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What country do you live in?, like Clearwing said the birds can take the cold too, it get very hot here in Australia during the summer months and very cold during the winter months.

This one could be dilute/suffused. Maybe a bit dark but could be a badly marked one and the one in question could be to light a badly marked one too..

Thanks Gb and Finnie ,Me too!!! can't wait. Cleaned most of the cages today have 2 to on one side and 3 on the other. Then I have to paint them all and put all the nest box in the VirkonS and then paint them too, I have to clean and disinfect the concaves and perches also, so a big job. I need to make a couple new nest boxes also. I am going to spray VikonS all over the bird rooms too, everywhere.

Well here is an update on bird room. LOL there is not one, I actually have the ceiling finished and painted, power is connected but still NO walls, the plan was next week but I have decided to catch up on bills first, since I have lost my job things are a bit harder now and I have got behind on heaps of things. I am Clearwings avairy assistant so from now on he wil be keeping the majority of my earnings towards my walls. I go there and do his birds tomorrow and Tuesday. But I noticed black stuff in my radiator again so that is looking iffy. Anyway why I am posting this is because I have decided to clean out my old breeding room, cages and all and put my birds down. So that means the first half of my breeding season, maybe even the whole will be in the old one. Hopefully walls will go up soon but then I have to deck it all out. Today I pressure washed all the wire fronts, steel trays and have cleaned 6 cages so far only 12 wood one to go yuk, I pressure washed the wire ones last week. I have taken half the nest down. When I finish cleaning cages and nest boxes I am painting them all, even the nest box which I never done before, Last year I had some french moult and I want to knock it now. I am washing and disinfecting everything and I was told paint will help it keep it at bay. Last year I use VirkonS on all cages and nest boxes yet I still had it this year. Last year I had the last 2 nest with it and I put it down to stress and heat because I have never have never had it before. So I planned to never breed in the heat again. Tomorrow I am putting all nest boxes in a bucket Of VirkonS I need to get hold of some F10. I have worked out a few pair and I will start a new thread when all is completed. Well I will try to remember anyway. I am actually really excited about my breeding this year, I have some really good birds that I bred last year that will be cousin to cousin and I keen to see what i get from them. This is my line bred birds in progress because last year I mainly out crossed so it is really going to interesting to see what I get when they go back into my line.

I am with GB, dilute and pied, dilute only shows up when they are split, I think the word is recessive. You need to splits to a dilute, or a dilute and a split, I think one of those other birds one of the siblings in your photos looked dilute too. another name is suffused.

Very interesting Blog Gb, hey what about the cinn opaline sky violet hen, the one that you know who borrowed.

Lovely birds Nerwen, I would go with what you have chosen too.

Sorry Jimmy NOT spending one penny on a snake. That rotten tiger snake costs us nearly $700.00 Feb last year on vet bills and we still ended up with a dead dog. I was worried about Jake too, because he was pulling the wood out of the wood heap, I thought he must of got the snake scent. I think it has gone, touch wood. God I hope it has. There is a friend around the corner that use to be a snake catcher but he is in his sixties now and he would probably be to slow, But the problem is the wood heap is enormous, just got to hope it has gone. Keeping our eyes open and watching where we walk and every time Jake goes crazy we rush out and have a look. BUT I am sure he barks at the thin air sometimes.lol

Had a look at the traps Harry but sounds a bit dangerous. Ratzy won't be killing anything unless we are at risk. I know it is illegal but if it comes our life and dog and birds OR the snakes I know the snake will be the one. WE do not have a snake catcher here in our town that I know of. Any way you can judge me if you like but my view is a good snake is a dead snake in my backyard. I am terrified of them , have been having nightmares over this one. What about last year that rotten tiger snake killed our beloved Buffy anyway if it hadn't got Buffy it would of got Greg It was aggressive. I think it is gone but the strange thing is that I went out just before checking to see if it got caught in the snake netting and I noticed that Jake had been in the wood heap and has pulled a couple of pieces of wood out and they are big pieces, he pulled them out into the middle of the yard. i think that is strange as he has never done that before, so I am guessing he has smelled the snake an has tried to get to it. SO I guess it is still there hiding. Birds are all good.

