Norm

That certainly looks like one Sailorwolf, but I will usually wait till it flowers & gets some seed heads on it for the birds. Just be careful also as I see a fern growing next to it, plants growing in too much shade are not to supposed to be the best. I have been planing on doing an article on wild weeds that I feed my birds, but so far haven’t had the time to get it ready.

You could feed the roots, only everyone worries so much about bacteria, I'm not sure it would be a problem. But what I was meaning is if I collect thistles from elsewhere & keep them fresh in water I trim the base part, as it may have become slimy in the water & only feed the top. If the plant is growing in my garden I always just trim off the top & let it branch again & then get two heads later on…weeds too valuable to pull out…better to have a sloppy garden…

The voice of authority…just needs one word…MAUVE.

Be careful Liv, wilted green are not supposed to not be good for them, of course a little wilt wont be a problem, but if in doubt best not to use them. I have kept them alive in water for a few days, but trim off the base before feeding them.

Not that I’m aware of, but after her Recessive Grey & other Rare colours anything is possible…LOL…they say gardeners have Green fingers, but she must have Golden or something like that…& what with Throwbacks new Mutation, it’s very interesting to be on this forum as you see things you may not see in a lifetime in your own aviaries.

Your Cinnamon Green looks real nice, I agree he has a nice head, I have one that looks very similar & I wish I could bred some more from him, but he hurt one of his legs & hasn’t produce any chicks so far. You should get Cinnamon hens so hopefully some will be Pied for you.

It’s hard to tell from the picture of the cheek patches, if it’s Mauve the patches should be Blue, if a Grey they are Grey. Unless the Lacewing cock is Masking Grey it should be Mauve, as you need at least one Grey to get Grey.

You need to have a Slate, as it’s a separate Mutation…they are not available in Australia & I don’t know the situation in the USA.

It’s very hard to stop them starting a new batch after they get going. It’s best to leave the pair to keep feeding as long as there aren’t any other problems. Then in your case I would let her lay the whole batch, as if you remove them as she lays it may make her lay even more. Once the young are dependent enough you may need to break up the pair & cage separately, as if she is laying just on the floor there is nothing to stop her doing it again. Don’t leave her too long on the eggs as if you do the first may hatch, you can shake them after a few days & return them to her as some advise & I suggest after you remove them if you haven’t done that just bury them, as they may have developed chicks in them & it’s not pleasant to break them & see them die.

It’s very hard to stop them starting a new batch after they get going. It’s best to leave the pair to keep feeding as long as there aren’t any other problems. Then after the chicks have left the nest just remove the eggs & nest if possible. Some eggs get wasted, but it’s the simplest way.

I know the British are good TB but surely we can keep up the standard or even improve it. I don't like everything that I see in some of the British birds anyway.

Don’t worry Sunnie I paid $50 for a TCB cock, spent months with one hen nothing, then replaced hen with a younger one, she is on her second batch still no luck even clipped his vent feathers something I have never done before, not looking too good for me & he’s 4 years old too. Good luck with the other batch.

You can breed birds in quarantine as long as they are old enough. I wouldn’t think as you have already read that having cages in an aviary full of other Budgies is ideal, as birds from the aviary will interfere. Also breeding cabinets are better enclosed in some building or aviary without other birds to ensure birds don’t escape from them & also to protect them from cats or wild threats.

Sailorwolf, I did a search for Milk Thistle & that's the problem with common names often there are various plants known by the same name, it came up with a totally different plant with Purple flowers which is not the plant we are talking about, then I tried Sow Thistle, try this site plenty of pictures. the none prickly one is the best, but I have used both. http://images.google.com.au/images?hl=en&a...=1&ct=title

Good news Deb, just keep doing what you are, at least if you only loose the sickish one you have won.

I have always fed milk thistles to my birds when I can get them, Budgies don't eat them as readily as Canaries…to my knowledge they are considered the ultimate Green for Canaries. I have read on some forum of recent time where they are supposed to be good for their stomach. I'm not sure about the Scotch thistle variety I have never fed them, but think that wild Goldfinches eat the seed heads. You were taught right but Liv, you should be wary of most plants that exude milky sap, as many are very toxic. Like various so called milk weeds like the ones that Monarch Butterflies feed on & Poinsettias & Rheas plants.

TB that Cinnamon chick of yours certainly looks like its got potential, never seen one with so much pattern on the chest apart from those ones from The Netherlands, it will be very interesting to see how it moults out.

Congratulations Pie, he looks really great.

I would keep tying the parents, maybe seeing the cock did feed them some, you may have not left him long enough, I put a young bird back with the cock that wasn’t doing well & at first he didn’t feed but then settled down & fed it well. Maybe if you give them a few feeds but always give at least one parent access [put back in the nest] they may start off again & it’s certainly better than all that hard work…just keep an eye on how they are going.

Mb I'm on the same wavelength as you I have been looking out for unusually marked birds to head for the Black Budgie. I'm in agreement with Kaz; it seems to me that the Opaline mutation is the way to go. You say that you didn't want to use an Opaline because of their clear heads, but heavily marked Opalines usually have the show fault of barring on their heads & massive mask spots, some already are almost Black faced. Also they, especially the English type are the ones with the most flecking, but of course I still would be looking out for any bird whatever colour that showed hope. Also there are really two types of Black Budgies there's the black face of The Netherlands, with barring over most of its body & then the Anthracite, which still have the normal clear mask. Young birds that show plenty of barring in their baby plumage might also be a possibility, there that's most of my secrets of the way I've been thinking. I'm pretty sure it can be done, if you think the way most show people go they are culling birds that show these "undesirable faults" but if you go the other way & select, why can't it come true. There's two ways of killing a cat as they say...you can Patiently wait for a mutation to occur…very rare…or go the time test method of selection, it may not be a new mutation, but should get results. Yeah don’t let LB disillusion you MB…he has no sense of adventure… :hap: let him sit around waiting for his lottery win, while we have all the fun...LOL...

No problem...good luck with her. It must be summer there now, this is more prevalent in the colder time, maybe it's just because of her youth & wont reoccur...best of luck.

Good news MB…but if they haven’t got such good condition, there must be some underlaying reason, but the cold weather is the real teller & the weather there has been something terrible from the reports, best of luck.

Yes as Kaz said ABOUT TIME…lets see them pictures so we can tell you what we think. All that caution they must be stunners…LOL…I’m having trouble my one & only Lacewing hasn’t bred yet [i tried her] her father hasn’t produced any more, despite my trying & one cock I bought seems too old he hasn’t filled an eggs so far. I love them too but am very frustrated trying to get some more…missed out on one at a show sale. Are you only specialising in Lacewings or is there room for any other “common Budgies” in your aviary???…My favourite is the Yellow [Green series] do you have a druthers…or are you happy with Whites? Both mine are Whites.

That's the Dominant Grey Elly…this as said is a rare Recessive Grey, so it follows the same genetic path as Recessives…also any of the birds bred from this pair have the potential to carry the Recessive Grey gene not only Blue birds, but it's only about 25% I think & only can be detected by test breeding. Don’t know your time zone Elly, probably up too late or too early & drifting. Regards...Norm.

I would suggest that the reason why such a long delay was because of having the problem with being egg bound on the first egg, the next one would have been on the way so nothing could stop it, but then it probably held up production of further eggs. I’m glad she was able to lay the egg & has continued on, you will have to watch her, as egg bounding can kill birds. Some advise giving extra calcium to help. But myself if egg bounding is a regular problem I would not breed from them & select from birds that don’t have this problem.