*Nerwen*

OMG Great shots she looks stunning in the air. I love the third one where you can see the waving of the feathers to capture lift or something.

The fourth baby and last Died around the age of a week, We named him Loopie so he could be ganted a name to life in heaven by. He use to charge all over the box his neck still not strong enough yet to lift his head. He was turning out to be a card of a bird. I saw him hatching early in the morning and started to worry around midday when he was still half in half out of the shell and so thought it best to help. (scaned photo so so bad quality) When I removed the shell the lad still had a sort of umbilical (sp?) cord stuck to his belly and after a couple of days was getting poop stuck to it that I had to clean off. It was a few days after I did this that he died. I can't say for sure that what I didn't harmed him but I know I will not be taking the risk again. I also cleaned the next box that day and worried that move had harmed him also, so I can't say for sure what the matter was but after reading not to 'help' hatch them I will not try it again.

Well there are two sort of rings split rings that I believe go one like you said and the inclosed rings that get put on as babies. Pics would be GREAT

They all look great. Pepples is a recessive pied sicne I can't seen a ring in her eye. If she does have one then she is a dominant pied. I also wonder if she is a violet with the dark hued blue around her head. ALso I can't see her back but wiht he head markings she could be an opaline as well, This is a sexlinked gene like cinnamon and so Bam Bam there would have to be split for it to show in any of the babies. Bam Bam is a dominant Pied. He has the head spot for one but didn't get any of the patches on his body. This is sometime called a headspot pied. It wasn't an injury like in us a hit to the head can make that patch of hair white. He is a cobalt blue. Out comes: 50% blue normals 50% Blue dominant pied all will be split for recessive pied and if she is opaline all the males will be split for it. The blue might change from a sky blue to cobalt like dad depending if they get a dark factor gene or not and if she is violet then you can get some violets as well.

okay first things first I really hope it was you that was taking about trying to get a bird this colour. IF not sorry I really suck at matching names to things. But I was thinking about it the other day and wanted to know what plans you had to go about with this. What mutations where you thinking of using? Or where you simply going to breed normal green ones and then pair the ones with the palest yellow in them and so on and so forth? Is this how the blue came about int he breeers flock the first time around I wonder? Or haven't you thought at all

That's what I think too Karen. I was about to ask where the box was but then a saw the hole int he side of the cage.

You hold three together and push the ring on then use the toothpick is to help get the last toe out from under the ring. Sounds like it's a bit early yet for ringing, if it can slip off the foot. have you asked anyone the age of the chick they ring at? Hath do you ring?

Once Lin gets Pika I'll give you Ringo (now i'm safe) Yes Daz I know it takes around 10 days from being paired or mating for the first egg to appear so I’m not hold my breath for one tomorrow or anything. Just I know some hens can 'hide' out in the box so nothing happens and I don't want that to happen. But looks good she had been out in the cage for most of the day (or when ever I have walked by) I'm just surprised at the difference between these two and Freckle and pie, but they did have a big difference in starting since I caught Pie mounting Freckle one day and it was about a month after that before I added a box so they were well and truly bonded, while Marine and Tootie seem to have some work to do yet with that.

normal cobalt is correct. Sorry to hear that his isn't with you now.

OMG I love Wized!!!! They both looks super great.

When your close enough to hear you can hear a funny rubbing flaping sound, and yes they still murmur to the hen while mounted as they keep beak to beak. Pie and Freckle would mate anytime there was a bit of light at night so I've heard it a few times when I've had to move the cage into my room before.

I have reaad too that it take a while to hatch and not to feel tempted to help it (I found this out after i helped one on mine )

Step forward or backwards? Only time will tell. This morning I saw Tootie enter the box for I feel is the first time for she spend a few moments chewing at the entrance of it half in half out, and the other two time I’ve seen afterwards she had jumped straight in. I'm excited but also a bit worried since I haven't seen or heard any breeding as yet. They are in my room and so wake me around 5 or 6 singing with the ones outside greeting the sun. I have seen marine mount once but fell off almost straight away so I know that wasn't successful. Well fingers still crossed, I wonder if tootie is going to clean the nest out or leave the shavings in. Oh the excitement.

