chrissy0705

That's very responsible of you JB... not to brave it alone until you're ready. Good for you.

Just wondering on the price question of how much should you pay for a bird? You seem to be saying about $50 if you are just starting off. Does anyone know what the price would be here in the US? What is $50 (AU) equal to in the US?

Here is a picture I took with the flash on... (you are right all the other pics were taken with incandescent light)... the chick right in the middle is one that you and I think we see yellow on the head and the chick with it's head burried on the far left is the other one... maybe you can tell from this picture?? I will have to see if I can retake the pics tomorrow in the natural sunlight by the window or something.... or find a lamp with a flourescent bulb instead?

With a ton of help from RIP and many others, I think we have most of the mutations of my 2 new clutches in the works. I took new pics today and here's what we got. If anyone can add imput on the sexes or mutations, please let me know... I'm not sure if I even have the names stated properly, if not can someone correct me please? These chicks came from 2 pair: Opaline Mauve Hen Single Factor Goldenface Full Body Colored Greywing Sky Blue Split for Albino and Recessive Pied Cock and Single Factore Dominant Pied Light Green Hen Opaline Split for Lutino Dark Green Cock Chick # 1 - Single Factor Goldenface Split for Ino and Greywing or Clearwing Cobalt ?? (Don't know sex?) Chick # 2 - Normal Split for Opaline Dark Green Cock?? Chick # 3 - Lutino Masking Opaline and Dominate Pied Light or Dark Green Hen?? Chick #4 - Albino Split Greywing or Clearwing Cobalt Hen?? Chick # 5 - Normal Split for Greywing or Clearwing Cobalt?? Chick # 6 - Normal Split for Greywing or Clearwing Mauve Chick # 7 - Dominant Pied Split for Opaline Light Green Cock Chick # 8 - Opaline Light Green Hen Chick # 9 - Opaline Light or Dark Green Hen Chick # 10 - Dominant Pied Split for Opaline Light or Dark Green Cock Chick # 11 - Still unsure what this is besides Light or Dark Green (I'm thinking Dominant Pied??)

OH.... okay, I thought they got away. Good for you JB. Do you have their mates picked out yet?? Are they going to stay at MB's now for breeding, hatching, fledging, etc...? That means you have NO birds then? Why didn't you just get two of your own males and breed there?

?? Did you let them out or did they get away?? I'm confused?

RIP thank you for the help on these, this is more info than I thought I could get at this stage. As soon as I find the battery for the camera I will take new pics of the younger chicks to see if we can tell better what they are. Question... the Albino and Lutino chicks you list a color (cobalt, green, etc...) I thought being ino and lut color didn't exist anymore... or do you note the color for future breeding? Or do you say Albino masking cobalt? How do you say it? Also you stated that the offspring from the greywing are split greywing or clearwing, where does the clearwing fall into play? Last one, bub #4 from the second pair, the normal, you say will be split for Opaline, if I understand right a hen can't be split for opaline so this must be a cock? Am I right on this? ** And just a note, you can't see it in the picture, but the Greywing is also split recessive. He has a small yellow dot on the back of his head**

Thanks MB.

I didn't realize that... sorry. I have registered on the site and posted the question there. I thought "off topic" allowed other questions... didn't see that. Sorry

Thanks MB. This chick, the pied, would this be a male since mum is dom pied and dad is opaline split lutino? Just wondering cause the last clutch they had they only had one surviving chick and it was a dom pied cock. This is the last dom pied chick they produced...

I had a chick hatch out yesterday and I checked this morning and there was another one. I've now checked the box again and two more hatched out. Four babies out of six eggs so far, all in two days. My question is for anyone that breeds tiels.... what does it mean when three of them have yellow down feathers and one has white? I know in time with the parakeets their colors start to come in but three of them started off yellow and one white? What does that mean in tiels? My camera is not working to show you a picture of all 4 but here is a picture of the first chick from yesterday morning, this is the white one.... PS The one pair is a Lutino Hen paired with I think an Albino Cock and the other pair is a Normal Grey Hen paried with a Whiteface Pied Cock. This was two clutches (one with 5 eggs and one with 4 eggs) that all eggs fostered to one nest box because the other pair abandoned all the eggs. I talked to another breeder and she said candle them and transfer the good eggs to the pair that's sitting. SO of the 9 eggs 2 were infertile and 6 were good, 4 of which have hatched in the last two days.

