renee

Single mother ... you mean no cock bird to feed her or help with feeding? Oh my deary dear that is a lot of chicks to take care of. How often are you topping up the little ones and is she holding her own condition okay? Mind you if she's anything like her mother (RIP Omelette) this won't phase her However, I have been finding that it is between week 3-4+ that the food requirements really increases, much more so than in the little chickies up until that age ie, 14 days.

Isn't it funny how you can get such different chicks in one nest. In my DF Lute nest I have a Lute and an Albino chick. I knew the Dad was split Blue but I didn't know the hen was too. But that's not what I am talking about. They are at the 2 weeks mark and there is only a day between them. Take a look You can see where the hen was starting to get stuck in before I removed her Hard to believe but the Lute chick at 15 days weighs 41grams and the Albino chick at 14 days weighs just 29grams! It is way too early to speculate whether the Lute chick will amount to anything but the signs are good.

Yes indeed Dave! I am very happy I have to say that just lately everything is going well and I'm out of the woods for now. Thank you Taylor Yes he is showing promise but there is a long way to go yet - he needs to fledge and then get along well in the outside aviary so there is a few months to go yet .... As for breeding, that is a decision I will make next year based on his development. I have had a bird peak at 4 months and not grow any more after that, though I am hoping that will not happen with this little one. Fingers Crossed!

Well today I'm a bit late with my update... Every second day I am weighing my chicks to check on their development and this afternoon was weighing time. I started off as normal with Medusa's nest of fosters and I was very worried to see that they had all lost weight, quite a bit actually. So I moved on to the Light Green Spangle nest and to my mounting concern, they too were underweight. At this point I took a break and then finally it dawned on me - my electronic scales were out! What a relief A couple of hours later and new scales and I am happy to say all is good in budgieland Here are some photos I took today- First of all my little Green Dommie Pied split Lute possibly split Cinnamon chick that I hand reared for about a week. Today is his 1 month birthday and he is weighing 70g. I am quite happy with him, he looks like he will have a nice long mask and I think he will be a long bird, big even - maybe. When he's out of the nest box and can perch I'll take another photo of him for comparison. Next is a photo of Medusa's nest of fosters. Remember how they were all scalped? They have recovered quite well. The DF Yellow Spangle cock is the youngest from the LGSpangle nest, his sisters are huge so he has obviously missed out on the big gene. Then there is Medusa's chick, a Recessive Pied, a cock I think. The little Opaline Sky carrying Violet hen is from the Violet split Opaline nest. And then there is a Green Dommie Pied Cinnamon chick from the Grey Dommie Pied nest which is obviously a foster that has been fostered and I need to do some detective work to work out where it's originally from. And here is the little Green split Blue chick that was almost completely flattened when I noticed and quickly fostered him into the RP/RP nest. The first day all he did was lie on his back but day by day he has recovered and now he doesn't have any splayed legs any more.

I'm not sure what you were reading but this is it: http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=27620

Well in my case no news is good news! Both little foster chicks are being fed and I waited for the little one that was born today to be fed before putting it in with its siblings. That makes the 3 youngest in Magic's nest and the Green mother hen taking care of the 3 eldest. Actually it was quite sweet to watch and listen to Magic and his partner discover the 2 little ones this morning. I hung around to intervene if needed but thankfully that wasn't necessary. Magic was the first to hear the peeping coming from inside the nest box and he was in like a flash clucking away and before long he emerged to escort his bewildered hen inside! It was so cute I could have chosen from quite a few pairs (unfortunately!) but the reason I chose these 2 as fosters is that they are underneath another nest of chicks, it really doesn't look like she will lay again and Magic is such a hands on cock bird I feel confident with him in charge. In other musings, I have come to the conclusion that I am just not that keen on chicks between the age of 10-25 days. I think they are so cute when they are born but I rather go off them until they are almost completely feathered up. Dunno why. They just look so scrawny and I fret over their development and stress that they won't amount to anything. Well funnily enough now that more and more chicks are getting to that stage I am falling in love with them. Today I tried to take some photos but it didn't work .... maybe when they have fledged and are a bit older.

No taylor they are different varieties altogether. Keep reading and re-reading the YF Symposium

This sounds like a good idea GB. What is causing the damp to rise? I personally wouldn't worry about the silicone and just go ahead and use it. In the latest aviary we built we laid a base of sand about 20cm deep, levelled it, placed the cement pavers and cemented in between them so there were no gaps. Then we sprinkled Garden Lime (not builders) over the pavers and laid sand about 2-3 inches thick. We've never had an issue with illness and maintenance is a 6 monthly affair. Under the perches we have put a metal grid so that the birds cannot get to the droppings so easily. Also we have pegged clear plastic to the base of the aviary so that when it rains the spill off doesn't splash into the aviary.

