Feathers

I have been sorting some pairs and setting up some new breeding cages today. I need to get a couple of nestboxes to finish them off. This is a pair that has gone into a cage earlier today Kazbee & ?? I need a name for the hen. Any ideas? Also they are both skyblue clearwings... anyone want to have a go at working out the expectations from this pair I still need a name for the df spangle cock in this pair. The hen is Buffy. and have a look at these two chicks, they were both so full. They reminded me of someone who has eaten WAY too much at christmas time and has to lie down till their tummy settles Feathers.

I snaped this photo of my 'special needs' budgies this morning, they are just too cute to ignore. Pascale has no flights or tail feathers and the albino, Adelene, has a tail but very few flights. These guys are the best of friends and if you see one at the food bowl, the other will be by his side. They LOVE this $1.00 swing. There is usually at least one of them on it. They were sharing it this morning. They are happiest when they are together and love their cuddles. Who says a bird has to be able to fly to be happy? Feathers.

Hi ppls, These are some other birds that are in quarantine. I got them a week before the blues above: Skyblue Clearwing Cock This bird is Kazbee - Kaz bought it for me at the april auction He is going into a breeder cage with a skyblue clearwing hen today Green Normal Hen Green Opaline Clearwing Cock Green Normal Hen Green Opaline Hen Green Spangle Hen I am getting there with my exhibition stock. I just need more breeding cabinets now. I have set up another 3 today - so I will have 11 in use. These new birds bring my numbers to 16 hens and 17 cocks. Slowly, slowly Feathers.

Marlon, birdy time out, he needs to learn that it is not acceptable. You are basically rewarding him by letting him step up after biting you. When he does it you need to gently push his beak away and say no, then take your hand away so that he can't step up. After a little time out try to get him to step up again, repeat it every time he does the wrong thing. Only when he doesn't bite should you let him step up. Make sure that when you are getting him to step up you keep your hand low so that it is harder for him to bite as well. Feathers.

Fantastic news, Sharyn. The ivermectin that Ray used on his neck really is the best around for lice and mite treatments. I keep some here and every budgie that I get is treated with it during quarantine, before going into the aviary. At least now you know that he is happy and healthy and you now have had a good vet experience Feathers.

Exactly what I was going to suggest, Mooie. You do really need to clip the other wing the same as the first and while he has clipped wings it is a great time to train him using the tips in Elly's article that she has linked above. He is such a sweet little boy by the looks of things, apart from the biting that is Feathers.

Hi Dave, I found that the concave in a couple of my nestboxes were too hollow and it was really easy for the hen to knock them with her tail when she got out. I tried to cushion them with some pine shavings, but she would just move the shavings over to near the nest box door. As this hen went on to have 8 eggs (so far) I did put in an insert with a much deeper concave and the eggs are now always in the right spot. You will find that when the hen starts to sit on the eggs, she will gather them up and push them under herself to warm them. As for the cock going into the nestbox. One of mine does and has done a lot since his girl started laying, but I have others that I have never seen go in. I wouldn't worry about it. Feathers.

Hello, there is a chance that the hen is too far past breeding condition. It is usually best to put a pair together when the cere starts to turn brown. There is also the possibility that she doesn't see the nestbox as a safe place for a clutch. There could be many reasons for this, such as the nestbox being too low, or the nestbox entrance not being private enough. To help her feel more secure, if you have them in a normal cage cover 3 sides of the cage with a blanket and make sure the nestbox is placed up high with the entrance facing away from you. There is also the possibility that one of the budgies are fertile. Some inexperienced budgies just 'don't get it' and they may take a year or more to get their act together. Feathers.

I too am sorry to hear that, she was a stunning hen. Feathers.

Only you will know the answers to the questions when it happens. Being so close to her you will know when all is not well. Like many animal owners I have had to make a similar decision when I had a dog with cancer some years ago. She gave me all the love in the world, everything she had to give, but the pain was in her eyes. When I made the awful decision and took her to the vet for the very last time the vet told me it had started to affect her lungs and had we left it any longer she would have been in a lot of pain. In his opinion my timing was perfect, until that point it was just a strange lump to her. You will do what is right for her, because you do love her. Feathers.

