Daz

Good question Karen. Usually through the club. But there is a shortage. I am making them at the moment but everything is on hold as there is supposed to be a change coming. The front grill may change from the chrome ones. There are motions put forward at this year's Nations so everyone is wait to see if they will be passed. I believe I have a waiting order of 140 cages.

If you want to put up some photos we maybe able to help with their variations.

Today is wednesday, Gum tree branch day in the aviary. I pick the branches in the morning and spray with A.I.L. and then in the fternoon wash with clean water and hang in flights. Saturday clean up mess and through out whats left.. if any.

Daz,The ring date starts from the 1st January.But that may all change after a meeting of the state delegates. At the National in Adelaide. Well there is now only 2 1/2 weeks to the nationals macka.. It will be "Interesting" what the deligates come up with this time. It has already been voted and passed that the ring date be moved to the 1st Sept and now they want to change it before it comes in. Don't know what to think about that.

I little correction.. Basically your Budgerigars are Green base or Blue Base. Yellow comes from the green base and white comes from the blue base. Elly is right you can't tell untill you test pair them.

I sex my birds at 3 weeks. The Normals and Dominants change their ceres at first moult. approximately 3 months of age. Recessives and red eye hens do the same.But change to a tan colour. Recessive and red eyed cock's cere do change but not to the blue colouring. They stay a pinkish colour. The dark blue and brown of the adult birds usually appear as they become sexually active. This can occur around 5 to 7 months of age. You will also find that the Cock's cere will stay smooth as the hen's will become crusty and textured. Young chicks in the nest can be sexed by checking the cere around 3 weeks of age. Both cocks and hens will have a pink cere, but the hens will normally lighten around the nostrals. (Nostral rings) Young cocks will be a consistant pinkish colour right across the cere.

When did you pair these two togeather? Is this the sire of the eggs or are you unsure of the cock? Are you colony breeding or closed breeding?

Your talking about Agricultural shows? If they are not affiliated to the ANBC, i don't know what type of cage they use or surgest. You will need to approach them and ask for the rules in regard to the cages.

Both would be split. You could have a Light green normal Split to Opaline split to Cinnamon split to Recessive Split to Blue. So you have what looks like a normal Light green bird but when paired can give Cinnamon hens, Opaline Hens, Opaline Cinnamon Hens. If paired to a recessive or a split recessive can give Recessive Cinnamon Hens, Recessive Opaline Hens, Recessive Opaline Connamon hens. If paired to a blue or another green split to blue you could get Blue birds in the above varieties. This is why records of breeding is very inportant in Breeding Show Birds and why we don't colony breed.

Do you have any part of the aviary open to the sky? If so you may have the wild birds dropping their droppings into the aviary for the brds to pick at. Wild birds carry desease that can wipe out your flock. The Model Aviculture Programme (MAP) This is a good start. But as Macka said

If it is definately black eyes and not red eyes it has to be a Dark Eyed Clear. There is only three white birds. Albino - Red Eye. DF Spangle - Black eye (but both parents must be spangle) Dark Eyed Clear - Black eye (These parents have the make up) ...and yes feathers they worth staying a way from untill you sort out what you are doing.

Yellowface Opaline Cinnamon Skyblue.

yes Bingle looks like a cock to me too.. Twinkie (on the RIGHT) is a hen... Parblue is when you have a yellowface Blue in which the yellow bleeds into the blue causing it to turn green. It is a patchy green with bits of blue showing through. There is two types a yellowface and a goldenface. You will hear a Parblue called a type II Yellowface. Goldenface is more a buttercup yellow.

I am luck to have a friend with a setup quiet like this. Nerwen has been invited to see his setup when our club holds it's Preselections for the Nationals in two weeks time.

Twinkie is a yellowface (Possibly Parblue) Spangle. Bingle is a Spangle Skyblue Yodel is a Yellowface opaline Skyblue Twinkie to Bingle will give you 25% DF Spangle 50% SF Spangle and 25% Normals. (My Choice) Twinkie to Yodel will give Opaline Hens in Normal and Spangle and Spangle and Normal Cocks all split to Opaline. All chicks from both pairings should be yellow face and blue series or split to blue. Any Green chicks would probibly be masking yellowface.