Good luck in the hunt

Names: Donnelly - Dark courage Conrad - Brave ruler Issa - Salvation Kekoa - Courageous one Jaimini – Victory Jayant - Victorious Zafar - Victory

great shots Ausmoz your doing GREAT with genetics just as I said you would. The possible dad in the first picture is a olive which means he has two dark factors to give away. Yes he can still be munchies farter but it means one or of the parent is split for yellowface blue. This can happen just like the normal blue gene green dominantes it. Apple and Munchies mum is also opaline. Una you might be luck and a clutch made of to farthers if you did she her breed with both of them. WHich could explain the pied baby now, or as ausmoz said both are split for recessive pied. BUT I love both of your little ones Spangles and yellowfaces my two fave kinds. Lucky You.

Aww they look great I love the chicken drumstick leg in the flight picture (yes of cause I spot a funny thing like that and not the stunning wings outstretched )

Lovely shots Bea thank you for the TWO of Jelly Can't wait to see them test out that swing food plate, hope they don't tip it over. Pixie to me it looks like a mix of eggs carrot and letuce or maybe that green is sprouts. Is I right bea?

Use a match stick daz with out the head rather than a neddle (pin) at lest that what I think I remember reading. Good luck with it, I've never liked the idea of ring but I guess oen day I will have to start so I can keep track of who is who. EDIT - lucky me just had the book still that I read it from (yay) but (aww) it was for a cockatiel chick. But I would wonder if a wooden toothpick would work the same way. No pointy end that way.

There isn't really talk with Fallow Lin was just asking to sort thing out herself. I should add if little Pixie here is in fact a female then when paired to a normal colour male (black wings) none of the babies will show as cinnamon but the males will be split for it.

I think I'm going to have to steal that name later one I think it's great for a budgie.

lin- yes perfect Joanne- yes that seem to lead that he is a male. Confused what you wrote was simply swaping the sex of your bird now, but the result with these pairing will still be the same all cinnamon birds. No The light grey wings is a dilute gene and act differently to cinnamon. This is a recessive gene which means for it to show the babies need two genes one from each parent. Since you don't know the genectic makeup of your bird there is a chance of many split genes (ones that the birds carry but can't be seen on them) to show up that we can't plan for. Sticking to what you can see you would get normals and cinnamon hens(all split for dilute, all males split for cinnamon) If you did see one like this it would be becuase of the dull babie feathers and will moult out brighter and stronger. But I get what you are asking so: No you will still get some cinnamons, all female. Greywings (or dilutes) bring out palness in budiges, also opaline gives the bird pale bars on the back of the head and Texus clearboies look paler than other 'normal' birds but there isn't really a colour lost to that gene. Of cause if any of this has gone over your head just let me know and ask again I will try and word it another way.

It might be an idea to give a vet a ring, some will talk to you over the phone.

most welcome If you look in my sig I in fact have three yellow faces, the second one the one in the middle and the one on the right under my name. So you can see there is a wide range of colour shade from this sort.

What a stunning bird I can see why you fell in love with him His is a yellowface type two cinnamon recessive pied. Its the cinnamon gene that is making him pale like and with the brown instead of black wings. I'm saying him but in that last picture he looks more like a she. Is that the lastest picture? Can you tell us what the cere looks like right now. Young Males have a bright pink cere that is normally smooth, recessive pied keep this colour all their lives. A young female is more blue with white ring around the nostrils. It goes a tan and then deep brown as they age. as to Breeding partners any normal blue will give you a chance to get more normal blues, yellow face normals, blue cinnamons, yellow face cinnamons and possible others. Cinnamon is a sex-linked gene and if your Pixie is a girl then it would be best to get another cinnamon to pair her with to get both males and females with that gene. (the males need two to show up) If you want more pied babies you would need to get another recessive pied to pair with.