JamesBond007

Yep, back to my Martini - SHAKEN OF COURSE, NOT STIRRED... and my beautiful Bond woman (she made me say that ,,,)

JB, sorry to hear about your disappointments / other loss - I'm only glad Liv takes good care of ours otherwise I'd be just like you - somewhat in the dark as to what to do. She bought a microscope to check out disease and treat our birds, but I found out you still need a ready supply of anti-biotics and treatments, more than I thought possible. Hoping your liitle-un does well in the night and pulls through.

Mr Jimmy B, I could neither confirm or deny that we have or have not any of those wonderful Stephen Elliott birds, (but all serious breeders should have some if they can get some - they are exquisite and I put them up there with the Gearing's and Kakoske's ) but I can obviously say that we have never posted any of his birds that we may or may not have bought as our own... Definitely, we have posted Sue Adam's birds that we bought, and I will confirm that we have those wonderful Sue Adams birds, and that she bought some of Stephen's birds and she has done very well in the nationals with her birds... Maybe we will be as lucky when we breed post malt in July... End of discussions as to our do's or don't 007 signing off............................................................................. ....

Hi Zeke's Mum... I would definitely take him, after all he might fret while you are away... Here is something you can buy for him to make him happy. Yes, it might be a tiny bit outlandish, but imagine what he will tell all his grandchildren when he grows up, to be a champion budgie, and has a family, and remembers the good old days in his retirement.... I went camping with my foster human mum, and she bought me this to sleep in and protect me... http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/tauntaun.html?cpg=93H Yes it might be too big for him, but you've got to remember he's a budgie NOT a finch or a quail! His personality will grow into it!

JB, as Liv said it was Stephen Elliot - and yes he has some really nice birds. He has an article on his web site about it too, and feeds it to his birds. Stephen sells his birds all around Australia and he has had some really good successes in the Nationals. My goal is to have a line of Stephen's birds and breed from them - and to bring in his out-crosses every so many years from an obvious similar line to mine in the future. I'll let you know how that pans out... In the meanwhile why not get all the birds used to old man salt bush for its obvious nutrition. Its not too salty, and I know other breeders who feed their budgies an aniseed cattle salt lick to ensure they have enough salt.

A local breeder put us on to the benefits of Old Man Salt Bush (Atriplex nummularia) and then showed us where it grew out in the open, ripe for picking. So we drove there today and took some cuttings (along with some Peppermint Gum) Here's a photo of it close up: and another of it growing in clumps ready to be harvested. So is it good? I did some research and found that not surprising it is high in salt, both NaCl and KCl. It's also high in Sulphur S, Magnesium Mg, Calcium Ca, and Phosphorus P. It is also high in the antioxidant Vitamin E and high in crude protein. So it's obviously something to give your birds on a regular basis - maybe as often as every few weeks. While most of the research done is focused on feeding it to cows and sheep, it does grow wildly in the natural environment of the Budgerigar, so it can't be all that bad, can it. More research into the nutrition value was found at http://www.oldmansaltbush.com/nutrition.cfm and they list the following table, which I have put here for information. Attribute OMSB 1 Sandy Loam OMSB 2 Grey soil OMSB 3 Red Soil Moisture % 80.7 74.0 76.7 Crude Protein % 21.1 21.0 23.9 Phosphorus (P, g/Kg) 2.1 1.7 3.4 Potassium (K, g/Kg) 26.3 16.3 27.4 Sulphur (S, g/Kg) 3.2 6.9 8.0 Calcium (Ca, g/Kg) 7.7 10.5 5.4 Magnesium (Mg, g/Kg) 6.4 7.4 4.1 Sodium (Na, g/Kg) 72.6 75.6 71.8 Copper (Cu, mg/Kg or ppm) 7 10 10 Zinc (Zn, mg/Kg or ppm) 32 17 35 Manganese (Mn, mg/Kg or ppm) 88 39 242 Iron (Fe, mg/Kg or ppm) 191 120 175 Boron (B, mg/KR or ppm) 37 58 34 Food for thought?

I should go and see when your birthday is, I'm sure it's soon... I'm sure this post was just a reminder for something nice... If only i could remember the DAY???

Okay, Liv called me out to the bird room this evening to have a look at a candled egg... thinking it was close to Easter obviously thought that she had a stash of chockie eggs for me, but no!!!! One of the pairs we have down at the momen had recently laid an egg, and in the light you could see ONLY the heart. Wow I thought, and then I saw it beating - all on its own in the middle of the egg with nothing else there. It was an experience (she tells me that tomorrow the egg and budgie will have moved on and it won't probably be visible) and then in a few more weeks I will be able to hold it - a fluffy feathery thing that has the same heart only bigger. Wow, a rush of excited emotion. putting down the Martini to wipe away a tear How can the heart be the only thing visible???? I don't get it.

Great Photos Liv - I love the LAST one where all the concrete looks FINISHED!!! Now onto the nursery flight... The inside door... The left hand window... Moving all the breeding cages... Putting in a wirly-gig thingy in the roof... Painting the outside... Insulating the inside... Putting in power for lights... Setting up the water outside the door to be able to wash it out... Moving the two other aviaries and doing more concreting... I bet you just can't wait

I had James Bond chosen for me because nobody is allowed to know my real first name - Oh, and because James Bond (like me) always gets the hottest babe there is. Can I say that on here? If I can't then it's because I've got a hairy chest? mmm - remind me why I thought it wise to post???

eXcellent back garden! - if only it was a budgie (show type) chewing instead... although the other type of parrots are real;ly cool too!