To scared to on my own, I think I would have a heart attack if it came any where near me. The wood heap is about 15 all the way around and about 5 feet high, perfect place to live for a while, while it feeds on the mice or my birds, BUT so far so good. Greg said it might be just passing through, God I hope so.

Thanks all, went out and checked this morning watching where I was stepping Urgghhh, Anyway the snake net around the bird room wasn't moving so that's good sign, I went inside but was really scared but all looked good. Aviaries all good too. Greg used the torch this morning to get to the garage and his car just to be safe. He leaves to go to work at 5.15am very dark. Jimmy are they those snake sonar things because my son Matthew was given 2 by his partners father because he lives in the sticks on the out skirts of Bendigo, Snakes galore. BUT he said they were around about $400. each. Keeping a watchful eye still.

I really don't think Greg would allow that, it is our winter warmth for the next 2 or 3 years, I think you can't cut any more wood from the bush now. Josh my son said to spray petrol over the wood heap and it will burn them a bit and they will come out angry so he said make sure you get Greg to do it and you stay on the veranda safe LOL. Anyway I mentioned to Greg and he said NO. I hate snakes at time like this I wished I live in New Zealand or England where they do not have snakes. That's what I have been told anyway. New Zealand doesn't have spiders or flies either, If i am wrong I am sorry but as I said that's what I have been told. to tell you the truth I am a bit scared to go out to the birdroom in the morning. POOR birds, I hope they stay safe.

Oh I was very upset for ages, when it happened, It nearly knocked me out, I had to lay there for ages until Greg found me because I couldn't move with all the breeding boxes on top of me. Sounds like he has settled in and you have a friend, That little callous thing could be scaly might. Wouldn't to put some baby oil on it because it won't hurt him. Actually you can put a drop of detol in the baby oil too. I thought you had horses because of your discription for the birds lol fetlock, hock etc.

It's awfull, Greg and I were sitting out on the back veranda this arvo about 4 o'clock and he was looking down back towards the pigeon loft and Greg says snake and crikey there was a I think brown snake about 3 ft long maybe bigger sun baking on the white sand in the middle of the yard, when Greg said it the rotten thing stated moving, Greg rushed inside to get his boots on and I stayed watched, Jake was tied up next to us luckily BUT by the time Greg came back the snake had slivered over to the other side of the yard UNDER THE HUGE WOOD HEAP. Greg looked but couldn't find it. So now I am so scared and horrified it will get into my birds. In my bird room their are lots of hidy places for snakes too. I wanted to put snake net around the wood heap but that would be useless because Jake will only tear it up. So I put snake net around the bird room doors and any place I thought they could get in. Greg put some along the garden heading to my bird room area, the problem is we are having problems with mice at the moment, heaps of them, never seen so bad. The aviaries are free range for the snake, not much I can do about it, just praying it was just passing through but my gut tells me different and I know they search for food at night and early hours of morning. SO I AM REALLY SCARED. Brown snakes are deadly, remember the tiger snake last year that killed buffy and to think Greg said we will probably not see another one for ten years, YEAH SURE. It wasn't very thick so that's why we are thinking brown and it looked brown from the veranda . I am extra worried because Of the width of it I think it could squeeze into the aviary wire. Tomorrow I am buying some mouse proof wire to go over the wire that already is there.

