mean he can be DF yellowface ? or just carry the YF gene ? Hi Kaz, no great mystery Only one of the parents is yellowface. This is Mum(Dekota): YFII skyblue spangle This is Dad (Oh-Oh): Skyblue Dilute Opaline Spangle So the outcome for this pair includes the following: 50% SF Spangle 50% Yellow Face 100% split dilute Normal split Opaline Cocks Opaline Hens (all skyblue chicks) If it was YellowFace x YellowFace the chicks would be 25% Double Factor YF (which would be a white face), 50% YF and 25% normal (also white face). The only way to tell whether a whiteface was a double factor yellowface or just normal would be if, when breeding with a normal bird, a yellow face was produced. In going back over my records I discovered I was wrong, their very first chick was a skyblue normal split dilute, split opaline cock! Here he is: I must learn to check my records before let my fingers type away Unfortunately Dekota is a mum who stops sitting once a couple of chicks are hatched, so I must note down that I need to foster her remaining eggs at that stage. They are pet type budgies, but they make pretty offspring Their last couple of rounds has only produced what one of my friend's calls "bubblegum babies", YFII skyblue spangle budgies. This though will be their first skyblue spangle that isn't yellow-face. This is Beau who is paired with the green opaline budgie (Midori) above I am hoping Dekota and Oh-Oh's baby is just as pretty as he is:) Beau and Midori have the 3 hatchlings I posted above. Feathers.

Hi Throwback, A circuit board company I used to work for ran full spectrum flourescent lights in the photographic and quality control areas in the 80's, so you should be able to source them in Australia. Feathers.

Thanks Daz, Duly noted, copied and stored in my vault of aviary ideas Feathers.

Hi Michelle, I got your pm, thanks. Kaz and Daz have both answered regarding this and have given you great info. French Moult (FM) is something that pops up every now and then with breeders with no rhyme or reason. It definitely appears that Pat has FM, as her tail feathers appear to be regrowing okay in the picture. With FM they just fall out again each time they are re-grown, which is why Pat can never keep a tail. I wouldn't be too worried about keeping him with the other two now. There are so many theories of how this disease is spread. Many exhibition breeders, such as Daz, have had cases of FM popping up in their aviaries, which suggests that a parent was a carrier. Yet other birds that had been kept with this 'carrier bird' didin't produce FM chicks. Personally I assume that it is a disease that can be carried by a bird that may only ever show up in times of stress, such as when breeding, therefore passing the disease on to the chicks. Many other diseases are carried in the same way. Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD), that Neat talked about, is a different story altogether. PBFD is an extremely contageous condition that is carried in airborne particles. Dried faeces and feather dust can stick to clothing, cage lining, food and water bowls, toys and a whole host of other things. The symptoms of this disease are feather abnormalities that can show up over any part of the body, unlike French Moult which only affects the flight and tail feathers. PBFD infected birds will eventually lose most or all of their feathers and become extremely ill before dying a very painful death, usually from secondary infection or failure of one or more internal organs. Go have a look at lemon, it may be that she just doesn't look after her feathers too well. I have had a bird who could never keep a nice tail inside a cage, but since being in the aviary always looks great. If however, Lemon keeps dropping feathers after growing news ones during a moult then she too may have FM. FM birds can lead a happy, healthy life as a runner bird, but they shouldn't be used for breeding. Please note that all of the above is my own personal opinion and others may have differing thoughts. As far as the cage is concerned, you are right, it is not an ideal cage as the birds would be hard pressed to exercise by flying at all. Have you considered turning the cage on its narrowest side until you are able to get a better suited cage? You could attach the bottom grid to the cage to make a new 4th side. You would need to rig up something for the bottom so mess doesn't spill everywhere (even if it is just paper and wood pellets). You would also need to perhaps clip some of the previous doors closed so that they don't fall open, but with your bars running in both directions it would be very easy to re-locate perches, natural and dowels, and use feeding bowls with pins that clip on over the bars. Hope all of this makes some sense Feathers.

Yep Kaz, I think he is going to be a very beautiful little boy! It's the first chick from this pair that hasn't been yellow face, so Jacquie and I were quite excited about it... once it feathered up further and I saw it was also a spangle I got even more excited Feathers.

and how excited are all the birds!! I love to hear them chirping so cheerfully in the first rains for a while. Feathers.