renee

Exactly! It's a real trick for beginners and had I not spent 30 mins with the Arcadia Rep at the Nationals I would have also assumed that.

No, they are definitely NOT the ones used for reptiles. I first tried to source them from my local Aquarium/reptile store and when I started looking at the spectrum analysis of the different tubes it became very apparent that the Full Spectrum for Birds is DIFFRERENT from that used for reptiles, fish, etc. I have thrown out the tube coverings with the spectrum analysis so I can't post a photo but because it's not the same I then had to drive *** and gone to Wattle Grove to get the special Bird fluoros.

I got mine from Wattle Grove Pet Store ... Birds and something. I paid $56 per tube and I rigged up 3 for my breeding room. I think it's about 4m wide by say 10m. You can get the fluoro fittings from Bunnings for about $30 each. Yes, it was a major investment at the time but one I do not regret in the slightest.

Yep, hello, glad to add my two bobs worth. I installed arcadia lighting after the Nationals in June I think. I run it from 7am to 8pm. The birds absolutely love it and my breeding season has been a resounding success, over 115 babies and counting. The clearest indicator of its success is that I had a couple of ino pairs that I had put down in May and because of the position of them in the breeding room they weren't getting as much as natural sunlight and of course with the onset of winter it was gradually getting less and less. Needless to say they weren't doing much and I was considering pulling them and trying later on in the season however, within a week of the arcadia lighting being connected both pairs went down and I have had 2 rounds out of them. So, yes I totally recommend it and I have contact with another breeder here in Perth who has had similar success. With regards to the article above.... Who in their right mind would keep lighting on longer than spring/summer daylight hours????? And who would leave their birds in the dark for extended periods???? I appreciate that these 'test' results are interesting and I was familiar with the topic but really lets keep it simple. DON'T subject your birds to unnatural surroundings. DON'T feed them anything that is far off their 'natural' diet.

I have been doing a lot of research into feeding regimes, and how to supplement protein into the diet of the modern exhibition budgerigar. I've spoken to some prominent fanciers, and I haven't found anyone who disagrees that the shape, feather and size of the modern bird demands a higher level of protein than ever before. I know that there is a lot of hype about wheatgrass in humans. I read through Wikipedia online, and it states that Schnabel, an agricultural chemist, conducted his first experiments with young grasses in 1930, when he used fresh cut grass in an attempt to nurse dying hens back to health. The hens not only recovered, but they produced eggs at a higher rate than healthy hens. Encouraged by his results, he began drying and powdering grass for his family and neighbors to supplement their diets. The following year, Schnabel reproduced his experiment and achieved the same results. Hens consuming rations supplemented with grass doubled their egg production. It also states that one of the most popular claims about wheatgrass, and one that is frequently made by both supporters and retailers, is that 1 ounce of wheatgrass juice is as nutritionally valuable as 2.2 lbs (1 kg) of green vegetables, a ratio of 1:33. Wikipedia states that a comparison of currently available vitamin and mineral data on dried wheatgrass and fresh vegetables support Schnabel's claim – that the vitamin and mineral content of dried grass is equivalent to roughly 20 times that of fresh vegetables. The information is below; Nutrient Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Juice) Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Powder) Broccoli 350 lbs Protein Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Juice) 192 gm Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Powder) 3,840 gm Broccoli 350 lbs 4,501 gm Beta carotene Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Juice) 28,800 IU Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Powder) 576,000 IU Broccoli 350 lbs 994,308 IU Vitamin E Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Juice) 211 gm Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Powder) 4,224 gm Broccoli 350 lbs 1,400 gm Vitamin C Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Juice) 240 gm Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Powder) 4,800 gm Broccoli 350 lbs 142,450 gm Vitamin B12 Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Juice) 192 mcg Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Powder) 3,840 mcg Broccoli 350 lbs 0 mcg Phosphorus Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Juice) 5040 gm Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Powder) 100,800 gm Broccoli 350 lbs 105,350 gm Magnesium Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Juice) 1,920 gm Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Powder) 38,400 gm Broccoli 350 lbs 33,600 gm Calcium Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Juice) 1,728 gm Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Powder) 34,560 gm Broccoli 350 lbs 74,900 gm Iron Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Juice) 158 gm Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Powder) 3,168 gm Broccoli 350 lbs 1,050 gm Potassium Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Juice) 10,080 mg Wheatgrass 15 lbs (Powder) 201,600 mg Broccoli 350 lbs 504,350 mg ................................................................................ ...................................................... I intend to add it to the softfood mix I give my budgies every day. Interestingly it was Gary Armstrong who raised the benefits of wheatgrass to me a couple of months ago. However, it wasn't until I read this post with all the facts that I was spurred into action.

