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How wet did it get and how long was it wet, like is it mouldy or smelly. It is no different now than 30 years ago. We soak seed but only for 24 hours some sprout it but again that is for only about 48 hours and that is rinsing regularly. The seed gets a rotten smell when wet after a few days, more than likely it will make your birds sick.

Thanks Taboo, it is such a simple recipe, you don't have to put the veges in or the calcium or seaweed. That is just my choice. Geoff just does his with the soaked seed and the soy bean meal only and his birds are thriving on it. Some days I leave out the veges.

I forgot to mention that what ever is left over in the birdroom when dishing up, I give to the aviary birds. Well I actually make a bit extra so the aviary birds get it too. They also love it.

Produce store, they sell it where you buy your horse supplements, like garlic and calcium. I just bought a bag and it cost $20.00 but I am not sure if it was 1 kilo or 2 . From memory there are two different size bags, it is is the 1 or 2 kilo bag and 5 kilo bag. When I bought my bag they had 2 different types, but the same thing though, one was like powder and the other grainer, I bought the grainer one. lol it looked better to my eye. But since using seaweed I have given the iodine the flick because it is really quite dangerous if you over dose them because they store it in their kidneys or liver (can't remember which) I think and can't get rid of it. So I seaweed is a natural salt and iodine alternitive . And the D Nutrical to me is much more economical because I was using calcivet but it doesn't last long because 20ml to a litre the bottle is gone in no time. Last year i was getting eggs with no shells and soft eggs and it was awful. this year so far everything is going good, the hens that layed those soft eggs and the eggs with no shells are laying normal eggs and the best thing is they are fertile.

Thanks Kaz, I think it is a great easy simple and cheap recipe for the birds. The babies are growing quickly and look big and very healthy. They are feathering up faster so I am happy with it. Just need the whole egg powder now.lol. I am totally sticking to this as any other year I start out with one recipe and keep changing because I can't get this or that and the poor birds don't know what hit them. But I have to admit that I couldn't believe how they just go for it, any other year the birds that haven'y babies don't bother eating the soft food until the chicks hatch but with this recipe they all get into it like it is going out of fashion. a couple times a week I add some corn kernels and peas to eat and once a week they get beetroot in it too. It's funny by the time all birds have their little dish you can hear them all munching away. The soy bean meal is very economical because of the size of the bag and the price and it last ages, no need to buy it every week or so. But I am surprise that i am going through it though.

Hi all, I thought I would share my soft food recipe that Geoff and I are both using. It is so easy and the birds just love it. What you need.... Oats.. I use feeder oats (Whole horse oats) Safflower seed if you have it. Budgie mix. Soy Bean Meal.. from the produce store.. 25 kilo bag .. about $30. you can get it from the health store but more expensive. soymeal Basically that's it but I add.. grated carrot, finely chopped celery and broccoli. I add egg once the babies are hatched. and I also add seaweed meal for iodine and salt and Dnutrical for calcium. The soaked seed and soymeal is meant to be about 48% Protein not counting the eggs. seaweed meal Step one I use feeder oats as they are cheap mixed with safflower seed and budgie mix. I use a 2 litre icecream container and fill it about 1/3 with the seed and soak for 24 hours. you can use more or less seed depending on how many birds you have. Step two.. rinse well and then let drain well.. Step three.. add grated carrot and celery and broccoli and egg if you are using it. Step 4, mix well. Step 5... add 1/4 volume of Soy Bean Meal to the volume of soaked seed and calcium if using it and 1 tablespoon seaweed meal to about 1 kilo of softfood. Step 6...mix all together Step 7 dish up and feed birds.. I promise the birds will love it, It is the best and easiest soft food recipe I have used and the birds just love it.

But I am also his aviary assistant, I look after his birds when him and his wife are working away, which is a lot. So then he looks after me

That sounds good

me too.

Yes , sounds like he is having trouble breathing and he may be going out of condition because he is sick, which will explain his cere turning brown. Is he thin and does he look fluffed up. Feel his keel bone in the middle of his chest.

Welcome Little one, do you remember me

Hi. What you could do later, when money is available is extend it out from the escape door back. That would make it wider, I personal don't like narrow flights because the rain will wet the seed, unless you put up some plastic or something. But saying that is is a nice flight and they are hard to pick up. AND it would cost more to make one than $250. Good luck with it all.

Thanks Gb, I am really pleased so far. Eggs will start hatching probably Sunday coming. Good luck with your pairing.