Good point Nerwen.. I didn't think of that one...

I am just reading about the mottle in Budgerigar World. It would appear that the birds are hatched as normals but as they moult they turn to a mottle apearance. Apparently it is unknow why. The bad thing apparently is that they don't live long.

I started with Bird tracker that does it too, but soon learnt the basics. I have a lot of genetic information that I have down loaded and spend time reading.. Nerwen has taught me as well Information on the Sex linkage. ELEMENTARY SEX LINKAGE

Can you enlarge the photo. If it's bigger than 450 x 450 don't worry add it as a link or one of the mods will do that. I want a close look at this bird. I suspect a mottle.

Thats right. Budgerigars are granivours and eat seed. I realy don't think that there is a substitue for a seed base diet. I feed my birds pellets in a crumble state but it is less than 30%.

We say that birds are not helicoters and can't fly up. This is not 100% true. They can fly up but not vertically. The effort to fly up is great and cause the strength to be developed in the shoulders. (a good trait for a show bird ) That is why, as Kaz siad, Breeders put the food on the ground. I am sure they would have something like this in Canada and America.

For a bird to be a recessive type it needs both genes. If it only has one gene it is said to be split to that gene. A bird to be dominant needs only one of the genes. EG Spangle - Dominant Gene. Only one required. Spangle Cock Xs X is paired to a normal hen X Y (no I won't use the wild symbol) Out come. Xs X ... Xs Y ... X X ... X Y As you can see the possible outcome is: Xs X Spangle Cock. Xs Y Spangle Hen X X Normal Cock X Y Normal Hen. We actually say the 50% will be Normal and 50% will be Spangle EG Greywing - Recessive Gene two genes required Greywing Cock. X Xdil*g is paired to a normal hen X Y Out come. X X+dil*g ... X Y+dil*g ... X X+dil*g ... X Y+dil*g Cocks and Hens Split to Grey Wings. If the Hen was split Greywing. X Y+dil*g lets see what happens. Greywing Cock. X Xdil*g is paired to a normal/greywing hen X Y+dil*g Outcome X Xdil*g ... X Ydil*g ... X X+dil*g ... X Y+dil*g 50% of the cocks and hens would be Greywings and 50% would be split. EG Opaline - Sex Linked. Cocks need two genes to show. Hens need one Gene to show. The Sex gene is carried on the X chromosome. Normal Cock X X with Opaline Hen Xop Y Out come X Xop ... X Y ... X Xop ... X Y Cocks will be Normal split opaline. Hens will be normal. If the cock was split to Opaline Xop X to Opaline Hen Xop Y Out Come Xop Xop ... Xop Y ... X Xop ... X Y 25% Opaline Cocks. 25% Opaline Hens 25% Normal/opaline Cocks 25% Normal Hens.

Mix up some baby oil and detoll 1 table spoon of oil to 1 teaspoon of detoll. once a day wipe the backs of the chicks. This will not only deter the hens from plucking but sooth the chicks where they have been picked and stop infection.

He does use different perches. He uses 12mm, 18mm and 19mm square perches. As you can see the feeding is on the ground so the birds also have to contend with the flat tile surface as well. There is enough variation for the bird's feet to exercise.

A great day was had by all at Henry's place. He is a definately agreat breeder and host. His aviary is nothing more than awe inspiring. 75 breeding cages more flights that I can remember. Quality birds to be seen. Not say all the birds where that quality but a higher percentage than most were. The prices on the bird were very reasonable. from $30 to $250. Some of the visitor where more than happy with the birds they got and the prices they paid. A young girl, novice, was trying to get into clearwings. She hoped for 3 birds for her money. A cock and two hens. She left very happy with 6 birds. Here is some of the photos. The Aviary. Henry with some young birds. Display cages. These are where he puts the birds he is selling. Part of the 75 breeding cages. Flights to the right. The breeding cages go to the end and across the back to the right. Looking down the external parts of all the flights. Only one of many flights. Another look at the breeding cages. As you can see there is wire between each breeding cage. This is where I got the idea from for my breeding. Each Breeding cage is a metre wide.