Daz

I have been breeding spangle to spangle and Jeff Attwood is correct. You can improve the markings. I am just starting this year's breeding season and have Spangle Cock to Normal hen (hen has good marked wings) and I have Spangle to DF Spangle. I'll let you know how they go.

Elly you are right, the seed is of the best quality and the mix has to be right. The mix is made up of canary and different millets. The ratios is always a discussion point with breeders. Then there are the additives that you give the birds and the soft foods and vegitables. All are different from one breeder to another. Every breeder has a reason for what he feeds and it's always the best :oliveb:

Wayno check this post and you'll see what I am now going through. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....ndpost&p=145918

Yes I have heard that you can give them a piece to nibble on. I haven't tried it though.

The issues with the aviary is not over yet.. a call from the council this afternoon. I might still have "Issues" with the position of the aviary in regard to a sewer that runs through the back of my yard. The person that can grant the permission does'nt want to make the call on his own and has refered the situation to the Water Board. Cross fingers it goes well with them.

Wayno the first thing I would do is get some information from your council about the requirements of having birds and building an Aviary.. It will save you a lot of head aches in the future, believe me .

Robd is right. Novice to Intermediate is 3 years and you must get 8 points at one club showing.. By that I mean in three years if you go to PRBS Show which is held twice a year and gain 2 points at each show, in three years you would have 12 points at that Club show and would go up to intermediate. I have, I think, 2 points at SCBS from my last wins. (Got to check) But as Robd was saying if you are blitzing the shows with great birds, it is in the interest of everyone that you go up.

It's always best to remove the unfertile eggs so that the hen has a better chance to cover the clutch.

Good point Hath.. But I would still like it in my nest

For coded rings, you will need to join a registered club.. Split rings are availible at some pet stores

Reading up on Mottles, I read that they don't live long after the transformation. The two examples have lived about 2 months before dying. Sco-tie I don't think that this is a mottle. Both birds I read about lost their feathers on their backs and only had down showing through.

Presentation given to the World Budgerigar Organisation & BAA Grand National Las Vegas, Nevada October 21, 2005. by David N. Phalen, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ABVP (Avian) Associate Professor Small Animal Clinical Sciences and the Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center Texas A&M University College Station, TX 1. A Study of the Dietary Requirements and Toxic Levels of Calcium and Vitamin D3 in Budgerigars.A moderately common problem seen in budgerigars and some other species of birds is calcium deposition in the kidney resulting in kidney failure. The cause of this disease has been hypothesized to be either excess calcium or vitamin D3 in the diet. To determine the cause of this disease, groups of budgerigars were fed diets containing various concentrations of calcium and vitamin D3 and allowed to breed. Results of this study showed that budgerigars need less dietary calcium (0.3%) than most other species for growth and egg laying. When dietary calcium concentrations reached 0.7%, mild calcium deposition occurred in nestlings and adults. When calcium concentrations reached 1.5%, death occurred in chicks and adult birds. All seed diets containing less than 0.3% calcium resulted in weak bones in laying hens and their eggs did not hatch. Vitamin D3 concentrations ranging from 500 to 3,300 International Units of vitamin D3 per kilogram of diet did not cause calcium deposition in the kidney as long as diet did not contain more than 0.3% calcium. This research is important because it shows that budgerigars can only tolerate a narrow range of calcium in their diet. Calcium concentrations in seeds are insufficient, but calcium concentrations found in most pelleted diets will be too high and could be toxic. Therefore, it is necessary to supplement seed diets with some form of calcium, e.g., cuttlebone and if you are going to feed pellets, they should be no more than 25% of what a budgerigar eats. This research also shows that budgerigars can tolerate a wide range of vitamin D3 concentrations in the diet without problems. Hath and I have discussed Pellet diets before. We have both come to the conclusion with the information availible to us that a pellet diet is not the best thing for your birds. (our opinion). Budgerigars are granivors but as Rainbow posted that recieve their neutriants in the wild from many sources. It would be difficult to excactly copy the requiremnets in a pellet. Budgerigars require different levels or neutriants at different times in their cycles. Developing as chicks Moulting Normal life Preparing to breed Incubation Feeding the young. I have found that my birds are at time throwing seed out of the hoppers and feeders. I first thought that they were playing or just being a pain. But I decided to offer the seed in different containers and have found that the birds will eat different type of seed at different times. I am slowly developing a mix that the birds will love but also get the basic requirements. I source a lot of my information from other top breeders on what they use and also from the information from Budgerigar World and the Challenge. Here is some information on Requirements. Budgerigar Nutrition Protien - What is it? Seed & Weight Gain I use suppliments in water, on the seed and by themselves. Seed and water alone is not good for a growing bird.

We in Australia call this a nestfeather. the english call it a barhead.. You will be waiting at least another 10 to 11 months before pairing it. As far as quality, it is a chick that I would love to see in my nest. It has nice width of head, back skull is nice the mask and spots are developing nicely. It has very good deportment in the first picture and stands tall on the perch. I'd make sure the protien is up to her as she develops over the next 3 months. A word on Protien, I have heard that a large percentage of Egg and Biscuit is just biscuit. If you want to improve it, add a hard boiled chicken egg to it and crumble it up.

Good points Nerwen.. Sco-tie check the bird for illness, diet or age. He is sitting too low and wings and tail is not right.. Is he labouring to breath, bobbing tail? If so check respritory function.

Hi Sco-tie, Over all I would say, except for the last one, that the mask and spots would need to be better. Here are some of my birds.. As they are Spangles the spots are different.. The masks are getting to a good length but need to be better. The colouring is good. The clearbody hen is very nice. Don't know about crests but the mask is lacking. The yellowface also needs improvement in the mask.. As you can see the spots are poor but the masks are getting there. These birds range between 4 to 6 months so hopefully in the next moult I might see some inprovement. Your last one, Dominent Pied Skyblue Cock, has a great mask and spots but is lacking in stance. His flights are too long and he has a hinged tail. My sugestion is to find a club nearby and to go along to shows and see what is being benched. You can find some clubs though The Budgerigar Council of South Australia Also remember that in May the country is coming to hold . the Nationals

I can't speak on mottled Budgerigars as I have only seen one in a magazine... On the show side. He has great head qualities, very nice mask and spots.. Unfortunately he is sitting to low on the perch (might just be that photo), has over length flights, drooping wings and a hinged tail.. :ausb: You might be able to pair to a tall hen with good stance and back structure.. Hath might be able to comment on the possibilities of breeding out that hinged tail.

I can see why, I would be more worried about the snake than going to a meeting...

Very interesting talk today from a prominant Avairian Vet on birds... He said trying to convert to pellets is not good for the birds.. They are granivors and should be given the proper diet of seed, not an artificial mix. The Vet was Dr David N Phalen Director of Wildlife Health and Conservation Centre Australia. Links to Budgerigar Society of American Avian Polyomavirus: My Thoughts Dr David N Phalen Biological Sketch Avian Gastric Yeast - David N. Phalen Obviously a noted Avairian Vet.

As far as we know all types are fine.. Just make sure you wash them for pests.

I love the questions.. He is a visual Violet (Violet Cobalt) if you pair him to a mauve you might get. Violet Mauves & Cobalts. or Mauves & Visual Violets. It depends on which Dark Factor he is carrying the violet gene. If it on the Dark factor you will get the 1st option. If it is on the light factor you will get the 2nd option. I did a post on Violet factors some where here... ah yes here it is... Violets Don't know about a pastel violet.. but you can get a Cinnamon Violet. Body colour will be diluted by the cinnamon gene. The most stricking of all birds is the yellow face type I Visual Violet.. Very beautifull bird.

:ausb: Bad news.. Apparently the wife also had plans for that day and we both didn't "Communicate" :yelling: our ideas.. So the open day will be postponed. :yellowhead:

My birds have been on it for the last few days.. The droppings are blacker and a bit bigger.. Not as bad as a breeding hen. They are more active. I'll see how they go.

If you want to try a natural approach to worming and cleaning out the birds, try Aleo Vera. I am currently putting my birds through a coarse at the moment. Here a some information I posted on it. Natural Conditioning The birds have been on this for the last three days. Their droppings have become darker and a big larger but not like a breeding hen. Their activity is more and they are louder.. Must be doing something good. This is not to replace medication for cocci, psittacosis or canker but as a all round wormer and cleaner.

Aloe Vera I am not sure if there is any scientific evidence to back up this article but people who have used it seem pleased with their results, and there is Aloe Vera available in New Zealand for farmers to give to their dairy cattle. Most health shops sell capsules, hand cream etc., so there must be something going for it. I have had two people contact me on the use of AloeVvera as a natural wormer and also a tonic and pick me up. The first person places a whole AloeVera leaf in his drinking water for four to five days every two months and says there is no algae forming while it is in the water. The other is from Les Gill and he uses Aloe Vera on his birds. Keep your birds in top condition by growing and using Aloe Vera in your aviary's day to day management. Aloe Vera is a miracle cure for most diseases in birds. It helps with digestive disorders caused by birds eating infected foods. It is a wormer and laxative. It is excellent on cuts and sores and will stop cuts bleeding and act as an antiseptic. It can be used as a spray and acts as a conditioner. It stops bacterial and fungal growth. It gives your birds greater stamina. It helps prevent egg binding. It will help control a lot of other diseases. The active ingredients in AloeVera are: Alion, Baralon, Natalon, Chlorophyl, Emodin, Resins, Albumin, Essential oils, Gum Arabic, Silica, Phosphate, Lime, Iron. The minerals it contains are Vit. A, Vit B1, Vit B2, Vit B3, Vit C, Vit E, Vit B12, The minerals it contains are Calcium, Chloride, Chromium, Copper, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, and zinc There are also 17 amino acids and 5 enzymes. The enzymes are most beneficial to the birds whole system and will activate the functioning of any sluggish parts. This means an improvement in health and well-being, and a noticeable difference can be observed after 48 hours. To use Aloe Vera make a gel juice by the following method. Fill a one litre jar with rain or filtered water, and place a 115 gram piece of Aloe Vera leaf in it. If using as a wormer of laxative leave the thick skin on, otherwise trim it off. (Remember, put water in jar first) Place jar in refrigerator for 24 hours. The leaf will float at first and when ready will sink to the bottom of the jar. Dilute the solution 50/50 with water and give to your birds daily. The original solution can also be topped up and the Aloe Vera leaf will be effective for 14 days.. Remember you cannot overdose your birds on this. Important points Do not shake or stir the jar as the enzymes are very sensitive. Keep refrigerated, enzymes are destroyed by heat. Change water daily. Solution can also be sprayed on birds for external parasites. For cuts and sores use the gel that oozes from the leaves. Information by Keith Flockhart

Speaking to breeders, some won't get into the debate but will have mineral grit for the birds.... Like crushed cuttlefish bone and oyster shell and clean beach sand.. When asked why they say it's for the minerals not for the grit itself.