Well I sympathise with you corzstunt as you obviously would like to be helpful and express your support and in this case it is really hard which is why no one has actually posted so far with any positive suggestions GB I do wish I could help too but those of us who would happily lend you a hand don't live anywhere near you and as you point out yourself you don't have anyone nearby to assist either and you have issues of your own which make physical work difficult. So I'm sorry sweetheart I wish you well and when you can identify how and what help you need and then how to get it, then maybe you will be able to solve this conundrum yourself - 'cause I don't see how anyone else can do it for you.

Well another chickie arrived today to the Cobalt Dommie Pied and Green hen today - that is the 6th! Actually 2 arrived on Sunday, one was there in the morning and another hatched in the afternoon but I have recorded them as arriving on Saturday and then Sunday. I'm doing this to save myself a future headache as I know that sometime in the future I will decide that I have made a mistake and made the entry twice I have fostered the 4th and 5th chicks to Magic and his Normal Grey hen. She is the one that passed the dodgy calcified egg and then recovered and went on to lay another .... just one more - and infertile. She is still in condition and Magic has been doing his utmost but I do think her laying days are over. But maybe she will be an excellent foster mum - we will see.

Excellent photos Dave! Your chickies look really good too

Welcome to the forum Pooey bottoms is very normal in young chickies. I do clean them, in my experience the hen never does. This is another reason I put Fussy Cat Litter in my nest box because it keeps the chickies so much cleaner as the poo sticks to it and not the chicks.

Gorgeous little chickies! And you may think you are not so organised but I really admire how you can list a pairing and then all the chicks with DOBs ... my chicks are all over the place and while technically I know where they all are it will take me a year and a day to put it all together like you have!

Okay Jetsbudgies, I will level with you. The first year I had budgies, just about the time I discovered Show Budgies, I had a gabled patio aviary with a lovely Cobalt cock and 2 hens. I had already discovered he was a serial flirt and could never settle with one partner so I put the 3 of them in on their own with a double nest box. All 3 raised a number of chicks (about 3 or 4 per nest) and there was no conflict or any problems. This example is the exception to the rule which is why so many people on here are advising you against it. I am not saying it is not possible, but it in your case with 3 hens, it is not advisable.

Yes it is. But I do agree with GB that sometimes it is better for them to go sooner rather than later. Inherently weak chicks usually go on to be inherently weak adults- always the first to go down with something, always being propped up by heat treatment and antibiotics. You don't really want them in your stud and it is unwise to breed with them as they will inevitably pass on this weakness to their own chicks.

I'm sorry he didn't make it Splat. I've just lost a little one too and it is so sad.

Sad news today in that the little Grey Normal Hen I was hand rearing passed away late last night. She was originally from the Cobalt & Sky nest and based on her development (feather wise not body weight wise) I am pretty confident that she was the daughter to the Grey Normal cock and Albino hen born Saturday 10/09, ring no SWBC 039. She was kicked out of 3 nests, once I witnessed by other chicks, before I brought her in and going by her stunted growth I would say she was ill with something or another. But in good news all parents lifted their game last night and top ups were minimal, alas I cannot say the same for this morning. And I am headed out to the Breeding Room again now with crop needle and formula to fill up their little crops.

Well today is Sunday so it's time for End of Week 7 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. Green/Blue thur Dommie Pied Cobalt & Sky Fri rejected by hen : died Dommie Pied Cobalt & Green Tue Wed Thur Sat Sun Dommie Pied Greys split Blue Sat Very pink. Sun Very pink. Mon Very pink Thurs Very pink.Fostered to Medusa's nest Lutes Mon Dommie Pied Green split Lute Tue Assisted hatching (not quite sure where this one is) Fri DF Lute rejected by hen : died Tue DF Lute Wed DF Lute Recessive Pieds Sat Green split RP. Fostered to Cobalt & Sky's nest Mon Green split RP. Fostered to Violet split Opaline's nest Thurs DF RP Sun 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. Fostered to Violet split Opaline's nest Wed Fri Mon Wed Spangles / DF? Green series Fri Very pink. Fostered to Medusa's nest Sat Very pink. Mon Very pink Tue Very pink Fri Mon fostered to DP Cobalt - attacked Mon Thur So just 5 chicks hatched this week to the Cobalt Dommie Pied and Green hen. I really should get a bit more organised with sorting out who is who, I know .... some day soon I will. Also today I did an Egg Check, details of the new nest of fertile eggs as follows - 09 Green Normal cock to 08 Green Normal hen: 5 Eggs / 2 Fertile I am so hoping for chicks from these two. My other 2 pairs of Normal Greens are doing nothing but producing infertile eggs and I really, really want some DF Greens from this line. I will check again on or around Tuesday 18th October.

