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Thanks Nubbly, I relise dyou just warning others on here, understand completely. Because before I started writing about the one I used, I was thinking it was a horse one because I know when we had horses we were told not to use cattle ones because they were poison to horses. So then I was thinking why would I have a cattle one for budgies. But it was because it was 20 kilos and I don't think horse ones come that big and besides I was going to give it to a friend who has cattle. But yes I bought the one that I was told too. But I don't want anyone else on here buying any cattle block like Nubbly said because it will kill your birds if you get the wrong one.

Goos luck with your new birds

Some nice birds there Gb, Nubbly I love violet clearwings

I agree with Gb. Be careful

Here are a couple of recipes, Thsi is Geoff and Gb,s recipe, nice and simply 1 grated carrot 1 whole boiled egg 2 or 3 weetbix Blend infood processor until it is a crumble mixture. You can add more of each fore more breeding cages. Recipe 2 Daryl's old recipe (Daz) Soak 1/4 cup of both wheat and hulled oats over night with aviclean to stop bacteria. but if you don't have it vinigar works just as good. Next morning rinse very well and drain well. Twice a week add 1 hard boiled egg (shell and all blended in Blender) and a grated carrot. Add 1/2 cup of budgie starter and crumble mix. (mix is 2 starter to 1 crumble) It is enough to feed 14 breeding cages. ***Budgie strater and crumbles is from Passwell and you can buy from pet shops I use the above 2 recipes but this year I have used Geoffs adding extras plus I use whole egg powder now not fresh egg. Recipe 3 This one is called Awesome soft food 1 1/2cups of minute oats.. they are finer than normal oats 1/4 cup of processed Bran 1/4 cup of wheat Germ 1/4 cup of egg and Biscuit 2 Carrots 2 Hard boiled eggs 3 Endive leaves or Bunch of Parsely. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. Put hard boiled eggs including the shell in food processor then add add'the processed egg to the dry mixture. slice up carrots and then blend in food processor. Add carrots to dry ingrdients. Finely chop endives and /or parsley (you can alternate between the two every few days) Add chopped endives /parsley to dry mix, egg and carrots) Mix well... You can lesson the recipe as needed. You can add polenta foe a change and burghal(cracked wheat) And finely chopped bok choy. The mixture can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge foe a few days. But i like to do it fresh each day. RECIPE 4 This recipe for soft food and quantities are for 30 Breeding Cages Any surplus can be put into the flights each day and quantities can be adjusted for smaller numbers. * 1-2 handfulls of toasted (or dried) breadcrumbs * 2 hard-boiled eggs ( boiled for at least 20 minutes) * the egg sgell from eggs above A Selection from the following: 1. Grated carrot 2. Grated apple 3. Parsley 4. Sage 5. Coriander 6. Mint 7. Basil Method: Throw the whole lot into a food processor and process counting to 10, or until crumbly. Serve fresh daily into individual dishes for each breeding cage. remove all uneaten food within a few hours, sooner in the hot months. These recipes are for ideas, I use daz's and Geoffs.

Lovely birds Finny and Tomlou, Finny violet cinnamon is lovely but I really like the rich deep colour of the true violet.

Here are some of my violets This boy is an opaline violet Spangle.. sorry about more than one photo of my violet but this spangle I love he is such a poser This is my normal violet cock Violet spangle hen Violet Oplaine hen My violet normal baby These 2 are sisters, the one on the left is a normal violet and the hen on the right is a cinnamon opaline hen Normal Violet Green cock Violet normal hen going through a tough moult. Finds more later.

Nubbly what ever block I had, other breeders around here used as I asked them to write down which one so making sure I purchases the right one. I used it for 2 years without any losses at all. BUT I didn't use it last year or this year. Actually since I have stopped using it I have had feather pluckers Dean sorry about you bad year, but as I was saying before mine is basicly the same but improving now. So lets hope yours improves now. Troy is right about hens. and maybe they do need a doxy treatment. and B12. I use the B12 on my birds. I have some friends here that have probably spent over over 4 and 1/2 thousand on 6 pair from one particular breeder, and all they have bred is 3 chicks from 1 pair only and one hen that cost over $a few hundred lays soft eggs.

The one I use is S76 Ivermection, From dr Rob Marshell, there might be something else they are talking about. Or you can buy Invomec online http://cgi.ebay.com.au/IVOMEC-Pour-On-Catt...=item41527563c5 That bottle is miles too big, it has a life span you would never use by the time the use by date is up. If you decided to get such a big bottle you could go to your local grain stockist and it may be cheaper or at least you won't have to pay for postage. Better still do you know a farmer.Why don't you go to your vet any vet or a vet and just ask for it, say you want to use it for preventive for your birds for mites ect. That's what I did and do. I get about a 50 ml bottle for $15. and no some other people get it cheaper anyway that bottle last me for ages because you only put one drop on to the back of the head.. My vet told me it needs to be kept in a dark place as light makes it go off.

