Daz

I found this information on another Forum. Has anyone had experience with this? I personally use COCCIVET twice a year. We find that Coccidiosis is rampid in high humidity. Found in areas near the tropics. Additional Information on Raspberry Cordial.

This month, I thought I would talk about a rarely discussed natural process, namely moulting. We all know it happens and certainly we know it is a continual fight to keep our aviaries in a well presented polished appearance without feather dust . Difficult. The process of moulting is affected by a number of factors. The health of the feathers is dependant upon the quality of the diet and the environment in which our birds live. Feathers are constructed from keratin, a protein derived from the essential amino acid group. Vitamin A, niacin, pantothenic acid and iodine, as well as others, are essential for the health of the feathers. Moulting depends on age,sex, the time of year and, as mentioned, the environment. French Moult is a viral or perhaps a nutritional problem but the author has yet to be convinced about which is correct. I am in contact with Dr Robert Marshall , certainly one of the World`s finest Avian Veterinarians. Dr Marshall has a quality publication called “Budgerigar Medicine” which is highly informative. He records , bearing in mind what facts are written above, that seed is deficient in Vitamin A & D, vitamin E (the fertility vitamin) , niacin and ,yes, pantothenic acid ! And some breeders still insist on trying to breed budgerigars on seed and water alone, plus you can throw in the “no grit brigade”. The quicker the moult is completed the better. It is a stress period for birds and especially to young babies at three months of age when their first major appearance changing moult takes place.I have always found this natural process amazing. How does nature effect such a radical alteration in a bird? In our case it is from a barhead to an exhibition, clear headed bird, with spots that appear totally different from their 6 week appearance. When I was in my early days, we had what was accepted as the “annual moult” In the northern hemisphere this took place in October. Today our birds appear to moult at any time at all,usually when we don`t want them to.It has to be an environmental factor, although we feed our birds far better today than earlier.It takes about eight to twelve weeks in ideal conditions ,with extra protein being available, for our aviary birds to complete their moult. Far longer than I thought. No wonder the hoover never stops. According To Dr Marshall, quality exhibition birds take two years to mature. That doesn`t surprise me . I have said over the past 10-15 years that our big birds take at least 18 months to develop and possibly 24 months. Question? Do we therefore pair our birds too soon, or, as some say today, hens are ready to breed at 8 months? (cocks @7 months). I am divided on the subject although I am not advocating you wait for 24 months. They pass on before that, in some cases in case you haven`t noticed. I have left the matter of feather dusters (chrysanthemums down under) to the last. They are a form of “mongolism” to use an outdated term where the bird is double the size of a normal one ,is certainly odd in behaviour and its feathers continue to grow indefinitely.Such birds are usually culled very quickly. Interestingly F.D`s are totally different in Australia to those above the equator. Certainly both types appeared in the same decade which begs the question was the MUTATION caused by an external dose of ,say, radiation ? This was my Father`s Specialist subject career before he died in 1990 and certainly he agreed it was feasible. Where the sources of radiation came from is speculation, but nuclear tests have to be considered. Conclusion: I have just received an e-mail from Didier Mervilde, in Belgium. He has read an article emanating from the University of Ghent which claims French Moult has it`s origins in a virus called “polyomavirus”, their wording. I know they are adamant that a virus is the certain cause but I feel there are questions relative to nutrition which can ,if wrong, predispose chicks to this feather problem. Thank you Gerald Blinks the Author of "The Challenge"

Sex linked genetics in Budgies require the cocks to have two x chromosones both with the sex linked gene to be that visual variety. The female only needs one. Cock = xx Hen = xy If the cock was an opaline Xop Xop he would show opaline. If the hen was an opaline Xop Y she would show opaline. If an Opaline Cock mated with the Normal hen the out come would be Xop Xop x XY = Xop X + Xop Y + Xop X + Xop Y Xop Y is an Opaline Hen Xop X is a Normal Cock split to Opaline So a sex linked Cock to a normal hen is 50% Split Cock and 50% Opaline Hens. An Opaline Cinnamon Cock to a Normal Hen Xopcin Xopcin x XY = Xopcin X + Xopcin Y + Xopcin X + Xopcin Y 50% will be Opaline Cinamon Hens and 50% will be Normal cock split to opaline. Lets look at your eg. lutino cock and a opaline cinnamon green hen Xino Xino x Xopcin Y = Xino Xopcin + Xino Y + Xino Xopcin + Xino Y Xino Y = Lutino Hen Xino Xopcin = Normal Cocks split to Lutino Split to Opaline split to Cinnamon Bred the hen to a cock chick and you would get. Xino Y x Xino Xopcin = Xino Xino + Xino Xopcin + Xino Y + Xopcin Y Xino Xino = Lutino Cocks Xino Xopcin = Normal Cocks split to Lutino Split to Opaline split to Cinnamon Xino Y = Lutino Hens Xopcin Y = Opaline Cinnamon Hens

Hi Ridley you can get calcivet at the pet store. Give the required dose 3 days a week for the next month. The other 4 days give plain water with 1 part to 100 of Apple cider vinagur. Do as the others have said and have a Calcium Iodine Bell in the cage. Australian seed can be defecient in Iodine.

Yes we are on Stage 4 Water restrictions. Dams are emptying. They forcast rain for tomorrow but they are usually wrong.

