Maddy

Thanks for the tips. I have a grandfather who welds...maybe i can convince him to help me I'll have to look around for some scrap yards. Would they be listed in yellow pages?

I think the way you've divided your aviary is fantastic. Just a question (because it seems i might have to do something similar) how hard is it to make a divider like that? Does it require an advanced level of woodworking?

Thanks for the replies. I did some more investigating while cleaning off some of the blood (Bloo is fine now, it crusted over in about 10 mins) and saw that they had been chewing on the nest boxes. It was only Overcast and Bloo that were bothering the breeders, so I've decided to give them a little time out in another cage. I figured from the chewing that Overcast was looking to nest, so I will see how they do in the cage, and if all goes well I'll add a nest box. As for doormat's odd egglaying, I really can't tell whats going through her mind. But she is not stressed and is still quite content in her nest incubating, so I will let her go for the time being. Hopefully when I start breeding more, I will have a proper divider in my aviary.

I seriously thought she had finished. Egg #3 has a four day gap between it and egg #2 then egg #4 came two days later....and now egg #5? How very strange.

Yea I'll just have to keep a close eye on them. Hopefully they learnt their lesson too. But is it unusual that Doormat is still laying eggs? Especially since the first one is getting closer to hatcing?

I have no where else thats suitable....the wood its made out of is extremely absorbent when it comes to water, its not built for uncovered life. I do have a project in mind, of building something the resembles a book shelf that i can put breeding cages into. One for quarantine and one for breeding. But i need money for that :/

Well i did some investigation when i first saw the droplets. It seems they started on the nest box, and then he flew over to the perches. I thought about it, the nibble is on one of his back toes, so I think it was just him being in the wrong place at the wrong time...not him purposely bugging the breeders. So maybe i need to cover the nest boxes instead of the whole thing? When i first saw the blood, I saw overcast hanging around the cages, so I assumed it was her. There was a red mark on her front toe...but it wasn't bleeding and it didn't look much like a cut. So i checked all the birds. Bloo was the last one I checked and he was sitting on the highest branch of the tree branch thats in the aviary.

Okay so there was a bit of drama today. Went out to the aviary to pull back the cloth separating the breeding cages from the aviary (to let in some sun). Came back at lunch time to find droplets of blood everywhere. Bloo was bitten. Not too serious I don't think, but I was wondering if I need to do anything to help him out. Maybe separate him? I caught him (eventually...i need to work on my net wielding skills) and checked it. Its only new as he got some blood on me. But its not bleeding profusely...more seeping. He's flying around fine and still perching on the foot. So now, I think the breeding pair need to sacrifice their full sunlight for the safety of my other birds. The cover works much like a curtain, there is a dowelling across the front with shade cloth looped over it (so I can slide it open) and shade cloth around the side. Its much like a phone booth made out of shade cloth. Would it be okay just to leave the breeding pair behind it at all times? Will they get enough sun? I know you guys warned me about this, and I did what i could to separate them. But I thought it would be safe to leave the space open during the day and close it at night. I learnt my lesson :/ On a lighter note, Doormat laid another egg today. WHAT? yea i know. Its a good 7 days apart from the last one. What's going on here? lol That brings the total to 5

I'm a bit worried. Is it normal for the hen to be out of the nest quite frequently? It seems every time I go down to the aviary she's not in there, and she'll hop in when i get closer. Is this normal? Also, are the eggs due to hatch 18 days from being laid or from the time they show fertility?

Thats a good routine to follow. I don't purposely disturb her, but like you if I don't see her for a while I'll lift the lid and check on her. I've found though that she is quite the protective hen, without being aggressive. She just looks at me and raises her head so she can look out of the box while I'm looking in. She's quite funny.

Thanks heaps Nerwen Especially for the specifics Mostly YF's. I like those odds

Did you go to Kellyville Pets? I used to live near there, and visited that place often. However that was before they did the renovations. Whenever I went there they would always seem like they knew what they were talking about....but really didn't. I would often go home (with a new pet) and start some internet reading on them, only to find what I had been told was false. Bottom line, they're just there to make money. All pet shops are

Thats one thing I fret, her being eggbound. But I sit in the aviary and wait for her to come out of the nest (rather than scaring the **** out of her in the nest) to check her, morning and afternoon. I'm also keeping a close watch on the poos so I know when she's close to laying Breeding is very technical isn't it? I wouldn't call it work, but it does require a lot of your attention. Also, I took a stab at trying to predict what will be the product of these birds. Tell me if I'm right. YF Sky Opaline Dom Pied x Normal Sky = 50% Dom Pieds, 50% YF, Opaline Hens I am still getting the hang of genetics so if this is completely wrong, then go ahead and call me out on it Especially on the opaline part. I'm sure everyone was a bit confused on genetics when they were starting out though.

