renee

Great set up! Just a couple of questions- Feaher Dust build up: Do you have a whirley bird on the roof? or Does the cross breeze blow away feather dust? Floors: Did you have concrete floor? How do you go about cleaning the flights? Weekly scrubs? Lighting: What kind of lights do you have inside? Fluoros? Have you tried the Arcadia lighting? Breeding Area: Does it get any direct sunlight? In fact I suppose the aviary birds get direct sunlight from when you open the shutter, is that right?

:celebrate: Nana! Good to see you on here :celebrate:

Well I like the look of your birds! And the boss is correct, when you aviary breed many times one or two nest boxes is coveted by many hens so fights break out and all *** lets loose .... you may lose a bird or two, you are much more likely to have fertile eggs chucked out by competing hens or hens preventing the mother to feed her chicks ... and then the dead chicks get chucked out too. While the 'houses' you have made are delightful if you are to stand any chance of diminished bloodshed you should have double the amount of breeding nest boxes available per pair of breeding birds and they should be at the same height if possible. But Good Luck any way!

I have heard of a hen who mated in the aviary and laid the egg 10 days later!

The PERILS of budgie breeding!

okay I will give this one a go. When the hen is in condition and ready to 'go down' she will start dumping huge runny poos. This is because, unlike mamals, birds only have one hole for pooping and procreation so she needs to clear all the poop out before mating otherwise the sperm would die if it came in contact with it. Once she is clear she will usually mate right after having a dump. The sperm then travels up the OVIDUCT to the INFUNDIBULUM where it is fertilised. Over the next 3 hours the eggs is transferred to the MAGNUM, which is the largest part of the OVIDUCT and the albumen is formed. Then it travels down to the ISTHMUS where the inner part of the shell is formed over a period of 1-2 hours. Finally it travels down to the UTURUS where it remains for for 20-26 hours before it is laid. It varies from hen to hen but usually after she has lain a few she will then start to incubate the eggs, that is keep them warm, although she will continue to mate and lay further eggs while incubating. From the onset of incubation you should be able to see that the egg is fertile by about the 4th day, in so far that is you shine a direct light at the the egg you will see blood vessels beginning to form.

That's the spirit Pearce! Pictures are always welcome! And you will find cabinet breeding more predictable and easier to control and monitor.

Sounds good. Keep it up!

What brand is the professional pack? Don't you find a monthly regime of S76 does the trick also?

I knew it Renee hates taking photos ....she says she is no good at it and they all come out blurry. She would be good at it if she took her time, but Renee wants instant results. I told her she would have to take 50 to get a handful of good ones as we all do.........I do anyway No, it's not that I want instant results - although I am very impatient - rather that I expect my camera to take wonderful photos seeing as I have put it on the correct settings according to the manual .... but it doesn't , so you see it is THE CAMERA'S fault!

NO! Just the small ones with budgies on them. The bigger ones are Perpetual Trophies and need to be returned every year to the Club. You get your name and the year you won attached on a plaque.

Yes Jodie! That is definitely "come and hump me" behaviour Time to get your randy girls some boys to play with

Wow! I really like the last 2, what a mighty fine pairing!

So it's that time of year that I have to start giving back my trophies ..... I didn't have much competition last year but fortunately that's turned around this year.

Funny thing about this lighting.........research indicates it has to be really close to the cages for it to be effective. Fluorescent light will light up a whole birdroom enough. I am yet to be convinced that these expensive light globes that need replacing every six months and should be used closer to the cages than you use them are actually doing what they claim..........you may be convinced Renee, but it may be entirely other things you attribute to the globes that is affecting your breeding. Yes, it is true I am a convert But I get back to the wonderful article Daz posted about Don Burke's research into Vitamin D and the importance of direct sunlight for the absorption of it. Now my breeding room really doesn't get much sunlight in the winter so I feel comfortable providing the "bird friendly" artificial alternative. The flouro tubes are quite expensive but I look at it as an investment. Two years ago I bred 75 chicks, by the time I wrap up in November I will have easily bred double that amount this year. I suppose breeding my own hens has helped and of course I'm very happy with the health of my birds .... Incidentally I have recently switched from providing Calcivet as a liquid calcium suplement to Calcivite Plus which in addition to the calcium also contains Vitamin D3 and magnesium and doesn't contain all that added sugar content.

Over here in WA I have been promised my new rings on 1st September. Our Club secretary is amazing and posts them out so that we all get them on time.

I use Arcadia lighting, it's brilliant and means I can breed all over winter.

What a cool set up!

Yeah, it's a real shame but it does happen. I will be exploring whether it is due to a genetical predisposition in my Lute thread.

Lovely photos of your very fine birds GB!

Yes, you're doing really well Kaz! Please remind me of his parents?

You will know if she is eating by the shape and colour of her droppings. If she isn't they will be watery and sploshy, maybe a light green or yellow colour.

He, he, he .... don't tell me you're thinking of moving to a semi rural area with a much bigger back yard - to accommodate the many flights you will need and of course the state of the art Breeding Room you have been fantasizing about! That has been the dream for a little while. Not sure it would eventaute, but a man can dream right? Tine to mortgage your house!

Have to say I agree with GB here. When a bird has all the symptoms your girl has it's a case of booking her a visit to the vet's asap. Is there any reason why you haven't done this already?

He, he, he .... don't tell me you're thinking of moving to a semi rural area with a much bigger back yard - to accommodate the many flights you will need and of course the state of the art Breeding Room you have been fantasizing about!