robyn

Hi Ratsy, maybe Skye lost weight feeding his brood and it slipped off!!!. Seriously though, it was probably split as you said. Have you decided yet whether your keeping all your babies? It would be a shame after all your hard work, I think the picture of your cage looked big enough for six, pics can be deceiving though. My comp. been playing up and I've missed a bit of bbc. I've had withdrawral symptoms and all.

Joel, if you look 3 posts down from your own "Deb's" post,breeding set up, Go into her post and have a look at her cage picture. That is about what you should be aiming for. A picture paints a thousand word's they say. If you can manage somthing similar you should have no trouble producing happy little budgies. Good luck with it but be prepared first.

Great to see persistence paid off , great job from following up for your little mate. Hope he improves with new medication. to Vetafarm.

Nice birds, I also don't know mutations, I guess rec pied? some opaline,plus???? I have similar marked birds but mine are white not yellow. Very dark wing markings also. Were yours all from same clutch or different nests? What were parents?

Wouldn't have thought of that. One more for the memory bank.

It doesn't me nothing. If Hulk is paired to a normal all cocks produced from this pairing with LOOK normal. Some Hens will look normal and other Hens will be Opaline. Some of the cocks will be split Opaline but the only way you will be able to tell is if you breed with them. Visually they will all look the same. And bear in mind it is only a 25% chance that you will get any cocks that are split to opaline. So just because you have 4 chicks it doesn't mean that you will have 1 of each possibility, you may get all normal cocks and all normal hens (you have a pied gene involved in this pairing so some 'normals' may be pied and some 'opalines' may be pied too but that just complicates the %'s even more :hap: ) Are you confused yet? It's all pretty simple once you get your mind around the basics, but then if you're like me and don't keep reminding yourself you get confused again. Thank's Jimmy, I think I'm just going to act dumb, and when I get asked "what type is that bird" I'll just say a budgerigar.l.o.l. :doh: Then again I suppose I'll keep plugging away until it sinks in. I should get it in a couple of years.

robyn, if you look at your previous pairing of Hulk you will see you had 7 from 8 opaline chicks. The only chick that wasn't was a hen and she was normal, right? Opaline is a sex linked gene, So... If Hulk was Opaline all the chicks would've been opaline, not just 7 out of 8. The reason why we can say it is Hulk that isn't Opaline is: a) we've seen a picture the chick that wasn't Opaline was a hen. Kaz, why would you get split Opaline cocks from a Normal/Opaline cock X Normal hen? shouldn't you only get Opaline Hens, Normal Hens and Normal Cocks? I think I've got some of it. So Hulk being split opaline, means nothing if he's not paired with an opaline hen? Plus only hen chicks may/may not be opaline if he is?(with an opaline)

As I said in my posts above................. to have hens and cocks opaline from him the mother must be opaline, because he isnt. He is split opaline only. To get both sexes in chicks being opaline, both parents must either be opaline or the mother opaline and the dad split for it. Thank's Kaz, So if I bred Hulk with a normal or non-opaline HIS opaline/ wouldn't come through? Would his chicks be considered split opaline in either case?

Hi Jimmy, Yes Hulk is the green bird in the picture. If he is split opaline, he must still be producing opaline chicks as I had hens and cocks opaline? Is this right?So what is the difference between split and opaline as far as what results you get? Is the green bird here Hulk? Hi G.B. I do have a sky-blue cinnamon but paired him up with a green cinnamon hen. Don't know if you remember my long flighted chicks? She is the mother of those. As he is only a smaller pet type, decided to try for bigger bird but lessen the long feather thing. If I put him with above pretty hen I would only get smaller chicks I think is this right?

Hi again, Just answered myown question. Looked at Hulk again and he is opaline, not a lot, just a fuzzy look through his feathers behind his head.It wasn't as pronounced before his last moult but definately there now.

Hi Kaz, Am I right in saying opaline is sex linked? If so Hulk and hen he was with last breeding, had 7 opaline chicks from 8 (1 gr normal hen). Three are hens and 4 are cocks.All visual opaline so doesn't that mean both parents would be opaline? I hope so or I'm still all at sea. p.s. his mate was (don't quote me) Type 2 y.faced rec. pied spangle grey hen.(my bitzer everything hen)

Thank's all. But the thanks must go to Matt for his advice on the problem. Hope it's been a help to other's who may come across the same problem. I get some live chicks.

Early days yet, BUT just candled eggs. (1st egg 7 days.) RED SPIDER VEINS SHOWING IN AT LEAST ONE. :happy-dancing:P.S. UP TO FIVE EGGS SO FAR.

No haven't seen the moths Nubbly and we have a bug zapper on garden shed, not far from aviary. I thought that might attract any away from aviary. Obviously not. I have seed stored in plastic drums and no sign of them in there so they arn't already in seed bags.

Hi Ratsy, Yes she's only small, first time breeding. I put her in with Hulk (big green bird) as he is bigger size, he bred some lovely chicks last lot, and he's a very protective Dad and very funny, he "marks time" at front of cages when I'm cleaning until I get to put in the green's etc. He's green opaline, carrying blue I've been told so I'm waiting to see what I get.

Looks great Deb, I suppose a bit later you could slip a divider in between and have a ready made kindy cage for chicks? If Mum And Dad have second round.

Look's like six months well spent by the look of the results.

Hi Ratsy, It's a big leaning curve from start to finish of your first round of chicks. Your on the last little bit now. Are the chicks starting to eat seed on their own now? We would love another picture or two of them out of the nest. Once their feeding themselves Skye.s job is done and Marigold should be o.k. with chicks if no nest box in sight. I'm with you about the forum, it has been an absolute wealth of help to me as well during my first breeding attempt.

Thank's Macka I've ditched the feeder on shelf and left the hanging one, hope they don't migrate to it. I did find web and tiny grubs under husk in feeder shelf, I was worried that if birds ate them, could it be harmful or just a bit of protein.

Thank's Kaz. She's just laid her very first egg, so we'll see how she goes.

This is back view, just thought cheek patches looked spangle like. Thank's

HI ALL,having a spot of bother posting, BUT Hi A Could anyone say if this hen is carrying spangle?

way out suggestion, could you try shuting hen inside nest box at niht for a day or so? To see if she gets the idea of incubating?

Thank's Kaz. It's the seed in the aviary that's the problem.I have a seed container which has a lid, with a tray type piece in front. They seem to be getting into the open tray and building webbs up into container.My hanging feeder,touch wood, seem's o.k.can't work out how to stop them.

Hi All, Have been finding webbing in my seed containers. Some type of weevil I presume. Does anyone know something that will deter these bugs without harming birds? Also could they be harmful to birds if they injest the ?grubs/moths whatever is making the webbing.