*Nerwen*

yep that's how I see it too Rainbow, I forgot to add last time thanks for the info about the ranks, I thought it was normal for one to be on the bottom, as Marine seems to be in at the moment.

well see the colour distribution is determined by how much pie genes the bird has (single or double) Breeders and show world people want the bar in the middle of the bird for a dominant pie like the one Kathy showed but really they can get patterns any old way. The iris is the bit to look for.

beautifully birds, it's great to see them all singularly and learn their names Have to say I have two birds like Sky, with only one side with spots, they looks so crooked don't they. rainbow a bit off topic but can you tell me if you have problems keeping all of you birds together at all? I'm sure it's answered somewere but I can find it just now. Do you have like a bird you know is the lowest rank in flock?

no I don't think so at all , mine was 30 X 22 X15 made from what a book said, it also stated that the thickness should be at lest 3 ply wood. which would be about the same thickness as Rainbows.

Sounds great, my boy sat in the nest box too, I think it more to do with being together than him helping with the eggs, but I have read about that.

:(Laughing out loud): yes the big fancy fish tanks.

*Choke* wow they are a bit on the high side of pricey, (Laughing out loud). They look really nice but I can't see my little ones in one of them, It's just so very diffferent.

yeah I didn't handle them until around that age too, the youngest was around 2-1/2 weeks when I really started to touch them. I didn't think it was safe to touch them when they were still bald.

:(Laughing out loud): oscarchik101 i don't think she meant crayons, It would be better to be safe than sorry I would go out and by a pen that stats on the side 'water based'. Or you can not worry about marking them, it is only so you know which egg is which and so know when it should hatch. I didn't number mine and just waited until I was sure the others wouldn't hatch any more before taken them out.

Yes Adam it makes perfect sence and I'm sure I knew that somewere in this brain of mind just never put two and two together. Is the show breeders only want to to keep the ones they will use and need to empty the pens for furture breeding. I never tought anyone could make a living out of breeding budgies just for pet shops. I know now that the next bird I'm getting will be from a breeder, one becuase I see knew it will be the heathest one I can get and two I want to know the hidden genes in the bird to match well with the baby I keep. (Yes I plan to continue wthis breeding thing, having been bitten and all)

oh poor Rainbow (both the person and the bird) *good vibes sent your way* I hope he learns to live with it the porr little man. the only Idea I had reading the post was the same as julies but a friend in the cage with him and he may settle down a bit and eat better. Also have the branches as low as possable for him in case he does fall.

well we would need some judges and then maybe (puppydog eyes to adam) a special forum area just for the show. Then the different classes can have their own threads and the people wanting to be judged can put their picture in the right class and then the judges picture the best. Class ideas anyone? I've seen a show but not any showing (judging) In aussie land they have a BIG show called the Ekka and I go to it to see all the little birds (and lots of other animals)

Or just put some wire around part of the bottom for the rabbit to hope about in them you will not have to worry about bird trying to laid on it or peck at the rabbit. I don't know but It's an Idea to think over. The niose shouldn't be a big problem budgies seem to be able to nap right next to another that is singing at the top of their lungs.

I've had sand int he bottom one time and my birds loved to have a dig about in it, it didn't hurt them from what I could see and one even made a game for herself with the stones I but in for interest. I've also used newspaper and found that it wasn't a problem at all but them my birded didn't want to rip it like others. Now I have a grate over the bottom, it was the best cage I could find for them even if it didn't let me talk it off I I wanted too, but the pan underneath is white so I don't add anything now, it is easy to see the dropping and it's not that mch hearder to clean thant he others, just a bit of water and a scraper for the extra tough bit and it all clean again. The only thing people are worried about with the grates on the bottom is a foot falling though the holes and the bird getting stuck and scaring themselfs cuasing more damage. Let me tell you know I've just had three babies learn to walk and balance on that and not one of them hurt themselfs or miss the metal and slip a foot in a hole, so I can't see what folks are worried about.