Another chickie arrived today to the Cobalt DP & Green hen, the 4th so far. All good with everyone else but I continue to do morning and night crop feeds for those chicks that I feel need it. Not so good news for the little one I brought indoors yesterday. I am starting to see why it had been kicked out of the nest a few times before - I don't think it is very well. It seems to do a lot of gasping and its little squawks are a bit honky. I got up at 5am to feed it and I'm waiting for its little crop to empty more before I give it a smidgen of Moxi T - I'm thinking it has pnuemonia.

I disagree Renee. There is an old saying that says "If you want something, you will make time for it". My restrictions are space, not time. So whilst I am sure that your comment above was genuine, the "less is more" argument in my case is utter rubbish. Sorry. That is just the way it is here. Oh no no no no nooooooo. This is what happens when I am flippant. I am so sorry you took what I said so seriously Dave.

Really Dave you can only have as many Breeding Cabinets as you have time to look after everyone. And you lead a very full and busy life so I think perhaps less is more in your case

That sucks. What is your diagnosis and what are you treating him with?

Time for today's update I've just finished topping up my formerly hand reared chick, the Dommie Pied split Lute possibly split Cinnamon chick. He is the eldest of all and he is doing okay but hasn't put on much weight since I fostered him into the LightGreen nest. Also topped up the Violet split Opaline nest of 4. Fortunately everyone else is fine. The little Green split Blue chickie that had almost been flattened by its mother hen has made a 90% recovery. Yay! It is now walking around as normal (no more splayed legs) but it is still a bit underweight. I am pretty confident it will come good over the next few weeks. However, I have had a bit of drama with the little chick I brought in today to hand rear. I have it in the Hospital Cage in a nest box but the little one managed to get out of it and when I caught it it was severely dehydrated and too hot. Any way I gave it some water and opened the Hospital cage up to help with the air circulation. Well I hadn't turned my back for long when I heard this squawking and there it was out of the nest box again, out of the Hospital Cage and strutting about on the floor! Just as well my cat wasn't indoors at that moment otherwise it would have been Bye Bye chickie babe! In other news I have been having a look at all my chickies and I am happy to say there seems to be far more hens than cocks (again!) I'm convinced it has something to do with breeding at this time of year - or maybe it is my set up - any way I have always bred more cocks than hens in Autumn and more hens than cocks in Spring. But I'm no expert! So when they feather up some more I'll begin to post photos.

Yes, that's what the bloke at City Farmers said. Well I was ******** myself for a couple of days last week over the millet sprays. They didn't look mouldy but they were obviously very stale. And more and more I am coming to the conclusion that this is a real factor as to why my little ones are not growing the way they should. Just today I have brought in another little one that is being rejected by all and sundry no matter which nest I try to foster her to. And the 4 chicks in the Violet split Opaline nest, they are obviously not being fed enough as their little crops are hardly developed, so I am topping up those as well. Just out of curiosity, Exactly how important is the first 30 days in the nest with regards to overall growth? With only a few exceptions I feel I am breeding Pet Shop birds this season. I know the genetics is there but the evidently the nutrition ain't. Will they catch up once they've fledged?

Thank Splat and GB for sharing that. I noticed over the summer that the hulled oats I was getting for the soft food was not the best but I was having such a hard time getting any at all I grinned and bore it. Then last week end I ran out of millet sprays so I asked hubby to pop down to City Farmers and get me a bag. They were so dark brown I went straight back earlier in the week and complained. "Look", I said, "you're charging me a fortune for this millet sprays and they should be in the rubbish bin". And I was told that was the best they could do .... Fortunately I was able to stock up a few days later with a much better quality. But it fricken pisses me off. I was so looking forward to this breeding season. All my best birds are in the prime of their lives and I was looking forward to really improving my stud and taking the next step forwards. I put so much time and effort and planning into it it is just not funny.