RJT

Hi Kaz, I am in Melbourne, the weather isn't too bad now, sunny days, cooler nights. It's just that I am going away for two weeks, thought it might be easier for my friend who is going to come and check on them each day, if they were all together in the aviary. I will leave it for another few weeks then. Thank you.

Hi, My aviary has been empty all winter ( I thought it was too cold for them out there), I moved the two pairs I had in there into two separate cages into my laundry. One lot have bred, and had five chicks, after the last one left the nest, I discovered there were two eggs, and since the hen has laid another five. (I wasn't sure whether to throw them out or not, so left them alone, in hindsight, probably not the right thing to do). I moved the chicks into a separate cage last weekend, as they were all cracking seed, and eating the vegies quite happily, and they seem to be thriving, and I was worried, if I left them in the cage with the parents, their may be problems with the new eggs. My questions are: 1. These chicks are now 6 weeks old, would it be too soon, to put them out in the aviary outside? (It is well protected from the weather.) 2. If the answer is yes, can I put the non breeding pair in the aviary with them? (they have all been sharing the same space in the small laundry, just separate cages) 3. If the answer is no, how old should they be? Robyn

Thank you so much Kaz for this post, I have thoroughly enjoyed following Dusty's progress, as I had never heard of 'feather dusters' prior to joining here. It is an awesome resource base. Dusty is just gorgeous, and now I also know how they sound thanks to your video. I loved the way he was sizing up the entry into the ice cream container. Very sad that his life will be so short, but somehow, that makes him all the more special. Robyn

Now that's getting scary for me GB, as I actually understood it! This will be the last lot of breeding for me for a while. Maybe in 12months when these babies are up for it, as kept one of Harry's offspring (cock) as a pet, and might try it with one of the violets hens from this clutch & see what happens - 12 months seems a long way off! I am hoping to get them all in the aviary by the end of November and out of my laundry. This will make it 12 birds in the aviary and I think that will be plenty for the time being. I am so glad you suggested getting the extra birds, thank you so much! Robyn

Thanks everyone, guess I will have to just wait to see, all are pretty friendly except Chick 4, who as I mentioned earlier, wastes no time in sinking the beak in....she bites HARD!.....so no doubt that she is definitely a hen. I will wait another week and put up some more pics, see if it's a bit more obvious then. I have a friend who would like one for her daughter, and would prefer to give her a male. Robyn

Hi GB, yeh the dad was the really deep colour. Only one is like the Dad, the other two have the mothers colours, except two of them have the same colour violet/blue as Dad on their backs & belly's. I get very confused when you all talk about the kinds they are, and what they are split to, they are healthy and happy, which is all that I worry about Chick 4 is a terror, is a major biter, and even that tiny, bites darn hard. The others aren't biters at all. Reminds me of the cobalt pied I got from you for Harry...she draws blood!

Hmm, I sent a fast reply on this, must have done something wrong for it not to turn up. Just wanted to say thanks to Rachel, I just love their little fat bodies at this stage in the growing process & Jimmy, I think your level of expertise is greater than mine, so thank you for your opinions on the sexes. Robyn

Hi all, these are the first chicks from this pair (Wally & Edna), which I got from GenericBlue (thanks GB) sometime last year. They have turned out to be fantastic parents, everything has gone great. Just wondering if I am getting it right (my guesstimates below). I apologise in advance for the pics, babies weren't very cooperative.. 1. Hen 2. Cock 3. Hen 4. Cock 5. Cock Thanks in anticipation! - Robyn Wally & Edna - (Parents) ALL 5 CHICKS CHICK 1 CHICK 2 CHICK 3 CHICK 4 CHICK 5

Hi Mlinzi, I don't have any advice as my experience is minimal compared to others on here, but you are to be applauded for researching all that you did, and recognising that something wasn't right and acting upon it immediately. You definitely have the bird's best interests at heart. Well done. I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy your new budgies, they are an absolute delight to have around. Robyn

Hi JJ, I have only had experience with one clutch, but I tapped on the nest box each time I would open the box day to let the hen know I was there. The first few weeks, every second day, I would take each chick out of the nest, and place them in an ice cream container (the hen would leave the box), clean it, put more oats & seed in there, then put the chicks back. All up would barely take me 5 minutes. Got to the point, that as soon as I tapped on the box, the hen would leave the nest. The older the chicks got, I was cleaning it daily, and having them out of the nest for longer periods. She was very accommodating, and I felt comfortable they weren't sitting in lots of poo, plus the poo & food sticks hard to their little legs, so it's good to check them often. I was also a bit paranoid about it! The outcome of it was that when they fledged, they were all extremely friendly, would perch or your finger, eat out of my hand. It was a nerve wracking experience, but I loved every minute of it, and thoroughly enjoyed each and everyone of their little character traits. Good luck Robyn

Very sorry to hear this Kaz, I have enjoyed reading the stories about Omelette and all her offspring, I am sure this has been a terrible shock for you. As for the planting, I planted a peppermint tree (Myrtle - you can now get a small variety) in a big pot, after reading one of your posts, and although it isn't very large yet, I plan on trimming it for my birds, as they love it. Perhaps Omelette would like something like that. Thinking of you - Robyn

Hi Adi, I am sure you will have endless pleasure with Paco, he/she is gorgeous and a perfect pet for you to have in your apartment! Good luck! - Robyn

When I went to the vet to have my chicks checked out, I just asked the vet nurse for some, and she gave me a small amount in a bottle with a syringe and didn't even charge me for it. I have just kept it in the fridge for 'just in case'. As it turned out, I went to my friends place, and noticed one of their birds looked like it scaly mites, so I came home and we did all her birds, (20) and there is still enough to do mine if there ever seems a problem. I think if the vet knew you, you could just ask for it. Robyn

I put mine in a bucket with hot water, gave it a scrub with the scrubbing brush then let it dry out in the sun for a couple of days. Robyn ps GB all birds are doing great, 3 of the babies went to new homes, and from what I hear are thriving. I kept one, who is friendly as, and he now rules the house!

