Dave_McMinn

those chicks look good GB

Double Factor, or DF, means it received two of the same gene from the parents, in this case a spangle gene from each parent, so therefore it is a DF spangle. Often the DF of a gene can change the appearance. A DF spangle appears to only have the body colour, either yellow or white, but sometimes there appears slight blue or green patches. A DF dominant pied has very limited pied markings. You have a DF spangle

why do you need to use them for splits? I did not think that Greywings reduced in size like other recessive varieties. Is this more to introduce good characteristics?

It has been more than one day. Where is that picture?

So Ommie is off again. Well, that blows the theory that she has run out of eggs, of like a good four-wheel-drive, she has just pressed the button and is now operating on the "reserve tank" -

Three pretty girls, all getting ready for an upcoming breeding season soon I am guessing. You must be pleased that they all turned out to be hens. Good cocks seem easy to come by, and you have some great ones, but hens are like...well, to use a phrase you have used in the past.... hen's teeth. I was right at the beginning all that time ago, Frannie is my favourite.

Yes, they ahve scaley face, but I am concerned about that beak of the hen. Once you ivermectin, the mites will die and they might be what is holding the beak together. I have given this some thought and I am not sure if you could do this or not. Would it be possible to use something like a superglue on her beak. Apply it very fine, to the outside of her beak, and it will hold it together whilst it has a chacne to reform? I was thinking clear nailpolish at first to help strengthen the beak, but then I thought that would be be enough. Any thoughts from other on what might help that beak from falling apart?

I am not sure if anything is wrong here, jsut maybe your budgie inhales and swallows his food too fast, that is it. dellouisa has in her first post diagnosed this bird with canker. I do not think you have to worry there. Apart from eating fast and making a licking sound at the end, are there any other signs of ill health? Fluffed up, wheezing with normal breeding, inactivity? if nothing, then you can take the bird to a vet if you like, but it sounds like your bird is just "pigging out" so to speak. If you ever have any concerns, consult your vet, but your bird is nto regurgitating food constantly or having trouble with its body temperature, so i would not worry.

Great photos of the little ones

Hi Rasur and welcome to the forum. I look forward to your pics. If you have been reading on here for a while and you are going to get some new budgie pals, you would of course read about the importance of quarantine

There are so many variables that any results would not be accurate unless a systematic method could be divised where the only contributable factor was the inddor v outdoor. Are all the birds on the same diet? Are they all pet types? What is the outdoor weather conditions like? What is the temperature and indoor humidity like? Are any of the birds breeding? Do any of the birds have previous exiting family genetic traits that may influence their longevity? There is so much to consider here that it is impossible to truthfully, well at least scientifically, declare that one or the other environment is better for a budgie.

I think that it is a combination of genetics and environment. Show breeders have some lines in which birds are particularly fertile. Kaz, an administrator on here has a bird named Omelette. Omelette is a particularly fertile bird and has regularly had clutches of up to 11 eggs. Other birds are kept in the exact same environment and only lay clutches of 5 or 6 eggs. So in this case, fertility/genetics seems to play a large role. Environment is also an issue as where the conditions are good, and the bird is in good health, it is able to produce more young, so bigger clutches are possible. I do not believe that it is either genetics OR environment, but rather it is a combination of both. There is nothing we can do to influence the genetics side of things, but if we ensure that we provide the best environment we can, nature will take care of the rest.

Interesting, looking forward to seeing the finished product

Good news Kaz. Pleased tp read it.

It is not sex-linked, as Kaz said, so hens do not have to display it. It is recessive, not sex linked. For beginners, think along the lines of recessive pieds. Split to, not visual, if only one gene.

I put some expanda foam and the birds chewed it away. They did not eat it, jsut detroyed it. I have now filled the excess holes that mice wanted to use with chicken wire scrunched up. Works brilliantly.

Seems closing this thread might be the best way to save any embarassment here -

I wil police it Kaz, you married women can step out -

Yeah. no married people allowed. Is there an age limit in this thread of yours Matt?

I was really pleased to get such great birds at a good price. These will definitely improve my flock. I know there are some that have to go, and some that are young and still have to develop. Once I get my new breeding shed set up, I will be posting some pics of birds up that need to go.

Ommie stopped at three eggs? WOW, she is slowing in her old age. Is she a green ringer? I have forgotten.

A very good breeder near me was selling up so I was able to grab a few vey good birds off him at a great price. All birds originate from the Tonkin bloodline. I purchased 3 cocks and 3 hens, and I was given another cock bird. Here are some pics of what I came home with. I need to double check on the leg rings, but I am simply guessing their ages, some I might be out by a year, no more) A YF grey hen - red ringer A greygreen opaline dominant pied hen - red ringer A DF spangle hen - green ringer A greygreen cock - red ringer A greygreen cinnamon wing cock - blue ringer A grey cock - red ringer This is the bird I was gifted - a greygreen spangle cock - orange ringer Random shots

you can buy plastic from bunnings, per metre. It is thin enough to roll up into a roll (not a very tight one), but to put a hole in it you need to drill. I put some on the outside of my breeding aviary that I had. You can see it best in these pics taken at night time. A close up of the plastic I started out just like you, unable to walk past a pet shop without a purchase - we have all been there. These days I still go in, but walk away empty handed. You will get there, I promise - Pleased to hear the plan is an aviary. It is important to know where you are headed. Sometimes we travel down a path, and do not realise it is the wrong one until later, but he/she who fails to plan, plans to fail

Before you buy any new birds, you need to work out what it is your are doing wrong. I think the drought could be a big problem. Cold, blowing wind can cause problems and it does not appear your birds have anywhere they can go and shelter from this wind. i know you are just really starting out, but there are some major things you need to fix to ensure the health and long life of your budgies. When we start out sometimes our enthusiasm gets the best of us and we want this and that, without thinking about what we can do to fix what we have. Some basic things I think you need to do are: - raise the cages to prevent mice - get some clear pastic and put in on three sides of the cages, this will mean they will still have one open side which will let air and sunshine in, but the wind will not whip through there - build a roof to keep water off them - the tarp is a good start, but by putting four posts in and building a better roof, the birds will be able to stay much drier - to raise the seed bowls, try to get a little 3 legged plant stand from your local garden shop - even bunnings. This will allow you to get the food off the ground. Mice get in there, squeezing in between the cage bars, eat and poo. This poo contaminates the seed and the budgies get sick. I admire your enthusiasm. Starting off with pet budgies is where most show breeders started, and we need more and more people breeding budgies, especially younger people coming through. It is important though that we make our budgies environments as safe and protected as we can. I look forward to seeing the pics that you update this thread with showing us some of the changes you are making to help your little friends out. If you want any advice on how I think you can further improve your set-up, feel free to PM me.

great looking bird