renee

Many thank for your kind welcomings and Thank You Taylor for the birthday wishes So first of all apologies for taking this long to figure out that I had to use Mozzilla Firefox browser to use Photobucket efficiently .... Any way as promised here is the daughter to JK, the Grandaddie of the Dommie Pied (green series) featured above: And here is an aviary photo of the grandson, as you can see he is a lovely long bird, no heavy flights .... but visually does not possess the wonderful head of his Granddad - this year I may learn if he is carrying it genetically or whether in my effort to correct the wings and breed in length I have lost that feature ... I am breeding with all 3 birds. Now moving on to the Recessive Pied line. This is my most advanced line due the good fortune of having bought a pair of prolific breeders from Dom Manno (no longer active in the hobby but reknowned for his RPs) early on. Then I was very fortunate to acquire a couple of very nice birds from Gary Armstrong a few years ago. Against all advice to date I have consistently paired Recessive Pieds to Recessive Pieds within families and in 2009/2010 this produced some absolute stunners, one of which travelled to Nationals as a Reserve. Last year I lent out 2 of the best so this year is the first time I will breed with them. All up I have 4 really outstanding birds and happily for me the best Armstrong line hen has paired up with the best Manno line cock. The progeny of this pairing will be the basis of my own line. Sorry about the photo, they are down already and I didn't want to pull them out just for a photo so here they are on the perch (obviously much longer than this angle suggests): Here's a better photo of him in the aviary: Now I have got the hang of photobucket more photos will follow, DF Spangles specially for you Pride

For those newer members who have not heard me go on ad nuseum on the subject : Atapulgite is a natural clay/rock substance that has very good clumping properties. The brand Fussy Cat Littter is made up entirely of Atapulgite. You can buy it in 10 and 20 kilos bags from the City Farmers chain here in Australia, some other Pet Stores stock it as well. When the hens start dumping those big sloppy poos it is very easy to scoop them up due to the clumping. It is completely non-toxic. I also use it in the nest boxes as well as the breeder cabinets but that is not for everyone - some breeders have tried it and found that the eggs have cracked - that has not been my experience. I think you are definitely on the right track Splat. Maiden Hens can be really useless when it comes to getting the hang of motherhood and their inherent responsibility to feed their chicks but if it is an accross the board occurrence then I suspect underlying infection to be the root cause. I know from experience that hens will not feed chicks that are sick and more than often will toss them out of the nest ... brutal though it is it does make sense that they don't run the risk of passing the infection to other chicks.

What a drama Fire Bird!!! When your birds get ill it is always a nightmare. Especially tricky for you 'cause your birds have been so healthy .... for most Novice breedeers however, the first few years we learn ALL about budgie ailments and diseases Avian Vets are worth their weight in gold and you have been very lucky to see the "budgie guru" himself, Dr Rob Marshall. Obviously you are now a registered client of his, I wonder Have you thought of getting access to his book on Budgerigar Health? I believe you can access it online as well as getting the hard copy. Chlamydia Psitacosis and Megabacteria are very prevelent in budgies, at least over here in Perth ... Mega is very hard to erradicate entirely but an annual 2 month course of Doxycylcine goes a long way to keeping your birds healthier. I hope that helps.

Splat, I have used Atapulgite in my breeder cabinets and nest boxes for a few years now as well as giving my birds a second 2 week course of Doxy just before breeding and rarely have any cases of yellow belly. In this month's edition of the SWBC Club magazine our President, Cec Gearing wrote the following - (I hope it is useful) "I have had several enquiries regarding infertility, dead-in-shell, etc. With no veterinary experience, I can only impart my own findings concerning what works for me. So often the remedy is simply a matter of husbandry. Although breeding hens often have large, soft droppings, these should still be enveloped in an intact film, as from a normal healthy bird. Droppings that are spread, or even sprayed everywhere are the first signs of a potential problem. If these are accompanied by an unpleasant odour, I have found that a 3 day course of a Sulpha drug, accompanied by Dr Marshalls `Quik Gel’, will invariably effect a cure. Sometimes, of course, this can be due to a longstanding infection [eg Chlamydia, E Coli etc]. Even with babies just hatching don’t hesitate to follow this procedure – it may save chicks that die at one or two days of age. Parents that walk through excreta and transfer the deposit onto the eggs create another lethal problem. Unlike poultry eggs, which, hatch after 21 days incubation, the Budgerigar eggs are exposed to bacteria which develop within 21 hours. They should be cleaned using a minimum of moisture [or even steel wool]. I have found that a successful method of eliminating this problem is to spread a good layer of Ag Lime, covered with Atapulgite, on the cabinet floors, which will soak up any moisture and the droppings can be easily removed from the surface every couple of days, without the need to completely clean out the cabinet. In the case of the infection being in the oviduct, a course of Lincospectin is indicated. I believe this is also used in human pregnancies, and it can be obtained through your local vet, who should obtain the prescription through Vetafarm, to ensure the correct dosage for Budgerigars. [This cannot be done direct from Vetafarm, as they no longer operate a clinic and are concentrating on supplements and accessories]. Hope this is of some use to some of you – I have found the above practice has resulted in my best ever breeding season with hardly any losses."