I find myself standing outside the aviary really asking myself if I should check or not. I usually make myself walk away which is good. I trust Doormat that she knows what she's doing. Also, this particular pairing is quite exciting for me too GB. Not only is it my first, but it's with my beautiful YF Sky Opaline Dominant Pied cock. I CANNOT wait for the babies to arrive

Doormat laid her 4th egg yesterday. She is being very stubborn in incubating her eggs which I like, as when i opened the lid to the nestbox she would just give me the "Close the d**n door" look As for fertility, i figured I was being too impatient with the eggs, and I don't think she was incubating them up until the 3rd was laid. And the 3rd egg has a good 4 day gap between the 2nd, so I gave them a couple of days before I candled them again. This morning, I waited for doormat to leave the nest of her own accord and candled the eggs. Out of the 4, 2 are visibly fertile. They have a red glow to them (I now know what you mean) while 2 are still clear. However one was only laid yesterday so it could be 3/4 for all I know But for my first breeding experience I'm happy with that outcome.

I have the dates written on a card as well. It sits on top of the nest box. I was just wonering if I should mark th eggs (maybe a little number) so I can tell which is which when there are say, 4 of them. I'll keep that in mind Dean. I have no intention of disposing of the eggs until I'm absolutely certain

Doormat laid her 3rd egg today. I good 4 days since the second one Quite a big gap but I'm not complaining. Again, I went out there to get some photos but of course I have no idea which egg is which. Not to mention my camera was seriously struggling with the lack of light (it was getting quite frustrating after a while) Here are the eggs And I managed to get one very blurry photo of an egg candled. Stupid Camera Now, this could just be my brain as it does want these eggs to be fertilised....but is that a vein i see?

Thank you. The name called for it

Thanks Matt

The problem is I can't remember which one was the first lol Should I mark the eggs? Is it safe? I will try and get a picture of both eggs candled tomorrow. The other problem is i have no idea what to look for in a fertile egg. I've seen photos yes...but when it comes to minuscule telltale signs that experienced breeders might pick up...I'm basically in the dark

I'll write it down so I don't forget it I'll most likely get some flight cages (as mentioned before) and put them against my fathers shed. The shed is about 10 metres clear of the aviary and its still a sheltered spot. Its also very unused space, so I will reserve it

Something I probably should of mentioned prior to putting a breeding box on her cage lol Thanks Kaz I'll keep a close eye on her. I'll put Gandalf (was in with her) in the flight as well and see if he gets on with my grey spangle hen. I think they would make beautiful babies when she's ready

All up, what are the new size dimensions of your room/aviary? Or is it the same just divided?

The problem with that particular cage is that to remove it from the aviary i have to disassemble it. I'm thinking to sell it (I paid an unfair amount for it in the first place while I was still gullible when in a pet shop) and get some flight cages which I can move outside and maybe sit them next to the aviary, covered with a shade cloth or something of that nature.

I'm not exactly sure what a nip is (I'm assuming its what looks to be a slight dip in his back line)...but I took this photo while he was grooming himself, so I think it might be just unfortunate timing. http://i608.photobucket.com/albums/tt169/PeridotKitty/Birds/_MG_0050.jpg This is him just standing regularly. His brother was a champion, and I got him for free...but I'm not too worried about his show qualities (like you said I am just breeding for the experience for now) Before attaching their nest boxes I was making sure they were fit as a fiddle. I gave them plenty of fresh greens and hulled oats (to fatten them up a bit). At the moment the blue male (in the bottom photo) taps his beak on the cage bars and sings on a regular basis. I also have another pair that I've put together...the cock is constantly trying to mount her, but she doesn't seem to appreciate it very much. She is a funny hen as she has so far not acquired a brown cere...and she's approaching 12 months of age. I did some reading though and think she may just be a white cere hen. What do you think about the eggs look? Do you think its infertile as well?