renee

So sorry to hear he didn't pull through. It's so sad to lose a bird ....

That's just brilliant Kaz. Congratulations!

okay thanks Kaz. I haven't seen any wrigglies thank god and I'm hoping the bug zapper is doing its job. I too am a bit hesitant about the spray which why I thought I'd put it to the forum to see if anyone else has used anything. Does this mean you're back to newspaper on trays with the weekly change?

Hi there! I use deep litter in my breeding cabinets but the big drawback I've got is that in a few cabinets I'm getting fodder mites. You might have seen them, the main indicator that you've got them is when you lift up the seed container there's seeds caught underneath in a spidery configuration. They're not fatal or anything but they can the PH in your budgies crop if ingested which can lead to a higher risk of fungal/bacterial infections. Now I've read that you can use pyrethrum sprays but I don't know what those are. Can anyone help me out? Does anyone add anything to their seed to prevent proliferation of mites, etc.?

okay, so here's the update. Olive oil to the beak does seem to help but is by no means a cure. I don't know about the lincospectrum. I've given the foster parents the treatment but I don't know how long you're supposed to give it to them... I tried a drop of it to the beak of the chicks too and so far here's the statistics. 12 chicks moved around 3 nests. In one nest the transferred chicks repeatedly turned pale, I kept on moving them, suspecting the hen as being a transferer, and sure enough the chicks regained health after a couple of days with the other hens. The critical period seems to be day 4-6. Of the 4 chicks left the suspect hen during that critical period 3 have died. I've decided not to use that hen again this season. I have redistributed the 9 chicks with the 2 good hens.

Some breeders swear that it comes down to humidity, or more to the point lack of it. Has it been dry the past 10 days where you are? I also think that some hens have a tendency to sit too tight on the eggs. A good mum will put aside an eggs that is about to hatch and many hens assist with the hatching process. But some hens are just too inexperienced and haven't figured it out yet. Is the hen in question a maiden hen?

Yes, that's my understanding too. I think you were able to import in the 90's, and many people did, but you can't anymore. Though I have heard some budgie fanatics whisper that they'd like to bring back fertile eggs in the underwear! Don't know if anyone's actually done it though ....

There are quite a few products on the market for treating worms. Personally I use GT Wormer and S76. The important thing to remember is to treat all of your flock before you embark upon breeding. I breed over winter so my budgies are on 'holiday' from Jan-March and this is when I treat them. A tip for beginners, don't give them any water in the day previous to treatment. Don't worry, your budgies won't die, they are desert birds and can survive quite well without a day's drink! It will, however, encourage them to sup up the treated water. I've also been told that gum leaves are a natural 'cure/preventative' and adding Raspberry cordial to the water also does the trick.

No, it's not vitamin B12. I will check the name, maybe it was B2. okay, I take it all back. It is Vitamin B12, otherwise known as CYANOCOBALAMIN. Kaz, I sourced it from Rural West in Welshpool, Tel No 9472-3488. 100g is $30.00. Dosage rates, well I've been told to add just a bit to turn the water pink but the official line is 10,000mg/kilo.

No, it's not vitamin B12. I will check the name, maybe it was B2.

I don't know about the other states but over here in the West we've had a spate of bird thefts where someone has jumped the back fence and hoofed off with a number of very valuable budgies. It's absolutely heartbreaking but in most cases there's little the police can do and unless you catch the ******* in the act and make a citizens arrest .... well you're left to drown your sorrows. However, while little you can do to get the birds back (most times the rings are cut off which makes identification very hard) you can insure. To date every Home & Contents insurer I've contacted won't do it but there's a company in Victoria that will, I think they're called Remmingtons, Tel No: 03 5331-7341. Every bird is unique but if you do suffer the misfortune of having it taken and it is insured at least you can return to it's providence and try and get another.

