splat

Here is another one I was interested to find more about, This quite good reading Too. It is unfortunate that for many years the Opaline has been neglected. While many are seen on the show bench, most, if not all, are by-products of good Normals, because the majority of Normal cocks - whether intentionally or otherwise - are split Opalines. In the years just before, and for a time, after, the Second World War, the Opaline's excellent iridescent colour and first-class markings were there for all to see. These have been largely lost over the years because the variety has been mated consistently to Normals. The advent of large, coarse-feathered birds has not helped the cause of good-coloured Opalines and there is a place for any breeders who have the foresight and perseverance, to concentrate on this variety. There is a definite need for breeders to start selectively mating Opaline to Opaline so that, in the course of several generations, the colour and markings on the saddle and wings can be improved and not at the expense of size and head qualities. Look at many of today's Opalines, and it is easy to see that they lack the all-important clear "V" on the saddle, and the wing markings leave a lot to be desired. What is needed are breeders to bring together the very best of the variety, and use Opaline Opaline matings to the exclusion of all others, if this important variety is to be improved. Having suggested that - and there is a real need for breeders to concentrate on producing top-quality Opalines for their own sake - it is not hard to see that this sex-linked variety will continue to help breeders produce Normals that have not only good body size, but also width of head and large spots. All too often, breeders, and that includes those who should have known better, have excluded Opalines from their stock, only to find years later, that the birds they are breeding leave much to be desired. Opaline hens, which frequently have wider heads than many Normals, have been discarded in an attempt to breed Opaline-free stock. Frequently, the mistake is discovered when it is too late and the stud in on the slide to mediocrity. On the other hand, many leading breeders have made it a matter of policy to use the very best Opaline hens with their top Normal cocks. The Normal hens bred in this way will, in most cases, be better than those produced from Normal Normal matings, and the best of the cocks should find their way in breeding and showing teams, despite the fact that they will be split Opaline. Indeed, if they are mated to Normal hens, there is still every chance of producing non-Opalines that are worth retaining. Brian Byles

Yes Daz, I thought it was a good read and I took good note so that hopefully I don't get run over by cinnamons and opalines. Tell what it is happening real fast this year, I have too many of both already.

Very differnt

You have some really pretty birds there, love their colours. But on the subject of what they are I agree with Kas 100%

I was doing some research on cinnamons and thought this might be handy to post for all to read Cinnamons By Brian Byles There was a time when Cinnamons were fine-feathered birds, shunned by all but a few top breeders because they did not wishing to see the size of their Normals dragged down by them. Times have changed. Since those early days, the make-up of this variety seems to have changed markedly and many of the best Cinnamons are now as good, if not better, than their Normal counterparts, winning major best in show awards. Because of these changes, the advice which might have been given, say 50 years ago, no longer applies. These days, the best Cinnamons can be, and are, mated to the top Normals with excellent results. If there is a drawback to breeding Cinnamons, it is the fact that, because it is a sex-linked variety, once it is included in a stud, the variety can (if allowed to do so) take on a prominence which some breeders abhor. The answer is, of course, be strict when selecting the birds to be retained each year and keep only the very best. But the same advice can be given for all colours so the problem, as far as Cinnamons are concerned, is not easy to solve and, probably the best thing to do is change direction and build up the family of Cinnamons, rather than try to be too selective as a result of a whim. Good Cinnamons can, of course, be used with Normals and Opaline Cinnamons and give breeders added choice, knowing that any youngsters produced from such matings can prove their worth in both in the breeding pen and on the show bench. If there is a drawback to having Cinnamons in a stud, it complicates the situation when Normal/Cinnamons are mated to other Dilutes. In fact, the cinnamon factor should not be allowed to mix with Greywings, and many Clearwing studs have been wrecked when Normals have been paired to Whitewings and Yellow-wings, in an effort to improve size and head qualities - not realizing that the Normals concerned were split Cinnamon. If there is a problem when attempting to breed top-quality Cinnamons it is that of maintaining good body colour and getting the wings just right. All too often breeders tend to concentrate on overall size, type, mask and size of spots, neglecting to give due consideration to colour and markings. Poorly-coloured Cinnamons - whether too light or too dark - should be discarded, bearing in mind that the Budgerigar Society standard stipulates that body colour of Cinnamons should be 50% that of Normals. Cinnamons displaying opalescent markings on the side of the head should also be penalized and or discarded.