Hi all. I am pleased to say that I have started breeding program for 2011. I am actually very excited as all is going to plan in my new bird room. To start with my bird room is very warm inside on a freezing morning. Yes and I have 20 fertile eggs at the moment, really happy. I have.. light green spangle cock x light green hen (uncle x niece..) 5 fertile eggs and counting. Last year the cock only filled one egg and it died at hatching. so I am frilled so far. White Df spangle cock x Yellow Df spangle hen nephew x auntie..4 fertile eggs and counting Grey green cock (outcross) one of Geoff's x yellow Df spangle hen sister to hen above. clear eggs and have gone down again. Light green cock x violet opaline hen.. 5 fertile eggs and counting. cousins Clearbody cock x Clearbody hen.. 4 fertile eggs. Light green cock x grey hen (new line) 2 fertile eggs. White Df spangle cock x grey op spangle hen.. just started laying and 1 fertile egg so far. half brother/ half sister. Yellow Df spangle cock x cobalt spangle hen.. just put down (parents of my top birds. I am running him with his grandaughter too, a grey green spangle hen. I have a few more just put down and I have few mucking around, I have decided that all young cocks will not be used until they are 18 months old. I will try for some photos soon.

Yes I agree with you Gb and Clearwings post is a reminder of that. I have a vision and I have basically bred that vision but it is keeping it going is the problem.But I now need to improve size also but first I need to cement my line of good birds and keep the size I have, my birds aren't small but they aren't real big either but as Geoff says are are in proportion (head and Body). I am just hoping that this years breeding plans out the way I want. Last year when I put my birds down, it was all planned out but I mostly had clear rounds so in the end I just chucked anything with anything and bred ****. But this year I am pleased to say I have put down some pairs and they our some of my best birds and so far I have 20 fertile eggs, really happy. I just hope it all plans out the way I have planned. Geoff has gave me a few birds and loaned my a few , mostly related to my birds (the Waston blood)and a couple of out crosses. A couple of the hens are really good with some really good directional feather. Thanks Geoff. Geoff is my mentor.

I am with Clearwing, if my eggs show sign of getting messy I put more wood shavings, it seems to help.

Hi Most of my aviaries are made from Aluminum. Even the railing in my breeding cages are aluminum also. So it wood be perfectly safe but as Clearwing says give it a wash if you are concerned. Cheers

Because of the distance between them I guess. Congratulations NSW on were win.

GB that albino cock looks like a real keeper, could be a cracker yet, has the early signs, well done

I think the key is to have an eye for what you want and what type of bird is winning. You find a breeder that has that type of bird but at the same time it is handy if that breeder is winning on the bench also. But if you buy his culls and they could be as little as $20.00. Ask for the line that you think will help you on your way. This is how I stated. I first started off with culls not for showing at all and I did breed a lot of little birds with No feather. But it all came together on my second year of breeding, Greg bought me 3 birds from the breeder that I was always buying them from but he asked for something good and he had to wait for a few months and then he got the phone call, the bird that made the difference was a 3 year old spangle cock, Greg paid $25.00 for him. I put this bird with a sky spangle from another breeder and bred me yellow Double factor cock. then i put that yellow df cock with a cobalt sp hen that was from a hen from the origional breeder but her father was a fronm another different breeder and I breeder a wonderful family, I have the 3 white df spangle cocks Kaz has one, 3 yellow df sp hens, sky cinn op spangle hen who is just stunning, the best light green spangle cock i have ever breed plus a few more. I win with all these birds. One of those white Df sp was Grand Champion at the Ky show this year. And these these birds are throwing lovely young too. I also put the old boy with the violet hen that Greg got me on the same day and bred all those beautiful violets and light green spangles, I won the Shield with one of the violets. My point is if you know a breeder that doesn't charge the earth and has a good line going you can purchase some of his or her birds and and then work at it. I would love to buy some top birds but I can't afford to. Plus I know a few people that have spent hundreds and hundreds on a bird and they have not thrown anything, clear eggs only. and to add insult to injury these birds have cancer tumors and have to be put down. Just have to count your loss.

Thanks Kaz and I totally agree with what you added also.

We really can't answer you because it could be a number of things, he could have megabateria which is a secondary infection. You should put him near a heat lamp or hospital cage, he needs to be kept warm, around 28 degrees. budgies are very small they loose their body heat very fast. He probably needs medication and that you need to get from the vet. You can get a antibiotic from pet stores and you could try that. Cheers

Good luck to everyone that got there birds in the Nationals. But still it is.... GO VICTORIA HEY PT nothing mentioned at our shield selection today on perch size which is unusal not much about anything down here How did you fare. Our best result yet Seven going for a weekend away. . Dont think we have anything that will shake the budgie world but byou never know Cheers TAZ D . I love Dr Zhivargo , I should of hid in your boot!

That is is pretty good, I wish i could have a season like that after having 2 **** seasons and this one is starting to look the same. But my problem is, I have been to busy trying to fish the bird room.