renee

Amongst other things, today I weighed most of the chicks concentrating on the nests with chicks over the age of 7 days. I really wanted to get a read on their development and compare with the statistics observed by Betty Rae in the Weights & Measures post pinned in Breeding Tips. In particular I was concerned about the chicks that had been fostered about versus those that had stayed in one nest. The results were interesting, details below: 6 DAYS - 9GRAMS Own chick in Grey Spangle nest: 13grams 9 DAYS - 20 GRAMS Own chick in Medusa's nest: 23grams Foster in Medusa's nest: 20grams 10 DAYS - 22 GRAMS Foster in Medusa's nest: 26grams Own chick in Grey Spangle nest: 26grams Own chick in LGreen Spangle nest: 32grams 12 DAYS -27 GRAMS Foster in Violet split Opaline: 32grams Foster in Violet split Opaline: 28grams Own chick in Grey DP: 28grams 14 DAYS 35 GRAMS Own chick in LGreen Spangle nest: 39grams Foster in Violet split Opaline: 36grams Foster in Cobalt & Sky: 28grams Foster in Cobalt & Sky: 31grams 18 DAYS - 53 GRAMS Hand reared chickie (19 Days): 54grams So here I was stressing about the chicks in the Violet split Opaline nest when really it is the chicks in the Cobalt and Sky nest that are underweight. I have set the automatic timer to turn the lights on earlier at 7am. I always hoped that chickies would be fed overnight 'cause the hens would be able to see their way due to the night light I have running. But I read elsewhere that that is not the case. So this way hopefully as soon as the lights go on then the hens will start morning feeds.

The clean up continues .... Just found another 3 of those translucent "spider" mites under a seed dish in the aviary. It looks more like they are fodder mites after all.

Well I'm all done panicking I've had a good think about RIP's post, looked up images of mites online and come to the conclusion that what I saw was not a red mite - it was just too big to be one and not the right colour. Mind you it doesn't really look like a fodder mite either, in fact I have yet to find a photo of a corresponding match ... However, the Bird Room did get a pretty good clean up yesterday. I cleared all the Holding Cages of budgies, updated my notes and administered 1-2mls of S76 to the crop before releasing them to the outside aviary. I then thoroughly cleaned the Holding Cages and hoovered the nest boxes before liberally spraying with A.I.L. In fact it was during this I had a severe asthma attack but decided I didn't have time to take a rest so pushed on .... I'm telling you I was a wreck by the time I finished! It also gave me a good opportunity to re-read the label on the A.I.L. and yes, it does say that is is effective for 6 months. So that got me thinking and questioning some more. I really put a LOT of time and effort into this year's Breeding Season: the Garage got a Spring Clean, I washed and dried everything and the nest boxes, perches and cabinets were thoroughly doused in A.I.L. - and that was only a couple of months ago. Thanks GB, that's a good tip!

Hey whadyaknow 3 years ago I actually knew what a fodder mite looked like!

Thank you for your patience my dear and I am sorry your frustration with me prompted a good ole yelling Yes of course you are right, the environment must be treated as well. However, as for droves of mites hatching out at 7 day intervals I'm afraid the horse has truly bolted on this one. It has to have since this the end of week 5 and it has already significantly affected my breeding season. I have already braced myself for possible losses and in the meantime have commenced the clean up. I will never be able to get rid of all red mites, there are just too many nooks and crannies for them to hide in and as an adult mite can go for 8 months between feeds I do think medicated control/management/treatment is the only long term solution. Thank you RIP for your encouraging input. Yes I so hope you are right. S76 in the water for 2 days every week for a month will not adversely affect the budgies - it's basically Ivermectin and Slippery Elm. I have done a bit of research and I am also going to embrace the natural alternatives: eucalyptus branches and garlic! I thought maybe a red mite that hadn't fed yet would be translucent .... but you make a valid point and I'll have to look into it all more.

Well I understand that even if they hide during the day they still return at night to have another feed and that is when they would be poisoned. What am I missing?

