Dave_McMinn

I agree with Daz, there is no such thing as the perfect aviary. Many people know the names Cec and Brenda Gearing. They have national winning budgerigars. They have a wonderful aviary setup, far better than mine, yet they are always looking at ways they can improve their setup. They recently put another roof on their avairy, on top of their existing roof, but some 50-60 cm's higher. This is to help make it cooler in the hot days they have at their place. To me this says that every person should be looking at things they can do to improve their aviary. Inside my avairy is paved, but the actual aviary sits on wooden sleepers. I am eventually going to remove these and lay a slab for the whole thing. Before I do that however I am going to make a temporary modification. I have noticed the wood has bowed under the avairy. This means mice can slip into the avairy under the bottom of the aviary and above the bowed wood. I can simply put a metal strip along there to overcome this issue. This is what we are talking about Shannon We are not attacking you. You showed us your aviaries, told us all to have a look, and tell you what we thought. We thought that it was good, but you could make it great, and here are some ideas how. Sometimes the receiving advice is harder than the giving it. We simply want to help you out.

Hate to disagree with Liv, but I am not sure that everything there is rosy. The floors in some of the aviaries look in desperate need of a clean. Since rain obviously comes in the side where Shannon has placed the tarp, what does he do to stop the rain coming in the other side? How much light do the breeding cages get? Is there an artificial light in there providing vitamin D? Some of the nestboxes on the sides of cages do not sit evenly. This will mean that the eggs in the nestboxes do not sit properly and the hen will have difficulty rotating them, even keeping them together. This needs to be fixed immediately. Some of those breeding cages look like a random collection of wood and wire. No one on here can doubt your enthusiasm. What concerns me is the conditions of the birds you have there. Instead of counting how many birds you have, and wondering what you can get next, perhaps you need to examine how you can fix and improve what you have, providing the best environment for your birds. The big question you need to ask yourself is this - how do I make what is average good, and how do I make what is good great?!?!?!?!

I know what you are saying renee, but I disagree about your determination of when you can count as your own bloodline. If someone decides to breed multiple birds, and never show, can they never get their own bloodline? I do not believe that that level of showing determines whether you can say you have your own bloodline. I think the mixture who come up with determines bloodlines, and that is it.

Some good advice there. Birds tend to stress initially in a new environment. I say give him some food, give him some spinach, put the radio in a music station, then walk away. He is not going to eat anything whilst you stand there staring at him. He will feel more relaxed when there is more noise, when there is silence, it is a signal for him that there is trouble, and so he will nor chirp or eat.

he is in there somewhere Not sure on the number, I will do a count I have less that you Kaz

How often do you clean out the sand?

It has built up nicely Deb. One bird has layed another egg of a perch. Seems to be a common thing in my aviary

Part 2 This grey is from another Perth breeder and is split to Clearwing. He is next to a Green from a different Perth breeder – the green is named Twitch as he gets a bit scared when you catch him in a net in the aviary, he has a little heart twitch. The Grey Green Spangle is called Midori, and he is from Deb. The grey/green hen is from Ikon and the hen is a cinnamon winged grey I got from Deb This mixed group is from top left to bottom right – Milly, an older hen who is the mother of Nibbler and some others in the aviary, a blue opaline spangle hen I bought from George, a breeder at blakctown (I bought her as a young hen and she has come along very well), Kiwi – who some people may remember has recovered from her broken leg – and I bought from Abi Hauder, a breeder near Smithfield, Sebby and Cheese down the bottom left, a grey opaline hen I got from Deb, and an opaline Dominant pied I got from a Kaz. A cinnamon winged light green spangle and an opaline Dominant Pied, both from Kaz A mixed bag of pet types and show budgies. A hen I bred, Pale Ale, the Henry George cinnamon winged blue, the opaline grey hen from Deb, the grey that is split top clearwing from one breeder, and Twitch, from another breeder (both breeders in Perth), Midori, from Deb – a grey green opaline spangle, and Angel – an albino pet type. A yellow faced blue type 2 hen I bred – Aphrodite – daughter of Milly and Zeus, sister of Nibbler and Athena A grey green spangle from the breeder in Perth who I purchased the Henry George birds off Sherbert - my first clearwing Aphrodite and Nibbler – 2 blue I bred A grey green opaline spangle hen I purchased from George, a breeder at Blacktown, sitting next to Sif, a yellow faced 2 cinnamon winged spangle I bred.