I hate messes and heat but the mess won out. Back yard cleaned in 34 deg c heat. Birds are enjoying 31 deg heat today in the garage. Better than 42 in the old aviary.

There is a spell checker on the top task bar when you post. it is the ABC with a tick under it.

Una I will be send that to the dump tomorrow. Todays been a big day. The birds have been relocated and reaprased as to there proper variety. I have a chick nearly broke it's leg. I found it caught in the nursary through a hook. Don't know how it did it. I checked it and found the skin had been torn to the bone. She is okay to night and has started to reuse it. I keep a mixture of Olive oil and detoll on it. All the hooks have been changed to a different type. Taken one trip to the dump. Demoed a shed and relocated it to the neighbours. Watched the Aussie and the Kiwis game. Great game. Two great teams. .........and now to rest. Tomorrow will be just as big. Oh for those tha have wondered. I have two pairs in the breeding cage. one has 6 eggs the other 5 chicks under 16 days old. The move to new locations didn't worry them. The hen is still siting on the eggs and the other parents are feeding the chicks.

Nathan, this forum is quite large. If there is a particular part of it that you don't like, just stay out of there. Thats what I do.

thanks Ridley. Here we go. Going........... Going........... Almost gone GONE!!!

Hath the National Standards doesn't have a colour chart. It saays that The colour is in all cases to be pure and uniformin tone except where otherwise allowed in variety standards Under Greygreens it says that the colour is to be grey green Obviously

I haven't culled yet. The top row are the birds that have been given to me or I have bought at auction. The next two rowes are the fledges chicks from the birds above. The bottom row is the BIrds and their chicks that I have had since the beginning. It is a hard discission. I have a Meeting night this monday and am going to approach one of the members to help me decide on the cull. I'll let you know how it goes.

I prepared my Cages to accept the birds And moved them in Main Cages Breeding Cages. Nursary

This is Fluffy today

Hath this is great. I have been looking for this type of information. This is what we need to be looking at and discussing.

As this is not a correctly widely used standard. (I didn't know that, thank Hath for setting us straight :sad: ) I have un pined it. Does anyone know of a widely used standard?

All our clubs are either under the ANBC (Australian National Budgerigar Council) or as indipendants. The ANBC sets the standards in Australia.

Thanks Hath. Can you give some examples please.

Thanks Bubbles. Fluffy was hatched on the 24th September. Today is the 24th November. He is 61 days old. Looking at him he resembles an old man (budgie) he is living more and more with his head in the seed tray or the the tray of high protien. I make a dish especially for him. He is in the nursary with 5 others. His sister is in the flight but his other sister is with him and will stay with him until the end. I would like to put up some photos but am reluctant due to past experiences.

I was thinking of you when I found it. Kaz Go to PHT Budgerigars and click on Genetics. It is one of the best i've found.

Something to think about. Distinguish between wanted and unwanted traits. Distinguish between dominant and recessive traits. Distinguish between sexlinked and non-sexlinked traits. Distinguish between linked and non-linked traits. One should be able to identify the abovementioned. Now we'll look at some of the possibilities. If a wanted trait is dominant. If a wanted trait is recessive. If an unwanted trait is dominant. If an unwanted trait is recessive. If a wanted trait is sexlinked. If an unwanted trait is sexlinked. If wanted traits are linked with unwanted traits. I'll give the following suggestions to think about: If a wanted trait is dominant. The trait is purebred through contol pairings. As an example you can imagine that you would only keep green budgerigars. You have to ensure that none of the green birds are split for blue. With 50 - 100 birds it would be a rather difficult task. If a wanted trait is recessive. The trait is purebred by inbreeding an selection. As an example you can imagine that you would only keep blue budgerigars and your material to start with was green birds split for blue. All blue chicks are to be kept and the green ones are to be culled. When all your birds are blue, this trait is purebred. If an unwanted trait is dominant. Culling and the problem is solved. If an unwanted trait is recessive. The trait are expressed through inbreeding and culled with. If a wanted trait is sexlinked. The trait is purebred in the same way you would do if you only want to keep e.g. opaline budgerigars. The hens express' the trait - if they got it - and can be selected. The cock birds, which can be split opaline, are paired to opaline hens. If none of the chicks express the trait, the cock is not split for opaline, and he plus the offspring are not kept. If however both hens and cocks among the chicks are expressing opaline, the cock is split opaline. Keep him if he is an outstanding cock plus the progeny that expresses opaline. If an unwanted trait is sexlinked. The trait is purebred in the same way you would do if you don't want to keep e.g. opaline budgerigars. Again it's the cock birds that makes it difficulty. If the hen does not express opaline, she don't have it. If you want to be sure if a normal cock is split opaline, you have to pair it to an opaline hen to see if any of the chicks produced are opaline. If wanted traits are linked with unwanted traits. The far apart the genes for these traits are located the greater is the chance that you can "swap" the unwanted traits with wanted traits through crossingover. But be aware that the "swapping" also can go the other way! So watch for these unfavourable crossingovers. Information from PHT Budgerigars

Note the length of the Budgerigar. The body must be in proportion to the length.

I know that the ring colours in Australia is different to WBO.

No he hasn't gotten any more feathers just the ones he has is longer.

He is still alive, I have him on high protien feed. But he is not enjoying things. He is still in the nursary but every couple of days one or two chicks get to go into the flight. Saturday all the birds are being relocated into the garge so he will have plenty of others to be with.