That's right. We are all told when we are starting out as Novices to "Buy the Bird". However, if you are not careful you end up very quickly with a stud of Greygreen Cinnamons split Opalines or vise versa I know of one Open Breeder over here whose entire stud is Cinnamon or split Cinnamon. And it is another reason that, at least in WA, it is virtually impossible to buy a DF Normal bird - not split for a sex linked variety. For that same reason it is very hard to breed DF Normals 'cause the sex linked gene can remain "hidden" in the cock birds for generations. I believe once you have been breeding for a few years you need to slowly settle on the varieties you want to specialise in. Then it becomes a case of purchasing specific compatible birds possessing the features you want. Yes, if you have loadsa money you can go out and get the complete package but that is a luxury for some, not most of us.

Ahhh Okay that makes sense. No point treating the bird from within if you dont treat the environment Well this is where we have differing opinions. I have double checked with Marshall's Medicine Book and it clearly states that the 4 week treatment is the most effective way of eradicating Red Mites. How so? Because the S76 is absorbed into the budgies blood and when the little suckers get a taste they die but you need to do it for 4 weeks to be sure that their cycle is broken and all have perished. All budgies, inside and out will be receiving this treatment. And as soon as I put some birds into the outside aviary in which I suspect it is too, I will do the treatment again. That is NOT to say that I won't be stripping the place down and giving it a good going over. Of course I will. But not just right now.

Well that's what I thought Kaz but this one was more like a tiny spider - not a speck of pepper. I haven't lost any baby chicks really but I do think it explains the low fertility and the very high incidence of addled eggs - I did think the hens were getting off their eggs but never saw any evidence of it myself during the day. Also I'm thinking it would explain why some of the chicks are underweight. In addition 5 or so days ago I woke up in the middle of the night and heard one of the cock birds go troppo in the Breeding Cabinet. I immediately thought Mouse! But on the week end I searched high and low and didn't find any droppings, so I was at a bit of a loss to explain his behaviour. Also I didn't know exactly which one as if I had gone in I would have woken them all up in a shock. And if I think back the adult birds did have a tendency to panic after dark from time to time. I always assumed it was 'cause they were startled by something else like a cat. Any ways I am going to do the month treatment of S76 2 days out of every 7 and 2 days of apple cider vinegar / Megamix and then take it from there.

Well it has taken me a while to figure what is going on with my birds this year but I believe I have the answer : Red Mites. I have just finished a water change with S76 and everyone is getting this for 2 days and then again for the next 3 weeks to break the cycle and eliminate them for good. I doubt I'll be able to salvage anything from this year's season but my aim now is to make sure I eradicate the suckers over the next month. All the signs were staring me in the face but it never occurred to me 'cause I do give my birds a monthly treatment with the S76 for Lice, Mites and Worms ... until one crawled out from under a soft food dish last night onto the kitchen bench. .... and then there was no denying it. Funny 'cause I always imagined that they were microscopic but this one looked like tiny translucent spider,

I'm sorry to hear about Tess's pancreatic problem Dave. Thankfully she has you to look after her.

That's right - hand me the chainsaw Two more chickies arrived this afternoon A fourth to the DF Yellow Spangle boy and .... drum roll ... a first to a Cobalt cock and Green hen! I'm hoping for another from this nest in the days to come. My Green split RP chicks are being feather plucked despite all my efforts. Today I tried the Detol cream, tomorrow I may try Daz's oil and detol remedy and if all that fails I am considering plastering them in crushed garlic. I'm not so sure about this last one 'cause PJI did mention that the mother hen had passed away and I'm wondering if the two are directly related I mean I don't want to poison my hen .... No he just never grew a tail! Shucks as I really, really wished he had He wasn't ever affected by French Moult or anything like that and both his parents did have tails and to date all his offspring bred last year have tails too. I was told that it can be inherited and that there are Breeders about who have a high incidence of this in their studs .... As for mating - No issues whatsoever, he is a very fertile bird. And also this year I put my Gary Armstrong line Recessive Pied to breed and he also filled eggs despite not having a tail. So I don't think taillessness is an issue.