See, now others are thinking what I am thinking... (cue background music - who are you, who who, who who)

so if that is an old picture of when you bought him fomr a pet shop, then his face is not messy from feeding the babies, as he has just been purchased from the pet shop. You bought a bird that looked like that from a pet shop? Now, I am aware that we have different views on quarantining, so i am not even going to bring that up here. Just funny how you said his face was messy form feeding young, then you said it was a picture from the pet shop, thus the dirty bum, but now the face does not work as he had no young when bought. Hmmmmmmm, I feel like this is becoming CSI: Budgie.

Major clean up of the aviary today, then the addition of the cocks, well all but Caesar, who if people have been following my Perth thread, know that he is recovering from illness. Well, the boys are in there, and they are looking good. I took some random photos so I will tell you who is who. Any feedback on improvements I can make, or something you think, or even if I get the classifications incorrect, please let me know. The cleanest aviary floor I have ever had Drink Containers with Roni-vet for everyone Look at all those birds This spangle boy I bought from Ikon, a member of this forum and a person I now count as a friend, from the St George club. He is an 08 bird. I got him as a 6 month old or so. This opaline cock was one I bought from a breeder in Perth. I have since found out he is split Lutino. This DF Spangle hen I bought from George, a breeder at Blacktown. Bought as a young hen, she has matured into a lovely hen. A mixed bag – the grey cock I bought from the same breeder in Perth as I got either Dumb or Dumber sitting beside him, and the grey spangle was also from the same breeder. Here they are again joined by the cinnamon winged grey green cock who was a gift from the wonderful Perth breeder. These two – both cocks, on opaline, one not – are from opposite sides of the country. One is named Oscar and was purchased from Abi Hauder, the other, the opaline boy, is from Deb. Wilde – a green cock I bought from Abi Hauder, a breeder in the Budgie Improvement Society Humphrey – wondering who all these new guys are The sky blue cinnamon wing cock I bought from a pet shop in perth, and Kestral, the YF grey cinnamon winged spangle I bought from Abi Hauder This sky blue cinnamon winged cock is a Henry George bird I bought off a different Perth breeder

Is it an old picture?

7 weeks? I thought an experienced breeder said that budgies cycle every 21 days? I say when the cere is a tan, or even a little before that. Dark brown or custy means that the hen is coming to the end of her cycle.

okay i am going to kill tham now "no" 3 babys any new eggs or pairs Who are you going to kill? And why?

thank you renee. that is what I did. My avian vet is great, and i would follow his advice until the end. He has lost a little weight Kaz, but when you hold him, you cannot feel his keel bone. He is getting stronger and fatter all the time. he looks thin, but he is not as thin as the photos make him look. Sometimes photos lie, as well know. My own photos always make me look fat. I am really an adonis, the camera just adds 40 kilos -

They are very good looking stock birds. I am looking forward to seeing your hens

Well, Caesar made it back home. He seems much better, eating well. His face is a bit dirty from the meds he is taking each morning and night, but he is revoering well and he should be back to full health soon.

If you actually give out someone else's phone number without their permission, technically you are breaking the Privacy Act. It is illegal. The person has every right to sue for disclaiming information they are not entitled to disclaim.

It seems I am saying the same thing again and again here, but what the ***, I will say it again. I did not just make up a quarantine procedure. Before I went away, i consulted my avian vet for advice, and I have followed this advice. I suppose once everyone else on here has graduated as an avian vet, and they have over 30 years experience treating injured wildlife, especially birds, on a daily basis, I will follow their ideas and thoughts, but until that day comes, I think i will just trust my avian vet as he tends to be more knowledgeable than the anonymous writers on an internet based website. I am sorry if this sounds harsh, but the "bush lawyer" avian vet comes a far second to my avian vet I am afraid. Naturally. You should all watch "Guns, Germs and Steel", a national geographic documentary on the spread of Europeans and their cultures. Fascinating in this regard.

did he sit in avocado?

maybe they were, but they hid it better. I think I have notied a general well being of all the birds in the last few days. Some birds suffer more than others. Think of it this way, do you know people who feel the heat more than others? What about people who on a freezing cold day still wear shorts? Why don't docot's catch every cold they are exposed ot? What about people who get the same chill as you, but they catcha cold and you don't/ Why can it not be the same for birds? When we are cold, our bodies react. We can put more clothes on and the like.

No - all test came back clear, so i am thinking that if it is not viral or infection, than it is simply environment based, thus the chill factor

Well, I am thinking this remodelling has worked. Caesar has come home form the vets and it on antibiotics morning and nights. He seems better

we are all learning liv. i am sure I am going to do the exact same thing as you in a month or so

The splitting up of the sexes is wrong as I understand it. breeders that I respect, that have won nationals, have told me this is wrong. Budgies have recreational sex, and so what happens when you remove this opportunity from them? they become more interested in what is available to them. We klnow budgies will bond with a mirror given a chance, so why stop them from beonding to something they should bond to?