Daz

Sounds like a good idea. Might give you time to build a breeding cage suitable. Check my web site or look in Breeding tips in this forum.

No not really and the door is next to their cage. We have had them there for 14 months Except Chirpy. But they have never come close to escaping. They really never try.

I see what you mean. It's not easy to put a breed cage there. Are the two you want to breed in your signature? Can you get a better shot of them because I think they are a bit too young to breed at the moment. They should be 12 month old.

I drilled some holes in the front "perch" to use as a holder for the millet sprays.

Why do I think he should be on Designer Guys.

How big is your cage? Can you put up a photo and we might see a place to put it. Information on Nest boxes.

Picture please Bea..

There has been some talk of nest boxes and what to use. Well I have been there too. Is the box too small? Is the box too shallow? Do I put the box inside or outside... There are endless questions. I have tried many boxes and have been given a lot of advice. I would like to thank Hath and Bubbles for assisting and also the members of my club. Points that need to be considered. 1. The access hole must be large enough for the hen to access, but not too large. 2. There must be a sence of security. A dark nest box is good. 3. There must be ventilation in hot weather. But the nest box must still be able to stay humid or the eggs will dry out and the chicks will die. 4. There must be a safe way to check on the chicks with out disturbing the hen or having the chick fall out of the nest. 5. I must be deep enough to keep the chicks in th nest bos for the correct duration. A shallow box will allow the chicks out too soon. 6. It must be able to be kept clean. Easily. 7. It must be roomy enough to take on a large clutch if need be. 8. It must be able to be securely and safely attached to the breeding cage. Here is the latest model. I have made two. One in action and the other will be joining it soon. I have plans for another 7 if these work. . The box is 250mm (10") High x 215mm (81/2") deep x 210mm (81/4") wide and is made of 9mm external Ply. There are two metal hooks located at the top front to hook it on to the Breeding Cage. The hole is 50mm (2") and is set at the top corner. In the majority of my cages it would be in the top corner. . The back has two sections. The top slides up to get access to the chicks with the bottom section being High enough that the chicks don't fall out. . The bottom section slides up to allow good access to cleaning the box. (Cleanliness is extreamly inportant) The internal floor is a piece of 19mm pine with a concave in the centre. This also slides out to allow for cleaning. It meassures. 193mm (75/8") x 189mm (71/2"). 1st Box in use. There are 6 chicks here and they have plenty of room to move about. Nest box is mounted on the outside of the Breeding Cage.

As you have read I love my Flock and it's breeding but I don't want you guys to forget what started it. Here is my true loves. George, Angel and Chirpy. millet time. They are with me all the time when I am in the house. They are not housed and are allowed to fly 24 / 7. Except when we have parties and they have to stay in their cages then. Left to right. Angel, Chirpy and George. Chirpy is 1 year and 1 month old. He was the first chick I breed. Their Cage Their aviary is 260 square meters Chirpy and his Dad Bluey in the breeding cage. That's his brother Tiny at the nest box hole.

Moults occur every 3 to 6 months. I would let them out with their wings clipped but keep a good eye on them. They are easy to step on. During that time they will find out about walls and windows.

I will only ever clip a birds wings for it safety. My inside birds have had their wings clipped once so that they don't hit the glass wingows and by the time their feathers grow back they know where the windows are and stay away from them. A bird hitting the glass = a broken neck.

Hi and welcome.. I also can't see the photos well but the skyblue (possible spangle) on the right looks male and the Light green (possible spangle or opaline) on the left looks male. Can you put up a better photo and we will tell you what we can about them.

The one on the right is a SF Australian Dominant Pied. The other is a recessive.. Visually but what they could be split to ...who knows. http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a26/darry...minantpieds.jpg

No exactly correct. There is no lutino gene it is an ino gene and it removes all pigmentation acept for yellow and you get a yellow bird (lutino). The blue gene acts to remove yellow pigmentation and you have a blue bird. If the two work togeather you have ino removing all colour acept yellow and the blue gene removes the yellow to produce an albino. The cinnamon gene changes what was black to brown not diluting black to grey. The Ino and Cinnamon genes are sex linked and the blue gene is recessive. A blue base bird in a recessive pied is white and a green base bird in a recessive pied is yellow. A blue base bird that is acted on by the grey gene is Grey. A green base bird that is acted on by the grey gene is a grey green. I hope I haven't confussed any one .... or got it wrong either.

With out seeing a photo and on what your have posted, yes Nerwen is right. But.... you have said it carried the ino gene and the cinnamon gene but does it carry the blue gene. No blue gene it is a Yellow lacewing. If it carries the blue gene it could be a white lace wing.. What other colours beside red eyes and brown markings does it have?

Well a dominant against a recessive. You will get dominants. and normals all split to recessives. Unless the dominant is split to recessive.

Hi and welcome back you have been gone a while but its good the see you again. As there has been changes in your life, it's the same on the forums. New members and so on. Hope your move goes well.

Another Chick hatrched today on time. Should be a SF or DF Spangle.

I don't agree he is a skyblue violet opaline. If he is and you breed him to a mauve you can get the whole gamit. sky violets, visual violets and mauve violets. But check his tailfeathers for violet. Kaz that might just be suffusion on his neck. But you know how my eyes are. I think he is a opaline cobalt. But check his tail feathers.

Cinnamon is not one of the dilute family as Nerwen said. Dilute family is Greywing, Clearwing and Dilute. She is actually blue base. Here is one of my cinnamon http://www.flexi.net.au/~dwellsadsl/birds/...%20-4%20126.jpg The light doesn't do her proud.

Yellowface is a dominant gene in regard to the blue series. That is Sky Blue, Cobalt, Mauve and grey. It also can be infuranced by the violet factor. Now Blue is a recessive gene. So If you pair a blue series blird with a yellow face you should get a high number of yellowfaces. I paired to and got 4 yellowfaces out 5, the 5th bird was a white cap cobalt. 2 st clutch. The 1st clutch I got 1 yellowface and 1 white cap cobalt. So out of 7 chicks 5 werey yellowfaced. With your two being a skyblue dominant pied to a yellowface skyblue spangle you will probibly get high percentage yellowfaces. Out of which you will get normals, yellowface dominant pieds. yellowface spangles and yellowface spangle dominant pieds. all should be skyblue. But what are your birds split to???? :hap:

I know they are rated as bad marked spangles. I'll have to wait to see how she turns out. Three more are yet to feather so I still have some hope. :hap:

Yes this does happen but it's easier to remove the cock and out him back in the flight with closed breeding. :hap:

My Turn. 1st Clutch. Oldest Opaline Light Green Hen Opaline Spangle greygreen hen Opaline Light green Hen Clutch 2 Recessive Pied Recessive pied.. The small one ????? Clutch 3 Either SF Spagles or DF Spangles or one of each. Next egg due tomorrow.

This is one of the problems with open breeding. You will have to take him out of the breeding cages.