robyn

Looking good Paulie. Makes you wonder how something so tiny and fragile can also be so tough.

Sounds about right looking at the picture. I remember reading that sometimes the size of the nostrils can give a clue, so looking at your centre bird which is male Bird on his right looks to have similar nostril size so could be, Hen, Cock, Cock. if that theory has any bearing. Male pied's I think can stay pinky/purple, a hen will turn the usual tan/brown colour. Until then I'm not sure

Pied's are a bit tricky, how old are your birds? Some of our expert members could tell you but they seem to m.i.a. again lately.

I agree with Nadene, your chicks look great, my hens usually throw bedding out before they lay, I have added it after a few eggs and they generally leave it at that stage. I add extra after chicks have hatched more for warmth and trying to stop hen sitting on chicks too tightly causing splayed chicks. As to fostering eggs I have had nests of 8-9 chicks with no problem, if I think Dad is going to have a big load feeding them I sometimes swap chicks that hatch at the same time into smaller clutch's so it eases the load. New chicks are okay but they won't accept older chicks that have feathered as they see that as an intruder Adding the seed when chicks are around the 2 week mark seems to help them heaps to be already cracking seed when they leave nest box. Can't help much with outcome from these Paulie, If your Olive is carrying violet you could possibly throw a violet, depends if your sky is split also.

Thanks Sherlock my Albino laid her first egg 11-8-2013.

Great looking start Witherd1, hope it's not to long before you get the rest up and running.

Sorry your first chick died. Usually when they hatch there should not be any egg sac left, just a dry little umbilical cord? dare I say. If they hatch with egg sac still visible it usually means they hatched early and will mostly die. The hen only feeds new chicks with a crop milk for a couple of days or so then Dad feeds Mum , Mum feeds chicks. I don't think there is any need to handle new chicks for a couple of days, if at all, unless it's to clean nest box etc I just lift lid to check box to see if there are any problems and leave the parents to "do their thing" .

Paulie. Rachelm that is a lovely picture of your daughter, one for the family album.

Wow, that WAS a long time waiting for an answer l.o.l. !! glad it worked and even though it's an old post someone in trouble with their bird may benefit from it.

Hi, If you really want her to have a friend, I'd agree with Paulie and say a cock bird would be best as they don't tend to fight much, 2 hens may fight. The cage size sounds o.k for 2 so unless you add a nest box you should not have any breeding problems.

Hi Maz, this post is very old but still some good advice in it. With the Aloe vera you slice off the hard outer skin first then put the inner gel part into water. I copied and pasted that section for easier reference.

Hi Krystean if you look right at the top of this forum in Pinned Items there is a post by Kaz. about sexing babies in the nest etc. This may help you decide what your chicks are. Or post pictures of the ones your not sure of, hopefully some of the experts may advise you.

First I would take any breeding cages out until you have done a lot of reading about rearing and breeding budgies. All information you need can be found on here somewhere, aviary's, cage set up, food etc. Secondly. No plants in cage whatever plants are safe they will shred them quicker than it took to put them in. Really check out safe plant list under the f.a.q. section on here. SILVER BEET IS okay. they love it. Also corn on the cob. carrots tops and all etc . nest box with soil in as instructed. What does this mean? We don't put soil in box's. maybe wood shavings, rolled oats, even kitty litter. but I have never heard of putting soil in. I would not put them in with chickens. A budgie only aviary would be best, some people have quail on the floor but an semi covered aviary with CEMENT OR PAVERS for flooring would be okay. soil floors bring disease as I would suggest could chickens. I hope this helps a bit but until you read up on things I would not even consider letting them breed. You have to know if they are in breeding condition, ages of birds, food requirements etc. Ask any questions you need to know and someone will get back to you. Good luck and keep posting.

Great news. I haven't been keeping up with everyone's progress either. Everyone gets tied up with their own "stuff" and it takes a while to catch up. Look forward to seeing your pics.

Just had a brief read of above link. I kept copy for further reading/digestion? I'm waiting to see results of my Albino hen to, violet opaline pied ? Cock bird. She's busy cleaning out box and sitting so I'm expecting eggs any day, she's 1st time Mum at 16 mths old.

Re May. Re may. (in case you only want 1 bird in picture.)

Hi if your Grey was with her on his own and eggs were clear, she also had Albino's with both Cock birds in with her I'd say it is your blue normal that is split Ino. You could test breed him with a normal hen that you know is not split and see what you get then? Just a thought. I'm no genetic expert by ANY means just picking up a clue here and there l.o.l.

Sorry to hear your selling out Daz. I have picked up some good information from your posts from previous years. Good luck with whatever is taking you away from our little friends.

I'm a bit confused with all this as I'm no expert on genetrics BUT one thing I think I picked up is: Albino is sex linked and no hen can be split sex-linked. As you say a grey hen had Albino chicks. I'd say that bit was passed by the father. Will have to re-read and digest the rest later l.o.l.

Hi, If your only going for pet types the kids picking the pair won't matter, half the fun is waiting to see what you get. You don't have to go all out for a breeding cage. old bookcases or even old tv cabinets with a wire front could be a start up cage. Looking at the job you did on aviary I think you could easily knock up something to get you started. An old pantry with doors removed could work. See what you come up with.

Hi, I don't think your bird is very old, around 4 mths maybe as faint bars still showing. I think HE ? Is a Cobalt Normal. Leaning towards male but not 100% sure.

Hi Bretto, It's really up to the birds, if they are in breeding condition and happy with their mate and conditions, nest box etc. nature will take it's course. The Cock bird stays with the hen in cage, Mum sits on the eggs, (laid 2 days apart usually and incubated for 18 days) until they hatch, Dad helps feed her, when chicks hatch Dad feeds Mum who in turn feeds chicks, first few days it's only Mum who feeds chicks, Dad helps out with feeding after that right up until chicks fledge and leave nest box. As older chicks leave nest Dad will feed them in cage until they learn to feed themselves, Mum will stay in box a fair bit with younger ones. You may find it takes about 2-3 weeks after pairing up before hen lays. I put wood shavings in nest box and the hens usually throw it out which is a good sign that they are preparing the nest box to lay. Hope this helps a bit. Good luck and keep us posted.

Paulie. I like Brutus, if you can take a bit of contrast off picture.? He looks a bit dark, but looks good for portrait style page.

Maybe if you contact the Wodonga Budgie club someone there may be able to help.

Do you think your band-aid trick would work on the chipped eggs Nadene? Maybe if the membrane is intact they might survive. Worth a try.