robyn

Just caught up with your post. I suppose by now your chicks are fully fldged ready to fly the nest. Do you have more pics on how they turned out? :hi:

Congratulations on a great picture.

Sorry you have lost your hen Jack, it's hard to know "after the event" what may have caused it. Was she a very old hen? Not that that matters I lost a 2 yr old after a few squarks she died on the floor out of the blue. It's worse not knowing I think, if they were sick you have something to work on.

Hi, I may be wrong here but isn't the "Green Tail" Chubba Chub? The photo Kaz has shown, in last reply I thought was Marigold & Skye with their chicks. Chubba Chub and co are the only clutch of Marigold which was when green tail popped up. Can you clarify this Ratsy? As I'm confused.

Hard to say what happened to this little mite. As Kaz said I wouldn't change nest box now, you said you had 6 eggs ? If you change things now you risk the others. Put it down to the trial's of breeding and see how you go with the rest. Chick looked to have full crop etc so parent's must be on the ball that way. Good luck with other eggs and post to let us know how you get on.

Great news, I think bubs are a bit quiet when they hatch because it's a big effort. They seem to pant a bit and lay quiet for a while, I actually got a bit on video yesterday of mine hatching, nearly missed it, it kicked off the shell and then lay there panting for a while then wriggled in among the other four, Mum even came into box and kicked out shell while I had lid off, and I got some dirty looks as well.

I haven't had a major blunder yet. What I did do was use plastic inserts in nest box's. Food for thought for new breeders. Hen threw out all bedding material leaving slippery floor with no grip, I ended up with three splayed leg chicks from one nest. I managed to correct them in time (thank's to advice found here) all are fine now. Won't do that again. Did lose a lovely grey chick because I tried to take picture in shed, bird startled and even though it had never even flown before it dissapeared into the sunset without a backward look. Moral never take bird out of enclosed area!! Touch wood nothing worse to report. : P.s. Sorry about your grey-wings Kaz hope they don't repeat that again.

Great to see your first clutch is up and running, you can learn heaps just observing the birds behaviour. Good learning curve for future, it's not such a nervous event next time around.

It's the thorns you need to watch out for. Any scratch or stab from them can become infected, as Hubby found out. Just be extra careful that you remove all of them as I presume birds could suffer as well.

Hi, just a couple of thoughts, maybe she's bare underneath from the constant incubating etc. If she's plucking at her feathers, is she actually pulling them out? She has an oil gland above her tail they use for preening could this be what she's doing? Also I think I read that a sick bird will not stand on one leg (others can correct if this is wrong) so if she's doing that a lot she may just wants a good break from motherhood as other's have said. Good luck with them and keep reading while they recover.

Thanks Dean, After treating him last season his cere returned to bright blue, then he bred some lovely chicks. I haven't paired him up, would it be worth pairing him while his cere is brown to see if he "can perform"? or re-treat him to see if that works. I don't want to risk him by extra iodine if it can be harmful.

Hi All, Had a problem with a bird (AQUARIUS) with hormone imbalance last season, cere turned brown. Was advised lack of iodine, fixed him by adding iodine to water etc. he went on to fill 10 eggs rear 9 chicks. He has been good up to now, his cere has again turned brown. My problem is, what do I do now? Do I increase the iodine by caging him for treatment? or is it dangerous to up the dosage, I have had soluble iodine in aviary water for all birds at a rate of 7 drops per litre. He must have been getting iodine from the water as he would have to drink. He hasn't been tried for breeding again yet and hasn't shown any interest in hens etc. Any suggestions greatly appreciated, as he bred beautiful chicks last time and was hoping for more this season.

Lovely chicks, well done. There is nothing like your VERY FIRST clutch making it to leaving the nest stage. Welcome to BBC. you can't go wrong on this site!! :rip:

Hi Squeak_Crumble, sounds like foster Mum has accepted your little one so I'd leave her there and keep check she is being fed. Are there other eggs still to hatch in original nest? If she still does't feed them I'd move them straight away to foster nest, it will save you trying to feed chicks with school etc. Sorry just re-read you said 2 fertile so I guess that nests clear now. Good luck with chick.

Sure you haven't run over the proverbial chinaman Dean? Well you either laugh or cry what else can you do. Hope all your bad luck has been depleted now and it's better times ahead.

Hi All, Dean mentioned weak chicks, dry membrane. I had one yesterday as well, shell partly broken, fully formed but dead chick it looked dry as well. I haven't had this before with a fully formed chick. What is the cause of dry membrane etc? Is it overheating of eggs with other chicks lying all over them etc or lack of humidity etc. 2 more eggs i'm watching as well as they seem to be darkening and about due to hatch. Can anything be done to increase humidity etc if that's the problem as it's been a few warmer days here out of the blue.

Hi tomlou, I'm not up with genetics either but I think a Cock can be split opaline but a hen can't be- she either is visual opaline or she's not, she can't be split opaline as it's a sex linked gene. BUT don't quote me, Kaz and others could tell you more than I. Don't know about the d/f bit. either sorry.

Hi Kaz, I'm fairly certain, in this case he's not split. He's the long feathered fellow I tossed up whether to breed him or not. Both his parents were cinnamon, one olive, one lt green. I'm waiting to see how his own chick's turn out. The hen is only a little pet type so I'm hoping long feather gene will be lessened.

Great news all round. It also highlights the fact not to rely on cuttle bone etc alone. As with the iodine, we don"t know which birds are eating it. Great lesson for us all, thank's for the post. Hope birds keep improving.

Congratulations Jack, Lovely colour, great picture.

Hi Kaz, Probably, when they feather up. Mum is w'f sky opaline spangle, Dad is Dom. pied violet opaline (I think). Foster Mum is Y'F rec cobalt pied. Dad is cinnamon Olive. So any spangle or opaline should be fostered chick. As mine aren't show birds it doesn't really matter only for future breeding of chick. Mum and foster Dad are from show stock so size could go either way, if I can't tell from colour.

Update on egg. Fostered egg hatched to-day, I'd marked egg before fostering it and it and one of foster Mum's eggs both hatched so I have 2 new pinky's, now 3 chicks and 2 eggs in nest.

Hi Dean, How's things going now? Have any of your fertile eggs hatched since your "mishaps" shall we say? Hope things are looking a bit more optimistic for you.

Hi Dean, Don't throw in the towel yet. Reading through your results, sounds like (to a novice breeder that is) you don't seem to have any disease problems, as such, more like inexperienced hens/cocks etc. If you have new birds they may not have been used to your feeding regime, different vege's seed etc. new aviary, partners etc. I suppose it all adds up. I'd say take a deeeep breath, smile and put them down for a second go now it's warming up. I've just got five new chicks, first for this season. Already lost some eggs, my fault but the birds seem to have settled now. Good luck from here on just know you are doing your bit and the birds will sort out their bit.