It has been suggested to me in the past on here to add another male to the mix and maybe the pair will step up their game or the female will bond to the new male and you will at least have a breeding pair. IF you do this I would introduce the additional male WITHOUT the presence of a nest box... then after a few weeks reintroduce the nest box and see what happens. The most that may happen is that the one male will "disturb" mating by being nosey or wanting in on the action. But if you had it the other way around and had 2 hens and one cock all heck would break loose. As for the ages of your keets I agree with KAZ, this cock is too young. 12 months old is rule of thumb for breeding, but his young age may also leave him without experience... making the bonding/mating thing a little more of a project. I don't know much about the weather there as I live in the US, but you may want to make sure they are even in "condition"... is her cere brown and crusty? She may be chasing him off because she is out of season and isn't ready for breeding right now. Just my thoughts.

I think you and KAZ might be right... I just pulled this chick and looked at her. She does have white feathers compared to the other chicks that appear to have grey down feathers. And her head today doesn't look so much like a "patch" it's her whole head now. So I think she is an opaline. Being her father is opaline then does this mean she is a hen?

Thank you MB... can you tell me what you see that makes you think that? To me it looked like there was a big patch on the back of it's head... but are you thinking the "patch" I see is actually the "opaline" effect? If that is an opaline it would have to be a hen, right?

I still can't get over how fast they grow. Just in the two days since I took these pictures they have change sooooo much. Bub #4 from the first breeding pair is almost fully feathered on his wings. When he spreds his wings it's a dark sea of color. His head is yellow, his wings are black and white, and his rum and tail feathers are cobalt blue... just beautiful!!! I'd post more pics, but my camera isn't working (my 3 year old son took the battery out and I can't find it yet).

Can she be both a clearwing and a dilute or is that not possible?

This hen is a Dilute and I wouldn't be surprise if she was Cinnamon also. It would explain why the markings are more diluted than usual plus the cheek patch is not as intense as it should be but that could be the photo. A Clearwing body colour is around 90% of a Normal. I thought so RIP. So she is a Green Dilute Hen? Is that the full proper name of her make up?

Close JB.... but section B and C are split vertical instad of horizonal. ___________________________ [ ] [ A ] [ ] [_________________________ ] [ B ] [_________________________ ] [ C ] [_________________________ ] I originall had the whole thing open, then divided it in half, then divided it into 4 equal parts, then opened the top half back up to house the 2 pair and all the babies. I went longer rather than taller so they can fly back and forth the length of the flight.A has the two pair w/ nest boxes and chicksB and C have 4 other pair waiting (8 birds) I have not hand reared 100%, I've done supliment feedings, but I like to have the parents raise if at all possible. I don't interfer unless I see a problem... like this. The bottom two sections are about 48"w x 24"d x 18"h. They are big enough for breeding and that is why I had it divided into 4 equal sections at one time... I figured I had 4 breeding cabinets out of it, but when I had the two pair choice those boxes I opened the top so they had double the space since there was two pair...

It will have to be tomorrow Liv. It is 7pm here and my toddlers are due for tubbies and a Christmas movie by 8 pm. I will try to take pics in the morning and post ASAP, if I don't come to a resolution before that. Thanks to everyone for all the help. I didn't expect to have to "restructure" things... I was hoping to just remove the hen or add another box back on for her to nose around in, but I know the chicks will fair better if mum is with them so I'll have to really look at the set up and come to a conclusion fast. Yes JB it is divided in half and the bottom half is divided in half again. So it has three sections right now. One top part and two lower parts. I wish I could put them below but there are eight other birds in those sections right now, four in each one. Unless I switched them all and put the eight in the below two sections up top together and split the two pairs in the bottom two??? I'll have to look at that tomorrow and see if that's something I can do.

But that's the problem JB... if you see where the nest boxes are now (on the far right) they are side by side at the same height. The only way to divide it is to cut another hole in the middle section, move the nest box down, and divide the top into two parts. But that requires moving the nest box and "construction" while all the birds and the chicks are in it. Wouldn't that be too much on them during such a critical time?

NO NO.. that was my first attempt earlier this year.... it's more like this right now... (this is from my photobucket I had), but the upper half is all one section they are in and now and the bottom is divided into two sections. http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n400/ch...5a/DSCN3715.jpg

Yes, MB I'm sorry I didn't reply yet... I wanted to ask are the chicks old enough to be in an open box at this stage? I know I can do the igloo thing if need be... is that what you are suggesting?

I know that KAZ, but unfortunaytely that type of candling stick is not easy to come by here and if it is, I have't been able to find them. ALong with crop needles and cc syringes for hand feeding. I finally had to go to a pet shop of all places and ask them if they could some how order me syringes... and I have to pay out the butt for them and shipping. The closest I have found to a candling stick is a lazer light, not gonna work. I use a card with a hole in it over a flashlight. Again, I work with what I have available to me. So for me, unfortunately, candling does require me to handle the eggs.