**Liv**

**WOLF WHISTLES** Nice cars!! We have a museum in Birdwood filled with houndreds of vintage cars, bikes and trucks - Its a great place and I love the smell of the old leather. Your hearse looks awesome! :budgiedance:

Great to hear! She sounds very sweet indeed

Thats fantastic news!! :hap: Well done! Lucky he is not a she - or you wouldn't be able to type ever again :budgiedance: You are obviously a very loving caring bird owner and now he finally trusts you - Brings a tear to my eye :budgiedance:

I'm a natural feeder too. I go though 10kg of TRILL NUTRAVIT each fortnight. - has added vitamin A, D, C, E etc I mix the budgie and cockatiel mix together (because i have both in my avairy) and they get all sorts of goodies from the mixture of different seeds . I also feed corn on the cob, Apples, Carrots, Snow peas and Broccoli twice weekly, and baby spinach (as a treat)

Your hen, if she looks just like the above picture, then she is a hen. This is what a male Recessive pied's cere will look like Hope this helps

I agree with the vet and she looks like a She in this picture too. So pleased she is doing well

Thanks Daz. I will keep my eyes peeled. I think my first preference would be an opaline - wish me luck. p.s. I'm a Wells too - I dont think we are related though. My family crest is different to yours - mine has the lion with one tail and a lamp post. I am really excited about him being young - i was so dissapointed when i saw the year on the ring . I wonder if he was for sale because the owner though he was old and no good for breeding - hehe lucky me

great question Kim. I look forward to hearing about this topic too :hap:

Its hard without a picture to go by. Her temproment sounds a lot like a Male. :hap: Boys sing and bob their heads when they are happy. They are more social than the hens and will talk to anything, even their perch or the wire on their cage hehe. hens tend to let out sweet little chirps rather than sing. The colour of the male cere is a pinky, purpleish, brownish colour if your bird is a recessive pied

Good luck at the vets! hope he is okay.

Thats great news!!! Thanks Guys!! I didnt realise that the rings were so important. Shame he wasn't rung propperly. I really hope i can breed from him. I am now on another hen search. I will let you know when i find one and see what you think of her

QUARANTINE the sick birds if you haven't already!!! I agree with Pheobe. A vet trip is in store for all the sick birds. They will probably need some antibiotics Good luck and keep us posted

Thats an amusing was of puting genetics hehe. Interesting though. Thanks for puting it on and good luck with your show breeding

Thanks Kaz, I will probably have to get in contact with my local budgie club **GULP** Will i have to join? or will i be able to buy a hen without being a member???? (i'm shy )

Notice that the more skilled the breeder is, the younger sexing can be done

Welcome. You will find ALLLLLLL the answers you ever though couldn't be answered here ! There are some VERY skilled people about who can answer anything we throw at them hehehe. Babies can be sexed from about 6 weeks for the trained eye and about 12 weeks for the beginner. I dont know the difference between Australian Budgies and UK budgies. One of the others will be able to help you there.

thanks Libby, I wouldn't let THEM pair up :hap: . She is the smallest hen i have hehe. i really want some top quality chicks from him. At the moment he is in a colony avairy so he is able to socialise with any female he pleases. This is just the first real flirting i have ever seen him do. I always thought he was too old for all these young hens. But if what the others are saying and he is young enough to breed, then i want to buy him a show quality hen and pair them seperatly in my smaller avairy.

Ooo-Ooo-Ooo!!! I was standing in my kitchen making a coffee, when i saw BG chatting up and feeding this little female.... (this is an old picture taken at the end of her 2 clutches - she is rested now :hap: ) She is half his size and not who i would put with him. But perhaps he IS interested in breeding!!! Daz, you mentioned a hen that would suit him would be a: "I would pair to a blue normal, opaline or spangle hen. The hen would have to have good clean wing definition good mask and good shoulders. Very stocky." Can i get an example of what she would need to look like, please? I understand the colouring you recomend. It's the "wing definition and good mask" etc that I am unsure about. thanks

Its great to hear he isn't showing any other symptoms. Could he have swallowed a stone or something else indigestible and have pain from the object not leaving the crop??

I bought this hen for BG a about 6 months ago (before i know that ages were printed on leg bands)She is not as handsome as he, but i think she is still nice (and she didnt bite me! )This red band has "GP 99 198"Her toes dont have mites.... she has little tiny fethers there.... weird :hap: So would she be 9 years old???? that is very interesting... but what does it mean? My bird could be from the UK???? he could be valuable???? or has he just got a designer ring hehe

The ring is in very good condition. as good condition as he :hap: I have sent 2 emails off with pictures. One to the United Bird Societies of SA and another to the BUDGERIGAR SOCIETY SOUTH AUSTRALIA They might be able to help. I will keep you posted. i hope that you are right in the fact that he is younger bird with an old band - which would be GREAT news!!!! I have a 10is year old hen who is looking great too.... would this incorrect banding happen often??? I will catch her and take a look at her band too now.

So i don't know what else BSSA can stand for...???

Oh Kaz - ((((HUGS)))) Elly is right - he was safe and warm, and all thanks to you - Well done

I really hope its an old ring on a yonger bird How exactly do i findout about his history???? If he is 14 do you think he would breed? I have about 5 (pet type) hens that he could have any time, and there are nest boxes in the avairy for his use. He just seems to be happy just sitting quietly, watching the world go by. (like a 90year old man hehe). Should i give him some incoragement by puting him in a breeding cage with a (show type) hen????

The band says - with no errors - "BSSA 94 2320" I dont think there is anything wrong with your eyes. Its a real orangey goldy colour. Here is is again next to my gold ring. And another pick of him for good measure hehe