Finnie

I think it's a hen. Can you get a photo where the color is not so washed out?

That's great, Dave! Looking forward to seeing the photos of your new birds. Maybe we can get Kaz and others to post photos of theirs, too.

I agree with Hilly on the budgie, and I know nothing about zebra finches.

Hi. If the parents are both greywings, then there is no way they can produce a black wing chick. (By the way, all the birds in that photo are just beautiful!!) However, the view of the mother doesn't tell us anything about her wing markings. She has a nice strong violet color, so she could be a clearwing, a full body greywing, or perhaps, you would know this better than I could, she could be a spangle, where the spangle markings are so thin, that they appear grey. But if that were the case, then you would be seeing a lot more black wing babies from her. So I guess that idea isn't much help. It's too bad you can't get a photo of Speckle. Can you get a photo of the mother from behind? Edit: In case anyone is wondering why roseydoo posted the same photo and question twice, and Hilly and I posted similar answers, it's because I had to merge two separate topics together. Hilly had answered in one, and I had answered in the other. So now everyone should literally be on the same page.

To make swings, I use leftover pieces of dowels from when I cut my perches. I drill two holes through that, on either end. I bought some wire from the craft store that is fairly flexible, but not too weak, so it will hold its shape somewhat. I cut the wire to the length I want, depending on how big of swing I am making. in the center of the wire, I loop it around a key ring to make the hanger. Then I string beads or buttons (or alphabet blocks, I love those too) onto the two ends of the wire until the wire is almost full. Then I poke the ends of the wire through the holes I drilled in the piece of dowel and with a needle nose pliers I make a small loop and poke the very tip of the wire back into the hole, so it is not exposed. The loop keeps the dowel from falling off the wire. If I am adding bells to hang below the dowel, I put those on before I twist the loop.

Hi Robyn, I had a hen with a similar problem. What ended up fixing it for her was that I plucked all of the damaged feathers out, and they grew back in better. But I had to do it twice, because the first time, some grew back good, and a few were still ratty and broken. I also put her down to breed the second time I plucked them, hoping that she would be too distracted with a mate to pluck herself. (I think that was the key, although I wouldn't normally think breeding a bird with a problem could help solve the problem!) I'm not really sure what started her problem. One of my theories is that she was clipped in the pet shop as a young baby, and they either did it too young, or else too short. So that when she molted and began growing new feathers, it irritated her to the point of her self mutilating. Another of my theories is that I put her into my large hen flight before she had regrown any flights, and she may have just kept breaking them as they grew in by trying to fly, and constantly falling. ( I Should have kept her in a small cage until they regrew, but who knows, maybe not true.) Once her problem started, I isolated her in a small cage, but that didn't help. I put a male friend in with her (no next box that time) and that didn't help either. It wasn't until I started plucking out all the mutilated feathers that I had any luck. (In her case, I thought maybe mites, but no, it wasn't) Once she grew in good feathers, her following molts were all fine, in fact, I forgot there was ever a problem. She had ten chicks, and they were all fine. I really think for her it was behavioral. I studied up on French Molt at the time, too. I found that it strikes the young in the nest box. If they survive, then it varies what effect it has. They either miss their tails permanently (runners) or as adults you can't tell they ever had it. If an adult gets exposed, they theoretically could be carriers, but you wouldn't see symptoms. The people writing about it didn't seem to be able to know if an adult can catch it. I doubt that your case is French Molt. He would have shown symptoms at fledging, and he would have had some dead or affected siblings. To me it looks like someone has been chewing those feathers, so I hope you are able to get it stopped. Hope something I rambled on about here can help you.

That blue you had last year, was it produced by your greens, or did you buy it in? Just curious.

I know I'm chiming in late, but it just goes to show that there are some baby budgies whose ceres keep everyone guessing, even the experts. It's those middle of the road ones that stump me, too, and I've had them end up going in both directions. Nice thing that hens will eventually turn brown, and remove all doubt.

If you look through the health section of the forum, you will find a lot of topics about scaley face and ivermectin. Here is one of the most recent ones for you: http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=32180 An easy source to buy Ivermectin on line.

If you are able to take the boys in to an avian vet (not a normal vet- you would be wasting your money), then I would take them in now, and not wait for them to show symptoms. By then it may be too late, as you can see that your hens each died on the first day of their symptoms. Testing might be able to let the vet know what to treat them for, and in a timely manner. But it is also possible that the test could come back inconclusive, if whatever it is hasn't built up enough in the males yet. And it is also possible that they will have a natural immunity to fight it off, and they could be lifelong carriers, but never suffer from a single symptom. Each person has to decide for themself how much they are willing to spend on vet visits and testing.

Oh, that reminds me of a great T-shirt I saw at a bird fair once, but my husband wouldn't let me buy it. It said "Why, yes, I do own a bird. Why do you ask?" And it had a white splotch on the shoulder!

I agree with Hilly, except that to get violet, you need to also have a dark factor, and it didn't come from the light green dad, so mom must be cobalt, not sky. Violet factor can be hard to see on yfs, so maybe mom is violet. But dad could also be violet, because green sometimes masks violet. If you are really good, you can see violet on a green, but I think most of the time you can't. It's possible that the mom could be double factor dom pied. Did any of the chicks come out not pied? It's also possible that she could be both visual recessive pied and dom pied at the same time. But you wouldn't be able to tell that, because the chicks would only be split to the recessive pied. Testing her with a recessive pied mate could be tricky, too, because the chicks could come out looking just like mum, which gets you right back to square one. If you could prove that every single chick she produces is split to recessive pied, then that would be a good indicator, but gee, that would be a lot of test matings, and probably not worth it! Yeah, I would agree that the surprises you get from breeding budgies and the fun of trying to figure out what genes your birds have is what makes it all worth it. Once one of my customers pointed out that it was kind of like a big science project. That was a pretty good observation.