Today is a GOOD NEWS Day! Nothing has really changed but I fear in my endeavour to give a balanced account of my (sad) Breeding Season to date I haven't been stressing enough positives. This is part because in "my world" I'd get 80%+ Fertility and not have any issues with the rearing of the chicks and everything would be Peeeeerfect. ...... But that just doesn't happen. NO MATTER. So I thought I'd introduce you to a few of the cock birds that HAVE filled eggs so far My Violet split Opaline boy. I really like him a lot and would have loved to have shown him but he is, alas, a tailless wonder Yes, I know he looks Blue but he IS Violet. My LightGreen Spangle Medusa's son (one that did survive thanks to fostering) And here are Medusa's chickies, a picture of health and well being In this nest we have one from the LGreen Spangle, her own DF Recessive Pied, one from the Dommie Pied Grey and one from the Violet split Opaline.

Well Stew I can tell you from personal experience that sometimes the best laid plans do not pan out no matter how much time and effort you have put into it! That being said yes, when you put 2 birds together that have not previously bonded you need to watch them very carefully for at least the 1st 30 mins. It is not so bad if the hen ignores the cock bird at first BUT if she is actively aggressive it is wise to remove either one and reconsider the pairing. It is not unheard of for a hen to mutilate the cock and in some cases if it is a young bird he never confidently approaches another hen again. As for waiting for a pair to bond I think it comes down to how long you are prepared to wait though if both are in condition and nothing has happened after 3 weeks then you could think about changing them. Because you only have 2 cabinets I would remove both birds as sometimes a hen can become territorial about a cabinet and ivew a new cock bird adversely.

I shudder with horror every time I think of what you've been through Splat. I'm glad things are picking up for you now. A little chickie arrived today to the DF Lute nest and it looked fine and fed so on that basis I transferred its sibling that arrived yesterday back into the nest. There are still a couple of viable eggs in that nest so I'm hoping for some more chicks. I took the decision to bring the Green Dommie Pied split Lute chick indoors for hand rearing. According to the stats it is not underweight per se at 16 days and 41grams BUT I think it's really scrawny and in need of some one on one attention. Mind you it's a very bony chick, insofar that it looks like it has a big frame. I've been advised to wait till its crop is almost empty before topping up to avoid sour crop but I'm surprised that takes about 5 hours!!! I have investigated the original nest (Violet split Opaline) and there is no evidence of runny poos or sickness but I have popped a little bit of Triple C into the formula for the chick I'm hand rearing (thank you Kaz). On the basis that I'm pretty certain there is obvious signs of illness I transferred a same sized chick into that nest so the Sky hen has 2 to look after now. I am going to weigh all 3 chicks daily to monitor their weight gain. Today I did an egg check and I can't say I am overwhelmed by the results. Almost all are starting to lay and in a couple of nests there are fertile eggs showing. However, what I can say is that my top cock birds are now raring to go while their hens are less enthusiastic to say the least. If it wasn't so fricken tragic I'd laugh it off. Not only are their ceres that brilliant blue - which I may add have been since I put them down, but they are tapping their beaks on the perches and desperately trying to mount their hens who look like they'd rather be anywhere else. To make matters worse all my hens in the Holding Cabinets are NOT in condition. In my desperation I pulled a 06 Recessive Pied Manno hen from the cull cage and put her to my GDA Double Factor Yellow boy. At least they are both in condition and know what to do - whether anything comes of it is anybody's guess. This situation, if nothing else has forced me to accept that my breeding set up is just not conducive to breeding at this time of year insofar the timeline is just too tight to juggle everything.

I dunno Pride - just swings and roundabouts as far as I'm concerned I look at it this way and say well, you know I'm sure if I had bum plucked every bird again before they went into the Breeding Cabinets then perhaps I might have had more fertile eggs .... and if I had fewer cocks in the nest box maybe the incidence of addled eggs would have been lower ... and even if I had checked on the egg count less often .... and lets not forget the bad luck of setting up the Lute hen to take multiple fosters only for almost all to die from a killer bug... I always knew it was going to be eventful just because I put just shy of 40 pairs down to breed and I am doing it without the help of my wonderful hubby. The fact of the matter is this is the Breeding Season I'm having this year - a warts and all blow by blow account. It is easy to do the highlights .... this is the reality of my 2011 Breeding Season. I will take lessons learnt into future seasons and I am hoping I don't have another one like this in a hurry.

