Mirren

My babies do that. They're about 8 weeks. They cuddle up in a pack at the bottom of the cage. okay, now there's only 2 left it's not really a pack...

Just a quick chick update. She is a he, Hurcules. He got given some vitamins and virtually overnight went from dozy to chirpy. He had his first flight on Friday, from my shoulder and across the room, much to my amazment. He is now living with his 2 younger brothers who are being kept for breeding. Once the youngest is old enough, they'll move into the big juveniles cage together. He is moving around a lot better, although more climbing than flapping. he may need a lot of ladders and perches to get around a breeding cabinet, but he's loving having company and in just a couple of days with the boys, he's even more perky and happy. He will need to go the vet for a beak trim shortly, but otherwise is coming along nicely.

Congrats!

In person, they all look the same to me- pinky purple. So eother all males or I really stink at this!

She is very nice looking.

No flash, natural light. It was overcast though.

Please excuse the blurry photgraphy. Chick 1 Chick 2 Chick 3 Chick 4 Chick 5

Yeah, because the male was seen being 'loving' to the perch the other day. Poor hen, he's cheating on her with a perch!

LOL, yes. Although maybe the hen was using the male to get over her lost mate.

The mate of one of my breeding hens died a few weeks ago, along with their only chick. I paired the hen up with a new male 2 weeks and 1 day ago and she's laid an egg today. I thought he was a lusty little fellow!

I agree with you completly, but I think it's funny how we think that, but still judge birds by their looks, lol. Having said that, I have 2 pet birds. One was chosen for his personality and affectionate nature, but also happens to be a Sun Conure and so, very pretty. The other is a Budgie who can't fly, who is thriving in spite of himself (I though he was a she, but he isn't) and who is yellow (not my fave colour, I was going to keep a blue one!). And yet, here he is, alive, well and loved. And named Hercules because he's the only chick of our 1st ever clutch who survived after a nasty cold snap. Tough little guy!

Ditto, but I look like my Dad.

Fur seal? I have one of these in the nestbox (ice cream container on the bottom of the breeding cabinet). It's my youngest daughtér's favourite. I love your pics. This one and the grey spangle that you might cull are my faves. I'm a sucker for the spangled look!

I will, but I might wait a week or so. It's one of the younger chicks (I think the youngest), so usually squashed in under the rest of the clutch!

I won't win any awards for my photography, but you should get the idea of what s/he looks like. His/her belly is solid grey.">By the way, I suppose if the stripes on head and tail fade, it'll just be a grey Budgie. This is the youngest Budgie with stripes I've seen. The others have been solid yellow. So no doubt this only a novelty to me! I think s/he is very sweet though!

All over it's body (haven't seen the underside yet though) it's feathers are yellow and black and look like stripes. Maybe it's a common mutation, but I haven't seen it before.

Yep. It's weird.

okay, I found a 2 litre ice cream container, cut the side down and Dad and chicks happily inside. I put the lid on so it's a nice lower-down nestbox against the winter night. The hen is in a cage on her own until the chicks are weaned and not looking too worried. I'll keep the nestbox blocked off until March. When I get a chance, I'll post chick pics, because they are so darned cute! The last clutch was 100% yellow. Only 2 are fully yellow this time. 2 Have grey outline on their wings and grey on heads and bodies. The last one looks like Dad was a yellow budgie and Mum was a Zebra! I think if I didn't rest these 2, they'd breed until they died of overwork. They are a very... 'loving' pair! :fear

I found a container like a Chinese takeaway container and put some of their nesting sawdust in that. I'd move them to something bigger as you suggested (I moved too quickly!), but they're all snuggled in together at the moment. GenericBlue, I can't lower the nestbox because it's sitting in a hole in the side of the breeding cabinet. We are getting new ones, but not until next year. Kaz, how long is a good time to rest this pair? I don't want them to breed in the hight of summer, so I was thkning either Nov or March. Is Nov too soon? Is March too long?

Millet- brilliant idea! What kind of container? I have a 1 litre ice cream container floating around. Or is that too big? Or too deep for them to get out of?

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I've had a quick look and couldn't find it. This is a bit urgent, so... Short version, is 3 weeks old enough to be left to be fed by Dad? Long Version- We have 5 chicks. The oldest is 4 weeks tomorrow. The next is 4 weeks 2 days later and so on. The oldest 2 left the nextbox yesterday (1st one) and either sometime in the night or this morning (2nd one). One is already pecking around at the seed, the other not. But the hen is attacking these 2 chicks. I'm not sure if they left the nextbox or were pushed, to be honest! These 2 have had 2 clutches back to back and were mating this morning, so I need to remove the hen for a rest. Is it okay to do that now?

Congrats!

I've thught of that, but we have no avian vets in the area. We have taken a bird to the vet before. They didn't have the first clue what to do with him. Luckily, he'd only bruised his heel and was soon better. I can't imagine they'd have a clue with a serious bird problem.

Still no flight. She's a very sedentary Budgie, which saddens me when I see her slightly older peers so active. She reminds me of our cockatiels- staring into space all day. I've changed her perches to smaller ones, which she seems more comfortable with and she seems content to sit on my finger. She has a toy (i decided to introduce one at a time), which is a bushy-looking fan thing. She hides under it, but doesn't play. Honestly, I keep expecting to find her deceased when I uncover her cage in the mornings. Should I get her a companion or just be her compainion? Or both? Or just accept that she's just a different Budgie and that's okay?

Marmaduke's ceres is now blue, so a boy was right. Thanks everyone!