Sorry to hear about your Dad, sounds like a stressful time all round. I don't know enough to give you advice, but do send wish both your Dad & Spike improve real soon. Robyn

Hi, I just put a cage in a seat, strap the seat belt around it, take out all the toys/swings etc (I left the purches), and they have been fine. I started out covering the cage, as I thought this would make them feel more secure, but part of it slipped off, and were way more vocal (to the point where I almost wanted to cover them up again!), so figured they were happy with the sun shining through the car window. Admittedly mine is just a 2 hour trip, but I do it several times a year. Robyn

thank you Alpaca Boy, there were four in the clutch. These two were the most friendly so I have been taming them to keep inside my house. I have the other two in separate cages, one I am working a lot with also, as a friend wants one, and the other is in a cage on it's own, it will step up on your finger, and you can pick it up, but I haven't worked with it as much, I think I will put it in the big cage with it's parents and the other pair I have eventually. I will try and get some more pics up soon, as I still am unsure of the sexes of them.

Thank you for the reply, the other chick is the youngest (39 days), and a much more placid chick than the white one. Should I separate them?

Hi, I'm just wondering, if anyone can tell me what's going on with the tail on the white budgie? This is the first born chick of my first clutch (49 days old now). I took them to the vet to be checked over, and have their wings trimmed, and the tail was fine then. Ten days later, this is the result. The two chicks are in a smaller cage until my other one is free'd up, but they do spend several hours outside the cage flying around the house. Should I be worried about it? Robyn

Hi Annie, I removed the nest box just prior to the last one leaving the nest box, I put an ice cream container on the floor of the cage, as the hen (Gladys) wasn't having much to do with them at that point, it was Harry feeding them all the time on advice from GenericBlue, who has helped me from day 1. I visited with her and came home with three birds, one being the mother of this lot. Gladys did lay a couple of eggs on the floor of the cage after the nest box was removed, so maybe I didn't remove it quick enough, but I just removed them, as she wasn't sitting on them. I handled the chicks twice daily from day one, gave a couple of taps on the nest box, to let Gladys know I was there, and would take each chick out one at a time initially for a few seconds, then longer as they grew, and put them back. Even now, when the oldest chick is 44 days old, I can just put my hand in the cage and they will hop on it, and let me take them out to play with. I have since, taken the oldest and the youngest chick out of the cage into a separate one, as I want to tame these two. I still handle the others a couple of times a day, and the hen hasn't been bothered at all the whole time. they are all still in the same cage and co-existing just fine. I do have to admit, I still get up every morning with a little dread in my heart that something might have happened. But that is just me being a worry wort! I have no doubt, that at some point something may go wrong, but I will deal with it when and if it happens, and in the meantime, have faith in the fact I have asked questions, taken the advice of people who know more than me and continue to worry, it's something I do well! :question: Now I am rambling....sorry...hang in there, the fact you voice your concerns, shows that you care :rofl: Robyn

Hi Annie, if it makes you feel better, I think what you are feeling is normal, well I hope so, as I felt the same way (first time for me). I worried through the whole process, questioning if I was doing things right, all the what if's, etc They have now fledged, and are all fine, however, I now stress over the parents turning nasty on them. This has been a fantastic experience, and I have 4 healthy baby budgies, but wonder if I can go through it all again in Spring, when I want to put down another pair. Good luck, it is a very exciting process, even if i found stressful. Robyn

Thanks everyone, when I first got Harry, there was much debate on here, as to what he was, and I don't think it was ever truly resolved Not sure if I've done this right not sure how to do the Click Here thing but this url is where the discussions on what he was were. http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....16&hl=harry Thanks everyone, I don't really care what sex they are, would just be nice to know as we are all thinking of names for them, but I don't think they will really care what I call them! Robyn

Hi GB, here are the latest pics. What are your thoughts on sex (my very inexperienced guesses in brackets!) RachelM suggested Chick 1 - male Chick 2 - male Chick 3 - male Chick 4 - female Chick 1 36 days (cock?) CHICK 2 - 34 days old (cock?) CHICK 3 - 32 days (hen?) Chick 4 29 Days (cock?)

I cook the egg in the microwave, then I nuke the egg shell till it is really brittle, then I crunch it up with a mortar & pestle and mix in with the egg, and give it to them that way. Robyn

Thanks GB I am, but I have found it very stressful (I'm a worrier!). She is a good mum just as you said she would be, and Harry has been fantastic too. Not to sure I will do this again, I kept waiting for things to go wrong. My friends can buy their own birds! I am kind of hoping Chick 1 stays white, but will be happy with whatever colour it turns out to be. Once again, thank you for all your advice! Rachel, thank you, Chick 4 is actually the friendliest too, and looks so scruffy compared to the others, as it's so much younger. Robyn