I've recently been recommended by another breeder a product called B12, I do hope I've got it right. Apparently you can get it from Stock Providers as it's used in the breeding of other livestock. It's a pink coloured powder which is added to the water of your breeding pairs. What it does is stimulate the blood flow to the genital area and bond with the calcium to assist in healthy egg laying. Has anyone else heard of this? Had any experience?

Yes, I think it's passed on from the hen. I'm 'training' 2 hens to be foster mothers. The pale chicks are occurring in one nest but when I switch the chicks around the affected ones are immediately fed and after a couple of days they regain a bit of the colour, but then after a few days the transferred chicks become affected. I've started both nests on a course of lincospectrum and will let you know the results.

I'm having a good breeding season this year but up until now have lost some chicks at 3-7 days old. At about 2 days old they lose their pink colour and turn a pale, white, pastie colour. Within a couple of days they die because the hen has stopped feeding them. However, after doing a it of research I've learnt that the reason they change colour is due to an infection in the liver which can be treated in 2 ways- a. Daniel Lutoff from Switzerland advises to give the chicks in question a drop of olive oil to the beak, and the colour will return. b. Gerald Binks recommends a course of lincospectrum to the parents, which will in turn be passed to the chicks. Does anyone else have experience with this?

It's very specific. The outside is black, including the front; the inside is white. We got the best results with high gloss paint. Perches are not to be painted. Try contacting a new-found friend from your club and ask them if you can visit their aviary, while you're there ask them to look at a show cage. In all honesty Neat, if you're just looking to get one or two it's worth paying up to $35.00 for a good show cage. We wanted to upgrade last year and ordered 10 in kit form simply because WA was hosting the Nationals and NOBODY had any for sale. We paid $22.50 per kit form show cage but by the time you add on the cost of the paint and the many, many hours my hubby spent putting them together .... I think $30 is a bargain.

The average price for a show cage is $30.00. Make sure they're in tip top condition as you can be penalised at a show for presenting budgies in "marked cages". You can also buy them in kit form from Brian Page, tel no:03 5428 1334.

Its all about encouraging new members and novices. A lot of clubs are experiencing dwindling numbers and they are trying to encourage the new generation of show budgie breeders. This is one way to get novices interested and keen My club, the SWBC, regularly holds a raffle whereby all members buy $2 tickets and a quality young un is raffled off. I remember at my very first meeting I won a violet from Cec Gearing stock! It's a way to encourage new members and get quality birds for members who cannot afford to source their birds from the Eastern States.

Don't rush yet! I was at my club's meeting yesterday and mentioned tail bobbing and was told that while it is a sign of respiratory distress it can also indicate that the hen is ready to go down/lay eggs. The best thing you can do is pick her up and listen to her breathing. If she seems like it is hard to do and she is wheezing, then by all means take her indoors to a warm environment and treat as a sick bird.

And you think it's easy looking this good?

Vitamin drops such as soluvet plus: Yes, If left will produce nasty bacteria. You need to sterilise the drinkers and only give your budgies it in the water for max 2 days.

Pardon me Renee, I'm a little curious. Budgies have 9 air sacs and they are inside their bodies in various places. I was wondering how you worked out they were inflamed? Also note the air sacs are directly related to the lungs so something that has affected the lungs first could have easily spread to the air sacs. edit - I'm so tired.. accidentally put the wrong number in. He is so puffed up. I thought at first it was his crop but then I took another look at the budgie anatomy and realised it's his air sacs. Combined with the wheezing it all adds up.

No worries! I didn't even think that ....

I'll have a look tomorrow. Haven't got the whole digital camera-pc-photobucket thing set up yet so ... no photos.

Always on the look out for rat & mouse extermination devices I rushed down to Bunnings and bought 3 .... put the peanut butter in .... but no result. I'm delighted and disappointed at the same time!

I got the bases from my local budgie club and bought some chutney jars from Coles that fit the rim. Check with your local club first, if they don't have them I can give you contact details of my club secretary who could post them to you.