Way better to do it like this than to jump to those conclussions and start slamming people and work out later that it wasn't a problem to start with. We all learn something new from each other all the time, questions make the world go around. Feathers.

Please, always do both wings. Clipping just one places way too much stress on one side of the birds body. Feathers.

Hi Loren, If you click on "Edit" above the thumbprint of your image in photobucket you can choose "resize" and then use website/email size. This will automatically resize the pictures for you. Feathers.

I am s sorry that you are in such a difficult position at the moment with Sara. I think, if it were my bird, I would probably leave her while she is happy and not bothered by the lump, but would probably take her back to the vet to send her over the rainbow bridge once she started being badly affected by it. Thank you very much for the information that you have posted for us. Some of it is information that we don't have in our FAQ's and we may include some in reviews. Feathers.

I agree, you have a beautiful male recessive pied budgie. Lovely looking bird. There are some very faints hints of bars on his head that would make me think he is a young bird too. COngratulations on your new feathered friend and welcome to the BB forum. Feathers.

Hi Elly, breeders will do this if both birds in the pair are new. In effect the breeding cabinet becomes their quarantine cage. I am just very pedantic when it comes to some things, and this is one of them. I don't know if there is any affect on a breeding bird who is given coccivet. My quarantine program gives them plenty of time back on fresh water after finishing their treatment. I quarantine for 30 days, but I know show breeders who don't go under 90 days. There are a couple of things that an experienced breeder will do that you would NEVER advise a pet budgie owner to do, but I must stress that I have not disagreed with any of these things that I have found yet. The best analogy for this is that when a child is taught division in school they learn 'long division', it is not until they are older and have more experience that they use 'short division'. Both methods are correct and work but you need to be able to do one properly before trying the other. Dekota is such a cutie. I had her in a breeding cage originally with a nice big violet boy but she wasn't interested. When I let her go in with this boy after watching them flirt in the aviary they went straight to 'work'. Feathers.

You put a smile on my face with your enthusiasm too, Nharvi Enjoy your new little boy when you get him and I look forward to photos. Feathers.

I am a bit of a perfectionist in all things and every budgie that comes to my place gets wormed, treated with ivermectin and has a 10 day course of coccivet. I prefer not to have them in a breeding cabinet during this time. Here is a picture of my grey hen, who I have today called Buffy. Name suggestions for her DF Spangle mate would be appreciated. I will say at this point I have never watched the Buffy TV show, so names from that mean nothing to me. And a cute picture of Dekota under the nest box door when I checked her nest. Because this nest is up high the easiest way for me to check it is to take a photo and have a look Feathers.

You have a lot of really beautiful birds, there, Nerwen. Feathers.

Yep, she is. All of my quarantine brds have pretty much gone out of breeding condition since I got them, probably because they have been inside, rather than out I hope when they get outside and hear some rain they will get back into condition ASAP. Feathers

Hi Dave, congratulations. It is a very exciting time, isn't it? I use a flexi torch to candle my eggs, which is a torch with a flexible tube that can be bent 180 degrees and has a diode on the end, so you don't have to move the eggs. It is best done in a dark room so that you can see easier. They can be moved to candle them, just make sure that you wash your hands first. Feathers.

Great Elly, so now I need to find out the reason behind using wheatgerm oil Feathers.

Hi Nharvi, Konrad has always been happy and healthy in your care, just minus a few feathers. This is the case with my two runners too. Personally I would go ahead with the 2nd budgie as I've not experienced any problems mixing a runner with other budgies. I don't find they are picked on any more or less than any other budgie. In fact our female runner was always the boss of her cage. Feathers.

Budgies are VERY addictive. I had 8 budgies in that cage and 8 in a similar one, before I ended up getting an aviary. Unlike a lot of other very cute bird species budgies have some great personalities and interact so well and care for each other so much that they do become very addictive. Feathers.

That is the best budgie video I have seen for a long time. What a total cutie. They do love water, and this one certainly does. Feathers.