wow adam that's the first time I've hear (read) it stated so simply. Only the week after I started to try and breed my two did I find my own home town breeder society. And they only meet the second week of each month which had just past. But at least I got a couple of numbers and names so I can visit them the next time I need a new buddy (or a few) oh and what does HQ stand for? If it was TQ I would guess Top Quality. As to budgeover's experience well it's was a blessing to all the serviouring budgies and the other animals there that you had to go through that. I just wonder how many others walked into that place and thought nothing of it, or even the ones that left but then did nothing.

just to add a note to that, if you are as new as I was when I started and have no Idea what that last part ment candling is when you shine a bright light on the eggs and look for faint red lines to tell if they are fertile.

the time may vary a bit for each bird. But if you have the others still in the cage with her and the **** then that may be bothering her a bit not to sit on them. (unless you have then in a big avery, with more than one box) It took mine a while to stay in there for longer than a few minutes. Try to leave her alone for most the day it maay help mine would dash out if she heard my vioce or a niose.

Both of mine ingnore broccoli and just go mad over carrot but I have given some lettuce and then have eatten that up, tring the egg thing tommorrow.

I can't fuind any store that has egg food around that was why I was asking. I will try the egg mashed with the carrot, they love that already so they may eat it with the egg.

okay I thought I would ask what sort of extra stufff can you give your budgies when they are feeding young ones? I have heard of egg food but not at all sure how you make it. My two seem to be begging me for somethign extra I give them as much corrot as I think is safe for them becuase they love that o bits, it adds up to at the most half a carrot for one day. Plus i give them a spay of millet each day which they eat as well, they are not growing fat at all so I believe it is helping with the feeding. I'm just windering what other things I can try even if I don't think they will eat it.

yay I'm so gald he did turn out to be white Oh he is a cutie. And I love the pics of him upside down.

Thank you all And hath yes I understand that you need to sort of close yourself off a bit to things like this it was just that everything was going so well so someone was telling me to keep a careful watch still. When I look back over his time here, I believe there may have been something wrong with him way back, becuase he was not deloping as fast as the others, he was almost a week and a half and my that time the others where getting black dots on there back the start of their fluff be he wasn't. THanks again it make me feel better that people half way around the world are sending be good vibes

Thank you rainbow the bit about them making niose all the time eased my worries a lot, but the little one is dead, I just didn't want to believe when I first started that post. I didn't clean it all out and in fact I just moved clean shaving that where plied up over the other side of the box in the space, already most of it has been shifted back there. I read what Hath said he did and did that, got a shoebox filled it with some sawdust and then cleaned the box and but them back, freckle and pie were still eating carrot by the time I was done. I'm sure they are okay, I have seen them with stuff around their beaks and sometimes bits of gunk on their back that look like half eaten seeds. Just first time and all you panic at every thing that goes wrong

I think on of my baby budgies is dead !!! I have look just then and he wasn't moving at all I couldn't see him breathing and when I picked him up he didn't move at all. Mom was not happy with me doing at she squealed the roof of the house. I hope I didn't cause this since I moved and handled the young ones to clean the box out. It is my little one he was one week and 2 days old. Do you think the others are okay? They have feathers fluff over their crops so they only way I can tell they are being feed is the side, and they all seemed to have a swelling in that area. Did I do this too early? I also just removed the last egg today and now this? I'm so upset and now I'm worried about the others, everything was running smoothly. Is it right for them to cheep-squeak every time one or both of the parents go in the box, roughly every 10 mins to 1/2 hour or so? Should I keep a very close watch on them or just start feeding them something now just in case they are not getting enough. There are no marks on the baby so I don't think either of the parents attacked it. I just had a look and they are back in mating mode, he is feeding her on the branch which since the eggs where around I hadn't seen at all, any time he feed her it was in the box. What should I do?

Mine has that too, sometimes you can see it and other time you can't as if a feather is sitting over it I believe is just the blood supply like Rainbow said, like the viens you can see in your elbow or wrist.