Well done, Liv - only wish I could have been there to see your face. Oh, that's right - I was there... You did well!

Liv, you're such a brainiac - and full of so much knowledgeable information of course

Then there's a good dose of the peppercorn tree which is full of goodies - the seeds / branches are a natural wormer, and they ARE poisenous. I would look it up on the net, but it is natural, and comes in unmedicated / controlled doses ( a bit like wattle bark instead of asprin) Food for thought, or I just being a pain?

Apologies to anyone who finds my posts in-salt-ing!

Licking salty dried fish is all part of the job, Kaz -- any secret agent worth his salt wouldn't have a problem But I get your point - wash it - as Liv says, preferably NOT in sea water though because that has had fish having sex in it - it has had birds (seagulls) poo in it - could you ever imagine a sperm whale with diarrhea? Yikes. BEST TO WASH IT IN CLEAN WATER - am now convinced. Off to have a martini - without a salty olive

Liv, this is very good advice. I understand the temptation to mate 2 birds from top studs together ... but I wouldn't chose these 2 to do it with. I would only add that if you have never bred from a pair of birds from a VERY good breeder before, and you have bought culls, that you should give them a round and see what you get. Just because you pair two ""lower quality" birds there is a VERY GOOD chance that you will get birds that ARE a lot better than the ones you breed from. Mind you, you put your faith in the reputation of the breeder you purchased them from. But why else do we purchase culls from breeders who we can't afford to buy their $1000 birds from? I would also say that after that round that IF nothing good came from that pairing that you should then look at pairing those birds with the BEST ones with mutually beneficial features - but this jumping out of the line will obviously introduce a high level of randomness from the genetic pairing, which you will have to them combat. Truth is that you in all likelihood will come out far ahead with the initial pairing after the next successive pairing than from complete out-crossing. I would do both (breed the initial pair and then the best complimentary breeding) and then in the next season pair the best half brothers and sisters from EACH line to one another.

I spoke to a long time breeder last weekend out the cuttlefish and they said NOT to wash it - the more salt on it the better (apparently budgies like salt and often do not get enough). Mind you they also had a wonderful aniseed smelling Cow Salt Lick Block for their Show Types. They also said if you can get shell grit (not stolen from the beach - but the bought stuff ) NOT to wash that either because the salt content is good. No fried Budgie with salt and vinegar jokes please - they were serious about the Lick and the salt! Actually I meant to say Salt and Vinegar with Fried Budgies

Catz... Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Give me -40 degrees and the Ottawa Senators any day. GO SENS!! GO SENS!! GO SENS!!! IF we can talk Catz, then I can talk Ice Hockey!!! http://senators.nhl.com/index.html YEAH!!

I agree JB - she has had budgies for around 16 or so years - my knowledge on them is insignificant in comparison. We are both members of the same budgie society (joint membership was cheaper) and couldn't see the point in both joining the council just to get rings when we are going to share our own named rings (and birds) to both use. (In truth all I mostly do is lug the sacks of seed around and hunt out gum tree branches and wild grasses.) I'm more keen on the genetic side of breeding (boring stuff to some)

Here are some pics Morgana - Karen and Ken's Hearse that was our ride for the evening Great photos - I do like the look of Morgana's rocket motor lights and took a heap of them recently... and who is that pictured in the distance of the last photo?

Interesting question Jimmy, well let me start by saying that I think we have struck up a pretty good deal. You have to remember that I don't know much about this budgie breeding stuff, so she is *helping* me out. Liv has decided that as she is providing such a special cock bird that she has 65% of the first round. I think that's fair. I had to laugh and agree with her when she wanted to choose them herself (she doesn't need my help?) Apparently she only wants the biggest ones, the ones with the fluffiest and boofiest heads and the longest most prolific masks. I'm all for it - after all just imagine what they would look like - absolute monsters... I did the right thing, didn't I? Here is a photo of the mate we have chosen for her: A Dominant Pied. I didn't sleep last night as I was up making some miniaturised bonding bracelets for them. Apparently we are having a mini "wedding" ceremony for them - nothing special, a bit of champagne, millet wreaths and some mashed corn and beetroot. Oh and here is a recent photo of her showing off: And another of her...

Awesome photos Liv - the birds look great in the show cage. I can't wait for you to breed from them - I'm sure that I will steal one (baby hen) from you :rofl:

I would say... use Linux... but when your other half uses Windows and gets a virus, your just as stuck.

Hi All, FINALLY I was able to find someone who would let me have a hen - she's my first hen... first show bird, actually... first budgie in reality.... first bird I have ever owned... mmm, I don't have a good track record looking after them, being my first, but I think I will do just fine and now I can say that I have one of the hundreds of thousand that "Liv and I" *have* Henrietta quickly became LEe / LEanne?? after the initials of the Showbreeder before I had a chance to name her, but that's okay. So anyway, she's a plain grey green exhibition budgerigar, who has not been tried because she was the third best of the clutch and the breeder bred from the first two - she's a reject. She's an 07 so its a fitting bird for 007 I say. She is ready to pair up with anyone who will have her. Here's a photo.