Thanks Taboo. I sincerely hope so! Two more chicks arrived today. A second to the DF Lute nest which had not been fed .... seeing as that hen attacked the last chick that hatched I am relieved that this one is still alive but to be on the safe side I have fostered it to the DF Yellow Spangle nest. A fifth arrived to the Grey Spangle nest, so that is encouraging. However, on the flip side, I am extremely concerned about the 2 chicks in the Violet split Opaline nest. They are very underweight which is confusing as every time I check them their crops are full. The eldest chick is from the Lute nest and I'm not entirely sure about the second. I am not sure what is causing this or what to do? Foster on? Crop feed them with Budgie Starter? ALL suggestions very welcome.

@##$$%% Talk about one step forward one step backwards Another chick has just arrived, a third to the DF Yellow Spangle and his Greygreen Spangle hen. BUT the foster chick, the little one from the LGreen Spangle nest that I popped into the Cobalt Dommie Pied and Sky hen nest is no more That is the second chick that has been attacked. It is hard to say who the culprit is as there is no blood on either the hen or cock's mask. Even more confusing, this is no maiden hen either .... I have placed the last fertile egg from this nest into the DF Yellow Spangle and Greygreen Spangle's nest.

I'd like to hope so Pride. Another two chicks arrived today. A fourth to the Grey Spangle nest. and a fifth to the LGSpangle nest. Because it is soooo much smaller than its siblings I popped it into the Cobalt DP & Sky nest. And today I did quite a few overdue ringings ..... so Chick Stat Report as follows : Medusa's son Green split RP to RP hen 2nd chick at 7 days weighing in at 11g Grey Spangle to Grey Cinnamon Spangle (Super DF White's daughter) 1st chick at 7 days weighing in at 16g LGreen Spangle to GreyGreen Spangle 2nd chick at 9 days weighing in at 18g Violet split Opaline to Sky 1st surviving chick at 9 days weighing in at 17g Grey DP to Cobalt 1st chick at 9 days weighing in at 21g (yes, that ring was a tight fit)

Woo Hoo! Which ones? Photos please

Not quite Kaz. He would be the only pensioner I know who has a weekly cleaner ...

And now for End of Week 5 Chick Report - In alphabetical order: Albino Sat Grey split Albino - Amazing long feather. Fostered to Sky hen nest. Probably dead. Blues - Cobalt / Sky Wed Good feather. Fostered to Lute hen nest. Probably dead. Thurs Good feather. Fostered to Lute hen nest. Probably dead. Fri Good feather. Fostered to Lute hen nest. Probably dead. Sat Good feather. Tue Assisted hatching - too early : Died Sat Good feather. Dommie Pied/Normal Green split Blue Thur Fostered to Lute nest. Probably dead. Dommie Pied Cobalt & Sky Fri rejected by hen : died Dommie Pied Greys split Blue Sat Very pink. Sun Very pink. Mon Very pink Thurs Very pink Lutes Mon Green split Lute split Cinnamon? Dommie Pied Green split Lute Tue Assisted hatching Fri DF Lute rejected by hen : died Recessive Pieds Sat Green split RP Mon Green split RP Thurs DF RP Sky Violets split Opaline? Thur Good Feather. Fri DIS Sat Good Feather. Sun DIS Fri Fostered to Medusa's nest Spangles / DF? Blue series Mon Wed Fri Spangles / DF? Green series Fri Very pink. Fostered to Medusa's nest Sat Very pink. Mon Very pink Tue Very pink Fri So 16 chicks hatched this week. It would at this stage appear that I lost all chicks fostered to the Lute nest and I also lost a couple that were rejected by their mothers' and a young chick, possibly to Yellow Belly. So all up 22 Survivors.

Yes remove the cock bird and look for his wound. Clean it. Does he have a ring? Maybe it needs removing. Look about the cabinet for a possible source of injury. Maybe he caught his foot on something and injured it that way. The hen may not necessarily attacked him. Does he keep his distance from her? I'd pop him back in and watch them interact. A photo of the ankle would be helpful.

So true. I know of one. And I intend to be one too .... one day - hopefully sooner rather than later

Dare I say it Finnie but it comes with the territory. I count my blessings as they come and suck it up when misfortune strikes. However, as time goes by I am more and more inclined to return to autumn/winter breeding.