Ratzy

Hey Taylor. Are you colony breeding? That doesn't often go too well, I'd recommend cabinet breeding instead, that way you won't lose chicks and eggs to other hens. Just because the hen is too young it doesn't mean she won't breed, but it's not really advisable. I'd wait. I don't think it really matters what time of the year it is, but it would probably depend where you are.

Oh, she is. Had four chicks from five eggs last year. Sold one, kept the rest.

Just sort of sponge off the vent maybe? Heat lamp is needed. Otherwise, I don't really know, sorry. Never had dirty vent before really.

Okay, I'm starting this journal... may not work out. Right now Marigold and Skye are down to breed, and once Zeus comes out of moult I will hopefully pair him up with either Lexi or Thimble when they are in condition. My other hens are 6 and 8 months old respectively, can't breed just yet. Next year maybe. I have had problems with Marigold, so I'm not getting my hopes up and I'll be watching her extra closely. It turned out that she didn't have egg binding that time. She never passed an egg. Learnt not to get too worried about her egg laying, she seems fine. I know Marigold and she is a strange bird. Never has a blue cere, and doesn't pass the egg usually until there is a box, even if the egg is developed. It was suggested she was an internal layer one time - not knowing what that was, I put in a nest box and there was an egg within three hours, which disproves that. Any sign of trouble, and that nest box comes straight out. I've made a new nest box, which is about 4 times the size of those regular ones. It's more a cockatiel size. So far she's kicked around the nesting material. No hand rearing this time round, it would be pretty hard while school is on. ANyway, wish me luck! EDIT: Marigold is the hen in my siggie.

That one looks TCB yf? Maybe?

Sorry guys, I really should hold my tongue a lot of the time. Just touchy subject for me. I'll try to stay out of this thread then ( Yeah, I'm a really intimidating 13 year old! )

I have lost two budgies and a cockatiel to the great outdoors. I'd like to think that they found good homes but what is more likely is that they died within the week. Personally, I am a violent person and would slap anybody who told me they were releasing their captive birds - right across their face.

Hope your cock continues to improve Squeak. Just wanted to comment on the tank thing - When Marigold had egg binding she was in one, and she recovered fine. It was pretty big though, heat lamp at one end and the over end was dark and cooler. That tank is 160L though, that would make a difference, wouldn't it? It was easier than using a cage, and I could monitor her easier.

Is it just me or is Sparkles a TCB???

At a rough guess ( it'd be better with bigger pics ), the 2 hens are very young, probably 2-6 months, and the cock maybe 6-10 months. I'd wait for someone else to have a crack though.

Or it could have been a dud breeder I showed him pics of Chubba Chub's green tail and he told me he'd moult out of it lol, even after I'd told him he was 15 months old and had already had a few major moults and a few minor ones. Ha ha, the other breeder I spoke to told me he'd never grow out of it and it was just a throw back gene ( that's what all mutations originally were, weren't they? ). That cock was in a cage with three other TCB's ( no other mutation ) and when I look at it I just think TCB. I'll try to get better individual pics over the weekend.

Honestly, I don't know, I'm horrible with mutations, but that was what the breeder told me.

Yes, I do have two TCB's. One is dom pied, the other isn't.

I say both males.

how on earth could you mistake this bird for a recessive pied ? Um I don't know, maybe because it is a pied bird? I can't see it's iris' , and I am don't specialise in pied's or anything. I was only having a guess. Ratzy, no offense or anything On the rare occasion I do clip my birds wings, I normally do them longer, that's all! At least you did them with sharp scissors and their not all ragged and patchy?Also, is the cinnamon grey in the second picture a cinnamon or not? Just wondering No offense taken! I just don't want them escaping from the quarantine cage, so I cut them a bit shorter. And that is a cinnamon grey Thank you everyone for the mutations! PS - Clipped birds are fine in my aviary. My other cockatiel is clipped and is doing well. And the budgie behind the cockatiel ( I think ) is an opaline TCB dom pied cock.

Thanks I thought rec pied too but she has irises, but I didn't have a better picture. Confession time - I actually did their wings . That's how I was told to do them lol.

I now have 13 budgies! 8 are in quarantine right now with a cockatiel. I got them all at the bird fair, and thank you Hilly for those three beautiful cocks and all that gear!!!! I have all of their ages down, and no breeding for at least 4-6 months . None of them are over a year old, which is fine. That 'greygreen' spangle cock I think Hilly said was violet green I think? I'm fairly sure I know what most of them are, but help is appreciated! And HUGE thank you to member Hilly for giving me all this!

Well, it's been four days and she's looking very healthy now She went outside yesterday with the other budgies for a few hours and really enjoyed it. I saw her eating, drinking, preening and demolishing the gum leaves. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have survived if she had egg binding for four days, would she? Must have been a freak thing, she was pretty underweight and was moulting and it is freezing outside. Now she's warm and fat.

Little rat looks just fine now . Well, just not as bad as yesterday. Still a bit iffy. Weird. Not fluffy at all and eating and drinking. She refuses to take any more hand rearing formula now, only liquid calcium and water.

The front's pretty much done, the floor is in and the sides are wired now

Okay, I will try that. I sat her in warm water for a bit yesterday, but it didn't work that well. She still hasn't passed the egg but is feeling stronger today with a full crop. Yesterday she just felt so weak and she could barely sit on a perch. Well, today she has been sitting on the edge of the tank while I syringe feed her. It's a very good thing my budgies adore the syringe lol else I'd have trouble And when she'd had enough liquid calcium and hand rearing mix she just jumped back in the tank. If she survives this I might have trouble getting her used to a cage again ( or the aviary! ). Her poos are really big too

I don't have a crop needle but I could syringe feed her it.

This morning I noticed Marigold wasn't acting so good I brought her inside and she's in an empty fish tank with a heat lamp. I put liquid calcium in her water and syringe fed her hand rearing mix and water. I gave her milk thistle, some grapes and veggies and seed. I watched her eat some seed and have a go at the veggies but.... She's got egg bum, so I think she's egg bound. What else can I do? Soak her vent in warm water?