Daz

Fallows has plum eyes. He has brown spots as a lacewing.. Looks a bit down, I'd give him some SParks to help with the stress.

There is nothing wrong with Opaline to Opaline Pairings. You can get some good Opaline Chicks for next season.

Thats great to hear. I use Apple Cider vinegar at a cup cap per litre of water.

You can give them supplimentry feeds at night so they have full crops to go to "Bed" with.. Any of the feeding formulas are okay.

Sounds like things are shaping up for the best.

I mix my own, that way I know what the birds are getting.

It sounds like a hen... Photos would be good.

Splat refer to the opaline topic for how to untangle the sex genes.

Using Sex Linked Bird to enhance the normals has been a problem for those that don't have the courage to cull. An Opaline Hen to a normal cock will throw normal hens. These if an improvement on the parents should be kept. Pairing an opaline Hen to a Normal Split Cock will throw Opaline Hens and Normal Hens. Again keep the good normals. (a couple of very good opaline hens are also good.) A Normal split opaline Cock to a normal hen will throw Opaline Hens and Normal Hens. Keep the Normal Hens. An Opaline Cock to a Normal Hen will throw Opaline Hens and Split cocks. Keep the split cocks and read above. You can untangle the sex genes if you are strong minded.

Very good article and oh so true.

Very Nice Bea I see a ring on the first one.. Whats the number?

5 mins in a bucket of water.. Or if you're like me. A 5 min trip in the car and let go free.. :fear

"peanut Butter Surprise" - Yes rodent control at it's best. I have caught many rats with it myself. :fear

Very Good. I was speaking to Dave yesterday and he says that those Breeding Cages are waiting you when you are ready.

My story was to put a Lt Green cock in the culling cage at 6 months because I didn't think he was going to be any good. A few weeks latter I looked down to the culling cage to see this very nice cock. He is now being prepared for next month's Show. You have to be careful.

I little Poem that was sent to me some time back now.... WHEN TOMORROW STARTS WITHOUT ME, AND I'M NOT THERE TO SEE, THE SUN WILL RISE AND FIND YOUR EYES, ALL FILLED WITH TEARS FOR ME I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU LOVED ME, AS MUCH AS I LOVED YOU. AND EACH TIME YOU THINK OF ME I KNOW YOU'LL MISS ME TOO. BUT WHEN TOMORROW STARTS WITHOT ME, PLEASE TRY TO UNDERSTAND, AN ANGLE CAME AND CALLED MY NAME AND I STEPPED UP ON HER HAND. SHE SAID MY PLACE WAS READY IN BIRD HEAVEN FAR ABOVE BUT THAT I'D HAVE TO LEAVE BEHIND ALL THOSE I DEARLY LOVE IF I COULD RELIVE YESTERDAY EVEN FOR A LITTLE WHILE I'D FLY OVER AND KISS YOU JUST TO SEE YOU SMILE SO WHEN TOMORROW STARTS WITHOUT ME DON'T THINK WE'RE FAR APART FOR EVERY TIME YOU THINK OF ME I'M RIGHT THERE IN YOUR HEART. I hope this helps. :dbb1:

Good idea Splat.. Roughly my time table. (note: some chicks are kept longer in the nest or breeding cage if they are not eating right) 0 - 18days - egg 1 to 30 days - chick in nest. 30 - 42 days - chick in breeding cage 42 - 90 days - chick in nursery 90 - 180 days - chick in junior flight After that they are more into either the hens flight or cocks flight. It is then that I start to think about culling.

