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Welcome to the Forum, I also use grit, I give my birds a choice, they have on offer , True grit from vetafarm, abgrit which is 100% calcium, Phill put me onto this one and the birds love it, I also have just normal Trill grit from the supermarket and I have just started offering them health grit from the Australian pigeon company. Geoff has being using it and his birds go nuts over it.

Congrats Sunnie on your birds being selected for the Nationals and good luck with it all.

It's called going light, and probably caused by megabateria, megabacteria is a secondary infection, so the birds would have something else going on also. they look like they are eating but more likely just grinding the seed.

I wouldn't they will fight and kill each other once they start bonding. They will fight over the nest etc

Ask at your hardware store about paint to go over veneer, I am vary sure you can buy some. Normal paint won't work it just scratches off because I have tried it.

Yes we have a time line to change over, I think we are meant to have them for the shield or after can't remember but I am sure they are using them for the nationals this year. I haven't changed mine yet but I won 3 new cages with the 16mm perches this year.

You some nice birds which is a good start, good luck

Gb just getting in the top 20 is doing good, that is what I have been told, the top 10 is even better. good luck. They are now 16mm perch, but there is talk of changing it back. who knows. When it comes to the Nationals all states have some kind of selection, like Victoria has it's young bird shield, all comes select the best of all there members, only 3 birds of each variety go to the shield. Everyone is treated equally, like beginners and Intermediates are up against open and Champion breeders. There is NO section for each class. The same goes when they get to the Nationals. Beginners can have birds selected and can do alright at the Nationals if they had bred that winning bird. I actually enjoy the shields. I as a beginner until this year, I won a shield 2 years ago with my violet but he never went to the Nationals as there is no class for violets there yet. The same year my white DF spangle came 3rd and he got on the reserve team but he didn't go. But still it was a Privilege to be on the team as a beginner. I HOPE THIS EXPLAINS IT A BIT.

Thanks Kaz and Bob, really great advice for beginners, Even me a Intermediate but i don't buy birds from different aviaries but the bit about every couple of years going back and buying more birds to add features I am missing. I see to many beginners by birds from many different aviaries.

You have some real nice birds there, and I also like Neo, nice head.

All the best for Sunday GB, I won't be there. I hope you do well.

Good luck with your Lacewing Daryl

Thank you Jeff and Nubbly, they are good comments and information. All I have to do now is the hardest thing, breed birds that get picked for the Nationals, won't happen this year or next, I have no bird for the Shield this weekend, they are still moulting, pin feathers and blood on heads etc. Good luck for all those that get their birds to the Nationals this year. BUT Go Victoria

Really nice grey green Phill, the skys look handy also. I hope your plan works , you need to document it on here for us.

A friend has a hen with NO foot, and she is able to mate and she has fertile eggs, she is also a good mother, I think it would be a different story if it was a male. It is up o you if you choose to breed from her or not.

I didn't really want to comment on this thread Kaz, because the judges might jump in and attack, But Greg has always said to me that a normal is the hardest to breed because they can have so much wrong with them, just like Don has said, the black is mostly grey now on the wings, the wings are smudgie, I think as long as the bird has that buffalo directional feather over the eyes and of course the bird needs to be of good size with shoulder, chest width and back skull they are put up. They are putting down the flecked birds now and soon they will need to focus on the variety of the bird. I think the directional feather is going to far that the poor birds can not see, last year we had to trim the feathers in front of one of my birds so he could see his mate, it made a huge difference, he started flirting straight away.

Well said Bubbles, and Kaz it is a good subject and debate, most of us are to scared to make our opinion in case some one attacks us, and it does happen more often than not on here. I am for the Nationals, it is what every breeder breeds for but i to have been told and have read about losses after returning from the Nationals, The budgie News or the NSW budgie news not sure which one, a couple of years ago had something about the NSW team loosing a bird while in care by the carer before they left for the Nationals and so the reserve got called in. A breeder from Melbourne told me personally that his Lacewing came home with NO toes. But then these are the negatives but there are also much more positives than negatives. But it would be interesting if they did do a survey on all states to see how the birds vary after the Nationals for a period of 6 months like Bubbles said. Keep the debate going.

I really enjoyed this article Kaz, something to think about.

Thanks Kaz, very interesting read. Keep them coming.

A bit early. I find when the hen lays her first egg most times she doesn't start sitting until she lays the second one which is normally 2 days after the first one is layed and then she lays every second day. Well once she starts sitting on the first 2 eggs normally by the time the 3rd or 4th one is layed the first one or two if she sits on them the say time should show fertility. But I have had young hens lay one egg and then I had to wait 3 or 4 days for the next one but then they lay every second day. Last year I had a young hen who laid every third.

Good luck with your breeding, quite normal for some hens to lay eggs on the floor, I just put them in the nest if they aren't damaged, when a hen eats the eggs I put a false one in the or a marble and she soon stops it but then you need another nest to out the eggs while she attacks the marbles.

If mine were to go would do the same as Heath. Because really only sound healthy birds get picked to go to the Nationals. I know that stress can bring out illness also, so when mine come home from a show they are put in stock cages and put on probotic and spark.

That is why I was really happy when my white df spangle got on the national team as a reserve but he didn't go but I really didn't want him to go. worried about loosing him. but then if you want get up there you need them to go.

Thank you Dean

Thank you Finnie, Taboo and Kaz So far very ordinary but my kids and grandkids have rung and sang happy birthday, that was really special but the funny thing is one of my other sons (i have 4) sent me a message saying happy mothers day, I had a giggle, he is ringing tonight. Greg was going to buy me a canon ixus 105is and I have been waiting patently for months now and guess what all he gave me last night was $30.00 that I had just gave him because I had borrowed it and said here get your camera out that, well I just frowned and thought what!!!!!!!!!!!. 2 weeks ago it was on special for $168. but now $198-$219. in different stores. I just told him "I can't buy a camera with that" , it wouldn't even pay for the media card I need to hold the photos. Anyway last night I was checking the internet and I wrote down on a piece of paper the type and brand of camera and how much so he could see this morning when he got up, sat it on the kitchen table where he sits to have his brecky . So I have my fingers crossed when he gets home tonight that he took a bit of notice, he did write happy birthday on the bottom of it I will be very disappointed if he doesn't come to the party because he bought his daughter a $500. LCD tv a coouple of weeks ago for her very early birthday present, her birthday isn't for a couple of months yet. Let you know how I go, really want it because I was looking forward to taking it to the shield next week to take photos of our clubs winning birds to put in our newsletter, that's if we win any but I think Heath will do well with his cinnamons this year, he has bred some crackers .