He is a really handsome fellow that Merlin, does he like to be the centre of attention? (Laughing out loud)

Gee Libby I was wandering why the yellow was pale too, in my defence, but you can really see the blue series in it now and here I was saying grey green, Ha, ha, Think I should go and buy those prescripton glasses that I was meant to a while back (Laughing out loud). :(Laughing out loud): I have a yellow face grey spangle baby and he has a slight tinge to he wings, :hap: Very hard to breed yellow face spangles without the yellow going through their wings which is a big fault. Any way here or she is a very cute baby, Like to see some pics when he leaves the nest. Oh yeh like the name too

Kas it will be interesting to see what you get, they are pretty birds.

Yes I agree with Kas on this one she is on the ball, The vet should of explained himself better..

Lovely birds Bea, you should have a lot of fun with them. Yeh I saw the ring on the first one too, it looks like this years ring.

When you say rubbing his vent all over the cage do you mean it looks like he is doing it all over the cage because I have a cock bird like that he is always doing it to the wire front, it is very annoying I think he is over sexed but he is very fertile so it doesn't really bother me but I notice one of his sons has picked up the habit.

After will culled our birds earlier this year, we kept so many and 1 was a lt green hen she has all the qualities but a bit small, she is from good stock, well when she turned about 15months she actually got bigger late maturer. But she is a lot bigger than what she was couldn't believe it, either could Greg. So he has relised that we are parting with them to earlier, I knew that but I was trying to convince him.

A bit scary to me too :fear

Yep I agree with every one about this because it does not sound good.

That is a great read Daz and great advice, I have learnt the hard way , Greg made me cull the birds last too hard, he has now realised that so is that is why he built me another flight so I can keep them longer because some take a lot longer than others to mature.

Gee after saying yesterday that I use to nave quail and now they are in Gregs Canary flight, well last night he said he put a hen quail in with my cock birds, Boy I said, just finish telling use guy I use have them but not any more and boy now I do. I told him I didn't want it in there but I have no choice because the other quail were attacking it. Gregs Canary flight is yukky compared to my nice clean budgie flights. The canarys poo eveywhere, I told him he needs to keep the walls cleaner, so I reckon the little quail might be deseases, He laughed at me. Not fair.

Gee I have a new moniter so I don't have a defence. (Laughing out loud) Just bad eye sight it comes with age

Yeh Norm I think she is no good for breeding anymore, I went on the net yesterday and found a couple of things which could cause it. 1. inflamed oviduct 2. Chronic infectious condition of the ovary 3. cancerous or degenerative ovary in age birds, (but she is not aged). 4. Aberrent yolk into the peritoneal cavity, which I am sure it is not, because this leads to death pretty fast. The hen is not sick she looks very healthy.

That was sooo cool, lovely birds too.

If the dk green spangles the father it could be grey green. But from 2 light greens you shoud only get Lt greens.

You can have quail with budgies, they say they keep the floor clean, but I didn't think so. But I did for a while but they were little pest, they would soundly move at night and frighten my budgies so now Greg has them in his Canary flight.

How cold does it get there?

I don't know but I do not have any more, he was a beautiful Danish Pied show quality, but I think the breeder knew he was infertile and passed him on. But he was worth trying. But he was very healthy looking but when I had him he was about 5 yrs old mostly passed it. I gave him to a friend for a pet and she still has him. He was a very freindly and quite gentleman. So he made an excellent pet. But as for the hen I think I will give up on her. She just stay in the flight. OR give her until next year, and if nothing happens, call it quits with her for breeding reasons. But still she is a good foster mum, so I could use for that reason.

The first time she laid they were nornal eggs, the second round with the same cock, one normal egg and then 1 tiny egg with no yolk . I stopped her then and put her out till this year. I put her down a little while ago with a different cock and all she laid was 1 tiny egg, I don't know how long it was there because you can pairly see it, it has know yolk. She is back in the flight looking as happy as Larry and healthy, she doesn't look sick her cere is normal, I guess she is no good.

I have one hen that I really like, She is a mauve normal, of good breeding. I got here when she was 12 months old, I put her down when she looked readyabout 18 months old, she laid 5 normal eggs but all infertile which I blamed the cock, which was right, any way I fostered babies under the pair hopefully to bring them on, they raised them perfectly and then she went down again with the same cock bird, she layed one normal egg and one tiny little egg about the size of my tiny finger nail and I have small hands kind of. We put her back in the flight and waited for a few months until it was warmer and tryed her again. Well 1 tiny egg again. This year I put her down to try one more time and 1 tiny egg again. the egg is that small you hardly see it in the nest. I have talked to a couple of breeders about it and they reckon they have never heard of it before. Greg thinks that maybe before we got her she might of been egg bound. They get calcium in their diet so that's not the problem, she is in top condition when I put her down, so that can't be the problem, So I don't know, does anyone have any idea. Please advice. :excl: