Dean_NZ

I've had some rip snorter bites from hens!!! They've taken great whopping chunks of finger flesh off before. Never seem to learn my lesson

Marbles. Worked for me with a cock who used to play soccer with eggs. He had destroyed an entire round of eggs the first time by kicking them until they broke - all budgies eat broken eggs so of course the hen and cock would eat the eggs. Last season I replaced each egg of the second round with a white marble (or as close to white as possible, dont think it actually matters) as soon as it was laid. He played soccer with the first 3 marbles. When the fourth egg was laid he stopped going in the nest box. When the fifth egg was laid and he still wasnt going in, I returned the eggs and took back the marbles. The hen went on to lay 11 eggs (9 hatched, half were fostered to be raised by another pair). This year he has been re-paired with that same hen - she has laid 3 eggs so far and he hasnt touched a single one. Hasnt scratched around in the nest box like he used to either. Worth a try. The marbles teach them that 'eggs' cannot be played with, eaten or broken - from my experience they learn to ignore the eggs except for sitting on them.

Sperm sent overseas is treated and stored in preservative solutions that provide fuel for the sperm as well as stopping them from freezing/bursting/degrading in low low temperatures. As mentioned in the previous post, no tests have been done to find a suitable solution or container/method for storage. Theres just not enough economic interest in budgies, nor enough money or interest in the pockets of hobbyists. I have heard there is illegal importing in aus and NZ of budgerigars. I dont know who in NZ has them, certainly they arent in the north island as i've seen our 'best' and while it might be able to get say top 3 in aus competitions, we wouldnt take out nationals or anything. Lucky to get a top 3 local, top 10 national. So I guess they either are just that - rumours, or they are not shown (yet).

Bugger. Nuff said!

I get almost the opposite to you Kaz. Ooodles of cocks and nary a hen to be seen. Extremely aggravating as a breeder because good hens - you just cannot buy (without taking out a mortgage!)

Yellow is the only one i would put my money on to be male.

Is this one of omelettes? (Spelling?) Love the greywing violet <3

So the water option is probably the most accessible. Ho hum. Shame really since it seems the least effective and most difficult to reach therapeutic levels. Im going to ring the avian vet tomorrow and have a chat...

Does anyone know where you can purchase CTC medicated pellets or seeds? (I.e tetracycline medicated feed). I have read a fair bit and the general consensus is that liquid treatments are the least effective at establishing a therapeutic blood level of the anti-biotics required over the 45 day treatment period. Add to that fact that birds drink less during winter and the problem only becomes worse. Can the medicated feed only be purchased through the vets like the drug itself?

Yep its normal as mentioned already. The hens pluck the chest feathers so that there is more skin to egg contact. Feather insulates the bird - meaning it keeps heat in. Hens want to heat the eggs - so it makes sense to have less feathers where you are laying on the eggs...

Let it hatch. They often dont and may need assistance at hatch time, but even then they may die. Worth a try.

Girl.

Definately GF

Haha I call it 'helicopter' too!

It doesnt really matter if egg 1 hatches in order or what. I agree with Kaz - just write down when an egg hatches, and when you ring that chick you know its hatch date. What day or order it was laid or hatched on is irrelevant. What it grows up to be is important

Not necessary to number eggs, but if you do use a non-toxic marker pen (soft rounded tip).

So true! After getting those new birds all my old 'big' birds now look tiny I've had to re-evaluate my 'keepers' now and those that only just got to stay during the last cull before are on the way out now...

I agree with Dean too Oh wait...

As i mentioned on your other thread Im leaning towards goldenface opaline cobalt. Sky violet is possible, but it is usually an even shade whereas cobalts tend to have darker flushing of colour around the neck and rump area - skies have nice even colouring.

Looks like a goldenface opaline cobalt. Cobalts tend to have 'violet' flushes around the neck although they aren't actually 'violet' themselves. Cute little fullah

Its a trick used for show cage training. The balls make it difficult to perch or find grounding so the birds learn to stay on the perches instead. Plenty of debate over its use and practicality from the show breeders i've talked - everyone likes to think their way is the best lol. Aside from that - some superb birds nubbly. Especially chuffed with some of your cocks. Seems like everytime I move up in quality I see someone with birds that I have a look I wish I had lol. Nevermind, im going to make do with the birds I've got now and have a superb breeding season, just you wait I think you will have a great season too going by those pairs. Fingers crossed for fertility How do you administer the doxy? Is it liquid/powder? Added to the water?

Its really a judgment call. I probably over do it sometimes, under do it other times. I dont really worry about it other times lol. I havent had fertility problems bar the odd cock that I knew couldnt mate or was be silly (first time 'foot on back' kinda mating lol). Generally I trim an area roughly the size of my thumb pad (laying my thumb pointing from leg to leg rather than tail to head). Depending on the length of the cocks feather, i sometimes trim the hock feather (the feather that surrounds each of the legs and can be quite long, ending on either side of the vent area (not overly close but in that general area).

Some very very nice birds there Kaz. Whats with the nares (nostrils) on the green cock bird up near the top? Huge! lol

I am looking forward to putting pictures here after eventually breeding these new birds I got

Yes any double factor violets will produce all single factors when placed with non-violet partners. If you have a DF sky violet, put it to a mauve :sadsorry: 100% SF violet cobalts (visual violets) will be produced For that reason I would say the most valuable violets you can ever have are Double factor violet skies. Put them to skies and you get lovely coloured 'cobalts' (sf violet skies, much prettier in colour than 'normal' cobalts) and if you put them to sky violets, double factor sky's are a much silkier looking 'visual violet' than single factor violet cobalts. There is still nothing more POW than a double factor violet cobalt, but as far as usefulness goes I think sky's are much more valuable since you dont have the variable of the dark factor to confuse you as to whether you are looking at normals, violets or double factor violets since its only the violet that will change the shade of the chicks (if you pair sky to sky as far as violet goes).