This hen is an sky blue oplaine spangle The parents are 09 birds hatched earlier last year, Her father is grey cock brother to my violet and mum was a sky blue op spangle that died from egg rupture, She laid 6 eggs and then went off the nest. The eggs were ice cold so I out the 1st two that were fertile under another hen and threw the other 4 away, silly me I should of saved them as I like both these hens. The mum died.

Pleased the out come is bright and hope your hen makes a full recovery.

Hi Doc Black, my avian Vet is Doctor Black . Yes I would diffentley not put breeding cages in an open aviary, like Kaz said to much interuptions, and aviary birds will sit and land on the cages. If you got your cocks last weekend and put them in with your exiting hen, you really should of keeped those new birds seperated for a a few weeks to make sure they have no diseases. Some say 4 weeks, others say 6 weeks. How long is up to you but it is really important. Here is a link for one of Kaz's tables it might help. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....showtopic=23594

I have the one with added molasses. I actually thought the one I had was for cattle. But it only comes in 20kilos blocks, I get out there with axe and try chipping some off, really hard job but in the winter get goes all soaky because of the moisture. I have stopped using it for the time being and silly me threw the block in the rubbish bin and there had to be 19 kilos still there

I don't think he will turn into much, but I'll wait and see, his suffusion is pretty bad.

I don't think he will turn into much, but I'll wait and see, his suffusion is pretty bad.

I agree and disagree with Dave here, grey green is from grey and a green bird not blue. The only way a grey green bird could be split for blue if he has blue in his back ground. when I say split for blue is I know putting to grey green together you can get blue series if blue is in there background, so yes split for blue, I put 2 grey green spangle down over 3 nest and got 2 greys, 2 white Df spangles, one sky blue spangle, 2 grey greens and 4 grey green spangles. We were shocked as we didn't expect it so I asked the origional breeder for their background and both birds had blue in their backgrounds. I am talking about my wow bird grey green spangle cock and the grey green opaline hen that Greg bought for my birthday 3 years ago.

sorry for hyjacking this post , but Dean do you have any advice on clearbodies, colour breeding mainly. I am sure one breeder I met once said something about keeping the dark factor out of them. ?????

That's okay Gb she does look a bit blue in the photo but she is dark green. her dad This is his son too, blurry photo sorry, I am hoping he moults out better thanhe is now.

Hi Jack, a grey opaline spangle. Thanks Kaz but no you won't see me at any Nationals soon, I don't really think I have anything good for the shows next year I am intermediate now much harder. My plan is to build up my lines for a couple of years. I have only got 2 chicks from my yellow Df sp and his son the white Df sp this year so far. it's a real let down. But saying that I think a chick hatched today from the yellow boy, he has 2 fertile eggs with a light green spangle hen who is is half sister and I am really excited about these eggs /chicks. Thanks Gb but she is not yellow face she is dark sp, she is out of the yellow df sp and grey op spangle hen.

I like that white df melanistic spangle very nice

Yes believe me I have heaps of bad times but I just keep some of it to myself. But Dean I don't think I will bother breeding early nexy year, I think I will wait till Late July next week, because I have feel like I have waisted my time this year breeding any earlier than then.

Some of the birds of bred till now This hen has a sore eye and this is her sister More coming

That's sad kaz it's always the good ones

Hi Dean, I have experienced the same thing the last 2 years, Last year I only bred about 50 all year and this year about the same. I put my pairs down in March I think 12 pair and got 2 chicks from all that. Then I put more down each time a few chciks , all I was getting was clear eggs. I rested all the birds and let them moult and put them down a few weeks ago because it is now warming up and I getting good results. Still getting clear nest from some. Mainly young cocks aren't doingb their job. But I have discovered that they do a better job when they are 18months or older. A couple of weeks ago I lost 7 chicks from 2 different nest, uggrh yellow belly, so I treated the effected nest with moxi T and now i am having top results, not loosing any chicks. At the moment I have about 30 little chicks in the nest now. I find when they destroy the nest they weren't ready to breed, that's my opinion. Is itwarming up over there, if it is you may have good results from now on. But Clearwing is right the better the bird the harder to breed from them. A couple of my clubs members spent a really lot of money on 3 birds from auction and so far they haven't bred anything, heart breaking I think. Dean I hope things improve for you soon.

Yeo make that 4 chicks from the clearbody nest, one just hatched a few minutes ago, no red eyes though, one more to hatch.