Well done, it's great to hear stories like this. I have a friend with a hen that has the same problem with the ring as this bird. She had scaly mite under the ring and the leg swelled up worse than your bird. Ask your vet for some ivermectin, you put a drop on the back of the head, or you can you baby oil it will suffercate the mites, that's only if he has scaly mite. His legs should look scaly if he does. Sulfa is good for pooey bums too, Bird type though. Your bird reminds me of mine, When I first started 5 years ago, I had 2 beautiful big danish pieds brothers, they just looked like yours but mine were not flecked. Anyway back then I had a little tiny shed with 6 wooden breeding boxes stacked on top of each other. I would use a plastic bucket to stand on to see who had eggs and chicks etc, I KNOW A BIT SILLY but I had nothing else. One day I was standing on my bucket which did have a lid and my hand was in the breeding cage checking on the food etc when my rotten bucket collapse under my weight, well done I came with half the breeding cages on top of me and the door flew open because there was no clip and so out flew my shocked birds, my Danish pieds flew off into the sunset, I was horrified, I had eggs on me all broken th, the hens were still in the cage but shocked. So the next day I went shopping and purchased a step ladder and a clip for inside and out sie the bird room. So this would never happen again. I put flyers up all over town with pictures of my boys but I never got them back. They were really good exhibitions birds too, I only got to buy them because the breeder was going out of them and they were his best. I wish someone had of done the same for these little birds as you have done. My hats off to you. LOL is that the right saying. His leg looks much better, swelling has gone down heaps by the look of it. His legs look clean actually like NO scaly mite. He has a lovely head, he looks to be of good quality for a recessive pied, (Danish). If I bred him I would be showing him or using him in my breeding program, but the flecking would let him down.

well some clubs let the people whom have birds in regardless of if other members do or not so that does really suck id find a way to enter them if i was you regardless of club has to be some way ?? our clubs diploma is in march so you can bring them down and see how you go welcome here for a night or two plenty of flight cages for your show team and away from my flock they could rest the night and get in show cages in morning ready to go up to u offers their I can't bring my birds to the shield because our is meant to enter prior to the show , as for you show show will see, it will depend on finances. Not working at the moment so things are even harder.

Yes the apple cider vinegar with the mother in it is the best. It helps keep the flora in the stomach balanced. I try and give my birds greens everyday GB, Carrots they only a couple of times a week because they are high ], I think Vi A , can't remember but I know you can over do it with carrot. Mine get half lemon or orange once a week or fortnightly , mainly when I remember.

Thanks Taboo, I wish I had of done it ages ago.

Same here Kaz and had never had any problems, I figured it's natural so must be better than medication. Oh! I have been putting a full apple in the aviaries too, so they can chase it around , like a toy well the clean then up in a day too, unbelievable how the devour it.

The millet will help too, it drove me nuts last year because some of them were plucking and drawing blood and I was running out of nest to put them, I had to send 2 lots of babies to 2 different breeders places to save them. But some just plucked the down off and then left them alone and it all grew back, lets hope yours stops at that stage too.

Hi Rebecca, welcome to the Forum. Look forward to seeing some photos of your birds. Hey Kaz, what's this aka Moggie, I am missing something here. Do I have to call you Moggie now

Hi Barny your birds are lovely, sorry about the pair you lost, that is always heartbreaking. I lost my best baby budgie 3 years ago, we had no escape door and I walked into the aviary and out flew my beautiful dark green hen, I screamed and she flew away, gone never came back. Greg build me a escape door straight away. Good luck with your breeding, so far everything looks good. Gb I will not be at the shield because our club is to lousy to put a team in, they all want to put their adult birds down to breed instead, NOT happy about it either because I had been preparing my birds for the shield, everyday spraying and everything and all for nothing, I have decided to keep doing it along with the young birds are shows start in 2 or 3 weeks.

But did they say natural citrus like orange and lemon or citrus powder harms them GB.

I had the same problem last year early on, drove me nuts almost every nest, I tried everything, vasoline on the babies, baby oil, in the end I soaked the silverbeet in salted water over night once a fortnight and put a pinch of salt in their soft food and they seem to stop.. They use to have salt blocks in the breeding cage but I found in the winter with the moisture it would disolve. So I chucked them plus the huge one I bought 20kg one. lol. A breeder told me not long ago to rub minced garlic on them the hens hate that and they stop, I have not yet tried it. Mince garlic in a jar from the supermarket.