Try boosting the iodine levels in their water: 4 drops per litre for 5 days.

My adult birds are supplied with cuttle bones, iodine blocks and dishes of beach sand, which they like! The babies don't get the beach sand because they might go silly on it and get impacted crops. I don't give my young uns milk soaked bread - yet, so far they're doing very well with the soft food I provide.

Summer, if you mean by tail poof that he drops his tail: Don't worry! Some birds do and it is definitely NOT a sign of illness.

Excellent article Elly! Answers my unasked question in the other topic: How do you get rid of the dirty markings in the Clearwing.... Put it to a dilute!

Thank you very much Lochlan, that helps very much with dilute/greywing distinction. Thank you Kaz for bumping the other topic. Quote from Daz from other post Grey Wing. The spots should be grey. Body colur approaching full intensity. Marking should be mild grey Eyes black with irus ring Cheek patches Violet Tail grey Tail Quill V/blue This description is very helpful. does anyone have one like this for the Clearwing? My next question is, IS the first bird a Clearwing????? or Greywing? I think his spots are not filled in grey but circular like a spangles' except instead of being black they're grey. (sorry that sounds confusing)

Good news that you got her to the vet in time! Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be fine, she's in good hands

Neville, your clearwing looks a lot more like a clearwing than mine! But I don't know why ....

okay, managed to get some photos - apologies for the image quality 1. Clearwing - always judged as Clearwing Front view Back view 2. Grey Greywing - sometimes put into Dilute category 3. Violet Dilute - sometimes put into Greywing category

okay, so I am hoping someone will tell me the difference - and if you have photos to illustrate the points you are making, all the better! Here's the proviso, a. many times on the show bench I've seen Clearwings that are not clear at all but have markings yet at the same time have been told by 'the oldtimers' that unmarked clearwings are a thing of the past, that nowadays most clearwings have markings .... b. I have put a greywing into show and some times it has been judged as such and yet the next show another show manager will move the same bird into the dilute category.... SO, if the difference in wing markings is oh so very slight are there other markers such as cheeck patches or the like to distinguish Clearwings, Greywings and Dilutes?

Sorry, no can do. It must've been one of Peg's and I've given them all back.

Of course, they can't be split because they're DOMINANT!!!! I told you I was **** at genetics, LOL So this bird I was talking about, Looks like a Normal Green but the dot at the back of it's head indicates that it's split for RECESSIVE! I am I right?

What about the spot on the back of the head? Would anyone like to tackle that one? Now I am sure that on the MBC forum something was said about this and from what I remember the splits of both Rec & Domi Pieds can have head spots but the Rec Pieds were much smaller. For ex., I have a normal green with a 5c spot on the back of its head and I was under the impression that it was split for Domi Pied. Mind you at that time I did ask the MBC membership to explain this to me and nobody did .....

By the wing markings I mean the pattern of the colour over upper wings not flights....even though it is pale it IS the colour pattern and shape of dominant pied. Aha, now you have pointed it out it does seem obvious!

Wing marking? What do you mean? At first glance I thought they looked like lacewing markings or maybe greywing? But with the absence of body markings, doesn't the spot on the back of the head indicate that it's SPLIT? You are confusing split recessive pied here when this is a dominant pied.Well I thought the splits both could have back head markings, although Dom Pied spots are bigger.

But with the absence of body markings, doesn't the spot on the back of the head indicate that it's SPLIT?

Lookin' Good! You can tell they're going to have good feather quality.

Ummmmm..... How come? Please elaborate.

You know missylu I hate to say this but breeding is fraught with perils and the saying don't count your chickens ... should read Don't count your budgies till they have hatched, survived the nest box dangers till fledgling and have been happily sat in your outside aviary for at least 5 months! This is why when you have a good hen she is worth her weight in gold and even then you can't rely on her round in round out because after the first round some hens decide that they don't want be good mothers any more!!!! :hap: It is also why auctions sell far more cock birds than hens and even then you have to ask yourself WHY those hens are being sold.... I hate losing birds but try as I might I still do. Just in the past 2 days I have lost 4 chicks because a couple of the foster mothers decided she didn't want to feed that chick.

What colour were the babies? pasty white?

Bumping the topic for MBC forum viewers.