Oh, I'm so sorry about George! When you breed, you have to be prepared for these things to happen sometimes. But fortunately, it is pretty rare, I think. I've only ever had two drop dead from unknown causes, in my four years. They were both around 5-7 months old. Since you only had him a week, will the breeder you got him from give you a replacement? Some won't, but you could ask. One tip I would give you, is to never pick out one that has anything questionable about it. So skip the ones with ratty tails. (Don't mean to criticize George, he looked fine, but maybe there really was a connection.) Make sure their eyes are bright and healthy looking, and their nostrils and ceres and vents are clean. Check their behavior to make sure they are strong and active, and not tired and listless. (These are just general guidelines for the benefit of anyone who may be reading, not directed at you and your breeder specifically.) In general, if I'm looking at a seller's birds, and I see any at all in the group that have obvious signs of illness, I take a pass on all of that seller's birds. If one is sick, the others could be unaffected, but still carriers. And your birds at home may not have the same immunities. As for the veggies, you might try mixing up what form you offer them. Try chopped, grated, cut in match sticks. You might stumble across a form that perks their curiosity and interest. Some of my birds tried greens when I offered them sliced into shreds. Once they try one form, they will be more likely to try the others. Good luck.

I'm not sure, Jono, but if you go to the home page of that site, there is a field where you can search for your nearest retail outlet. They might not carry all products, but if they receive enough interest in it, they might decide to stock it. Worth checking on. http://www.vetafarm.com.au/

Look what I found advertised in the coupon insert from yesterday's newspaper! My first reaction was "Oh please, how stupid!" But then I got to thinking that they rarely ever make anything budgie themed, so maybe I should support them by buying one. Of course, it would be a complete waste of $20, and I imagine that in a few years it would end up as a Goodwill donation. I think they forgot to put as a sales feature that you don't have to clean up after it, either!

He looks pretty healthy. Maybe it's from other birds in that aviary biting on his tail. Nutritional issues could also be a factor. Have you tried to get them to eat veggies? Since they are young, it shouldn't take too long for them to pick up on it, and a variety of veggies is good for their health.

Hi Yuki, welcome to the forum. One thing I would also mention, is that when she pecked at your lip to make you say "ouch" and open your mouth, that will teach her that when she bites you, you will do what she wants. It won't be too long before she starts using bites to get her way and control you. And her bites will get harder and harder. It sounds like right now she is nice and gentle with you, and you want to encourage that. So try to only reward her when she nibbles gently. If she bites hard, I know it won't be easy, but try not to yell or say "ouch" too excitedly, because making their owner "dance" and "sing" can become a really fun game to a bird. It's a way of rewarding her for her bite. So try to ignore any bites, or if she is persistant, then teach her that biting ruins the game and earns her cage time. Hope these tips help.

Hi, welcome! It's great that you are reading up on how to breed them before you start. If you go to our FAQs section, you will find lots of articles that can help steer you through the whole thing.

No, it is a female. The yellow one is a male, so you have a nice pair there. Wait until you are sure they are at least a year old before you breed them. First time parents sometimes dont get it right, and if they are immature, it makes it worse. If you have no idea on their ages, assume they were two month old babies when you bought them, and wait for a year after that, to make sure. They look pretty young to me in those photos. Welcome to the forum.

Here is a link to an old topic by Chrysocome http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=27204&hl=foraging Here is another thread http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=28950&hl=foraging I think you can make things out of toilet paper tubes, too. Maybe stuff some paper and seeds inside it, tie it near a perch.

Birdlove, you obviously won't be able to put him outside once winter comes. Also, I would be careful if you do put him out once in a while, to make sure he doesn't come into contact with wild birds, especially their droppings that might fall onto his cage. I honestly don't think the sunlight matters that much for pets that are not breeding. But if you are concerned, you can buy full spectrum light bulbs to shine on his cage during the day.

http://www.vetafarm.com.au/products/AVIMEC-50mL.html Here is a link for anybody who wants to find it.

Hi Spencer. I'm sorry I didn't see this question before. It's been a month now, so those eggs have probably hatched into growing chicks. That would keep your cock busy, so he shouldn't be lonely any more. I was going to mention that when a pair is breeding, you shouldn't take them in and out of the cage for play time. The cock may seem bored, but his job is to feed the hen, since she is in the box and won't come out a whole lot for eating and drinking. (She'll come out some, but the more the cock feeds her, the better. You might also keep a piece of millet in the box for her.) Some people don't put toys in breeding cages, but I always put in a few, and especially a swing. It gives the cock something to do, and the toys are good for the chicks to experience when they fledge. When the chicks are grown and your pair isn't breeding anymore, that would be a good time to work on building trust with your birds. Getting him used to your hand like you have been doing is a good start. Maybe you can check around your house to make it more bird safe, and then they can spend more time out of the cage with you. Good luck. Let us know how the chicks are coming along.

Thank you Birdluv and Jodie. I have to get busy making some more toys, too. I'm short on swings right now.

Oh, drat that limited computer memory! Hope you can make it till Tuesday.