renee

I think you would be aware too Renee that one of the top breeders over here, a Nationals breeder, ( who shall remain nameless ) has admitted on more than one occasion that he also shifts chicks about so much that he also loses track. Its the shIfting about so quickly with no written record and losing track that causes future surprises and missing splits not recorded to assist moving forward in breeding and this hobby. It wastes a lot of time and birds. And good on them for being so candid is what I say. I wish a few more people would put up their hands and admit that sometimes **** happens for whatever reason. Although admittedly this is a public forum ... just as well I don't take myself too seriously otherwise I'd be terribly hurt by any easy assumptions that could be drawn.

Well I have had a couple that I have looked at and said, "well where did you come from?!" ... a sea green spangle I bred this year comes to mind, I was expecting a DF White Spangle! I had I think 29 on the go last year and the hatching was staggered but as it happens I did have an unforseen bottle neck.

mmmmm. Well what if you can't move to a definite different variety? Many of our birds are split for something or another ... I guess everyone is super organized and never lose track.

Brittany your aviary is lovely and your budgies are really nice and I think almost all of them (with perhaps the exception of Sunny) do have a show quality. The challenge you face is that if you wanted to pair them up so that 2 budgies' genes mix together and make a more complete show budgie you will have to control the mating and pairing so that what you want to achieve actually happens. This is impossible to do in a colony breeding scenario. Remember even if you do decide to get some breeding cabinets and set them up in a breeding area, budgie sperm can last in the female for at least a week

Food colorant, that is a good tip I have had 30+ same aged chicks on the go at once ... any one out there with a similar experience who would like to share?

My problem is not so much the record keeping but keeping track! :wine I routinely have a couple of nest starting to hatch at the same time, minimum 2 but it has be known to reach 5 within a 7 day period, and because I move the chicks around all the time - a day old chick from a non-feeding maiden to a more experienced hen for a couple of days and then back to the original nest or another maiden AND I group all same age chicks together so they all fledge within days of each other, well I get very confused. Fortunately for me my hens don't, I do believe you can train them. I am wondering what other breeders who have a similar experience do?

I like that idea! My only concern would be about feather dust ... we keep the lawnmower in a corner of our garage/breeding room and have to routinely clean out the filter and such when the lawn starts growing again with the winter rains. Thank goodness that falls under the parameters of "man jobs"! :wine

All the time! Have you ever put something important in a 'safe place' and then not found it for years?

Not necessarily all chicks will be Dominant Pied, if paired to a hen carrying recessive variety genes then the Dommie Pied will 'dominate' but if you pair to a dominant variety, such as a Normal, then your odds are more 50:50. Who is Pat paired to?

What kind of snakes Ratzy? Teeny green grass snakes that like grasshoppers and insects or something that might find your budgies a tasty meal? Maybe it is time to let your Mum in on the secret and get them removed by a professional? How would you feel if they bit one of your other pets or even you?! :wine

Re-read the post. It was never aimed at you, it was a general statement. As much as it pains me I may have to start using the "aussie" 2nd Person Plural 'Yous' to avoid confusion - or not! Perhaps you will bear in mind that You 2nd Person Singular is also You 2nd Person Plural?

Look, when the chips are down I have no fear of a "fight" and I am none too subtle about how I feel. I try not to fight dirty and I do not recruit "allies". However, I understand that if you feel someone is picking on your friend you want to help them - it is a curiously "aussie" trait I have seen time and time again, believe me it is not universal. I am glad at least some of the birds I sent you are to your liking GB, I put a lot of time into choosing them for you. It is most regrettable that I thoughtlessly pulled a couple of them out of breeder boxes before sending them off to you, I have brain flits is all I am prepared to say about that. The silver lining to that is that I will never make that mistake again. I will not be mixing my Rec Pied line with my Dommie Pied line, they have different bloodlines.

If you ever do decide to breed Show budgies remember that you buy the bird, not the breeder

No worries! I am under no illusions but I am hopeful for their development.

Peeping to a minimum, right?

Once I cement the look I know they are carrying, and I reckon it will take a couple of generations, at this point they are slated to go back to my Dommie Pied line and the very best will go into one of my specialist varieties, like my Greywings, that is if I persevere with the latter. :laughter:

Actually these birds especially the Blue boys will be at their best come June I reckon ... they really are very young!

When I win Lotto I am going to have a set up like yours! :laughter:

Oh I totally agree Julie. They have much better feather than you can see from these photos but a brother to the Rec Pied is slated for a gorgeous wide headed Greygreen girl for splits and I have another ripsnorter of a Spangle split Rec Pied for another of the sisters. Then all things equal they come back on each other in 2012. :laughter: As for the Blue boys, well really they are way too young yet but I will not be surprised when over the next 6 months they fill out and broarden.

I think I need to come over to your house and teach you how to take pictures that arent fuzzy and arent rushed. So we can actually see your birds at their best. A that time I will also bring your other camera and mine and we can do a post on your birds for BBC.Forgive me but it cannot be for a few more days. My sis in law is arriving for urgent medical tests and we will be busy. Yes, I am **** at taking good photos. :laughter: Don't worry about when, I still owe you lunch for your birthday and that is now some weeks ago. Forget it, I dealt with that when the 'new' buyer approached me. Problem solvered.

Cool!

For someone to do this Renee, you would have had to tell them where you offload your birds. To tell them where you offload your birds you would have had to talk to them face to face in the first place wouldnt you ? Another show breeder would NOT go looking in a petshop for birds when they have so many contacts through the clubs they are in and access to auctions etc AND they pay higher prices at a petshop anyway and dont get any breeding details just the same. Better to go direct to a breeder for both a better price and details of the bird I say. and what is the "horrid surprise" ? Any bird I have that has faults or will not or cannot breed would not be onsold. Pull the other one Kaz, it has bells on it And just to clarify to en earlier edit you posted, NO at the 2008 Christmas MBC written auction Liv did not purchase any of my birds, you see I would remember her giving me any money for birds. Plus she has a charming habit of keeping the breeders of her birds up to date with progress reports and while we have all heard in length about Renee and how almost 50% of her chicks produced Feather Dusters when paired to a Rob Dunstan cock, otherwise there has not been even a chirp. :laughter: So codswallop and moonshine to that theory. For now it is a new day and I have moved on from that initial statement and in the process explained why I felt the way I did yesterday. What do you think about my birds, eh?!

Fertile eggs only start to develop once the hen starts incubating the eggs, ie. sitting or brood behaviour, they need they constant warmth to do so. :laughter:

I am so sorry that your little Buzby passed away :laughter: Your tender loving care extended his life and he was very lucky to have you