There are many factors to be taken into account when the time comes to separate a stud of budgerigars into two groups - those that are being retained and those that are to be discarded. Visual qualities, pedigree, age, sex and, even variety, must all be considered. Anyone who spends a great deal of time in the birdroom will, inevitably, assess their stock on a regular basis. Among the current year's crop of youngsters there will be those that display their qualities so clearly that their provisional mates for the following season are noted down while they are still in nest feather. Even in the best studs there are those that at first sight, seem to have little to offer. It is with this last group that mistakes are most often made. Features Listing the features required for a budgerigar to be visually an exhibition bird, risks being a repetition of the standard for the "Ideal budgerigar. but in practice, an experienced breeder takes in all of the points. both positive and negative at a glance. Obviously, excellent width of head and depth of mask are two of the factors that can be useful when determining if a budgerigar is useful, or outstanding. Both of these features depend upon the feathers being large. A short feathered budgerigar will never have a deep face, so feather is extremely important. In our breeding rooms there must be a coarse-feathered partner in each pairing. For preference, it will be the cock. When you breed a super, coarse feathered hen you must try to breed from it, yet our experience shows that eight out of ten are a waste of time in the breeding cage. On the other hand, we find that eight out of ten coarse-feathered cocks fertilize at least a few eggs. Hinged Tails So feather type must come into assessment of which budgerigars to keep. Anyone who has owned large budgerigars has to accept that some of them slump over the perch for much of the time. Nevertheless, we are fortunate not to have any hinged tails. This affliction destroys the outline of a budgerigar completely, is not acceptable, not matter what other qualities are possessed. Feathering It could be thought that a shed full of buffs was a target to be aimed at, but once achieved, the following seasons would not see very many youngsters being produced. Although most buff-to-buff pairings are a waste of cage space, if one did produce, it could provide excellent future stock birds. In my early days, I became frustrated because I could not get the type of budgerigar, with the type of feather, I was looking for. Because of this, I paired together two of the best examples of buff budgerigars I could find. I was very fortunate, they bred well and my stud took a gigantic step forward. Novices and Beginners should not think that buying budgerigars possessing many ready-made features is the only way of progressing forward. Blood-line Once the decision is made to retain a budgerigar because of its visual qualities, it is time to look at all of its brothers and sisters. If a youngster is outstanding, the rest of the family should be retained, even if some have faults, such as small spots and short masks. A few years ago I bred an outstanding Grey Green cock. It was one of twelve. Of the other eleven, ten were very good and the worst one was a grey cock which displayed none of the good qualities of the illustrious brother. I let a good friend have it, he paired it to a hen from the same line, and in the first round produced birds of similar quality as the very good brother. So it proves that the runt of nest can often reproduce as good as the best. There appears to be a cycle which involves exhibition quality lying dormant for a while, and then reappearing in a year or two, as long as the blood-line is kept together. Being too hasty to get rid of the worst specimens from a family can be a mistake. Age It is up to the breeder to make up his or her mind about the ages of the budgerigars to be used for breeding, but when a policy has been decided, it will influence the balance of which are to be retained and which will go. I prefer to use young hens for breeding, so if a three year hen is retained, it means it is a particular favourite. Any cock bird that is not a show bird is disposed of at the age of three and the prices charged for surplus birds reflect their age. For example, an adult hen that was unsuccessful in the breeding cage the previous year, is not sold, it is usually given to a Beginner to try. Sex The sex of a bird must also be taken into account when deciding whether to keep it. It is much safer to retain twice as many hens than cooks. Colour and Variety Although a minor consideration, colour and variety come into the reckoning. You require a balance, ensuring that you keep sufficient birds that are compatible, such as the fact that Normals will pair to any other variety, such as Spangles, Dominant Pieds etc. Stand by your Decision Once the decision has been reached to retain a budgerigar, it is not for sale no matter what offers are received. Always remember, it is easier to sell a good bird than it is to buy one of a similar quality. Selecting which budgerigars to retain is one of a breeder's major tasks and one in which it is so easy to make a mistake. There is little point in working hard to breed good budgerigars and then sell them, so that someone else achieves the benefits while you own stud stands still, or even goes backwards. Building up an exhibition stud is a long-term task and selling the major components is a recipe for failure - as so many fanciers have discovered over the years. **A word of advice. If in doubt, keep it.** Information by Jim Hutton

This is the one I am using, Ebay - Australia I find it good. I can capture an image and email it to the vet for further diagnosis.

what a great bunch of budgies.. I loved it.

Well they are done.. Not bad hey for a few days work.

:dbb1: thats about right.

Nerwen just say the word. :dbb1:

Karen you'll have to alter your profile... New Member