OMG Splat, you have really been put through the wringer this year!!! The quality of your chicks is lovely but it is such a shame so many were lost. Was it just down to Maiden hens do you think? How is it going now? the weather should be warming up and that always bodes well for budgie breeding

okay Pride here is a photo of the Grandaddie to my Green Series Dommie Pied line. He is a John Kobilanski 2008 bred. He has a lovely big head and has a very long tail However, his major fault is that he is very heavy flighted. He is slouching a bit in this photo but even so he does need some more length in the body to balance with his tail. He is paired to a Grey hen who is nothing special but she doesn't have heavy flights and more importantly he fancies her and I am hoping to breed some greys to put back into my Albino line next year. I am busy tomorrow driving around Perth getting the last of my accessories but I will post a photo of his daughter (who IS longer in the body) and his grandson who does not have the heavy flights on Friday. Depending how I go I will then take photos of my DF line (which is something special). Thank you for your feedback

Hello there everyone! It's been a while since I posted here -Thank you to Kaz who prompted me to get back on-line I have high hopes for this year's breeding season. I bred 70% hens last year and I can't wait to see what they produce for me in the next few months. I breed 7 varieties: Normals Green, Blue; Dominant Pieds; Recessive Pieds; Double Factor Spangles White and Yellow; Albinos and Lutinos. This year I have 37 breeding cabinets at my disposal so it promises to be a busy one LOL! I breed in my garage which has brick walls and is East facing. Six weeks ago I began by giving it a spring clean and every week end since my handy hubby has been making adjustments and maintenance to the Holding cabinets and Bbreeding cabinets - not a wobbly perch or loose cage front to be seen! Ten days ago we caught every single budgie and I judged them in classes to select the top breeding birds and they went straight into 12 Holding cages (per class/variety) for 2 weeks. During this time I have conditioned all the birds to the sound of the vacuum cleaner and their new feeding regime. Happily some of them have paired up already so it makes selection all that easier. This week end I put them down. Now I am very lazy when it comes to photos but will happuly oblige if someone wants to see something in specific, say my top pairings .... but I ain't taking photos of all 80 birds!!!!

I don't think you have to worry about him losing the toe. It looks bruised but not infected so the injury should heal up within the next week.

Ummm. I don't think you have grasped the real meaning of quarantining new birds. It means keeping the new bird well away from your existing birds for a period of 4 weeks ... Here's some reading for you: Why we should quarantine http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....showtopic=22067 Quarantine Practises for Everyone http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....showtopic=18548

Surely if the main benefit to Raspberry cordial is citric acid then you'd do just as well if you gave your budgies cut citrus fruit to pick at? I know quite a few breeders who give quartered lemons to their budgies and I myself am a great believer in giving a couple of Rob Marshall products on and off in their water that raise its acidity and keeps Megabacteria at bay ... Just a thought ...

I think your right as they also breed pieds, can this be fixed with a good hen with a iris rings? Thanks Yes, I would try that and then wait and see how the chicks turn out. I agree with Kaz that you will only really know whether it is a fluke or an inherited trait through your breeding results. Best of Luck!

Hear, Hear!

Yeah, I was wondering about that too Splat. For some reason I thought it would have been included this year ... but no!

Thank You Daryl for the photos and update on you Nationals experience! Very Much Appreciated!

I dunno GB if the ring code is such a give-away. I have stewarded on numerous occassions and not once have I seen a judge look at a bird's ring. On the contrary if there is a question about the bird's owner then the judge asks that the Show Secretary check the records via the show cage number.

Wasn't it your gorgeous Dommie Pied, Jeff?Funny that the 3 birds DQ for 3 toes forward are all National Judges! I know my bird does it when he has a Judges head or photographer at the end of his beak. I suppose he was just not meant for the big stage. LOL But still on the same subject, I'd like to know what causes the 3 toes forward. Is it something that happens in the nest, or when ringing ... ? :hap: I personally haven't had one myself yet. I'm wondering whether it is a deformity caused by an accident or an indication that the bird is unsteady on the perch ... ?

Wasn't it your gorgeous Dommie Pied, Jeff?

Yes she has Renee's (hens) feather and her dad's posture, but she is a dumb as a brick that fell off the back of a truck, hence why we call her Dopey - Hopeful she will have enough sense to mate with the cock i have for her and then lay eggs in a box Well dopey is a much more desirable trait in a hen than flighty, best of luck with her!

in which class renee ? Henry George's bird in Class 10 Cinnamonwing and the Campbell bird in Class 12 Opaline

Can anyone tell me why the Henry George and Campbell birds from SE Queensland were disqualified?

She does look like Renee but I think she has better deportment and stands better on the perch.

Congratulations Liv in placing 12th!

I put 2 in, a Clearwing hen and Rec Pied cock bird, both placed 3rd and made WA State team. Yipee!

This Sunday the WA Budgie fraternity will converge on the Coodanup Community Center Hall for the National Selections. People you have not seen for months on end will be there and it is a great opportunity to catch up for a natter. At the same time it is an opportunity to see the best of what WA has in the way of Exhibition Budgies. I will be there, possibly helping out as Show Secretary, with a couple of my top birds from my aviary. Last year I bred far beter Blue rungers as it took a while for my pairs to "click" and produce the rippers but I do have a very nice Clearwing I hope will make this year's State team and a possible 'other'. For the uninitiated, birds with Red Rings - ie. 09 bred between January 1st and August 31st - are eligible. So how is it going over East? Is any one else putting up birds this week end?

Well done on your albino purchases! You have bought potential in the first 2 which is the sign of a smart and confident buyer! Cec and Brenda are reknowned for their National winning albinos so you just cannot go wrong. Dave is quite right, the red ringer is a very nice bird.