Maddy

Yes, its very hard not knowing one side of the gene pool. Because Gandalf is such a vibrant grey colour in person, he could very well be a mauve or violet grey. Is there a way to tell in grey birds whether or not they have a violet factor? I'll have to look for the journal of yours, maybe I can compare Gandalf to your cock. I'm really hoping that Champ is the beginning of my budgie show days. I would be really excited if he turns out to be good enough, as I was expecting to have to breed for a while before having any high quality birds.

Haha you have a bird thats growing super fast like mine GB Though yours is much more beautiful Its good to hear that you're having some success after all that you revealed about how the hobby is going for you. I hope the streak continues

I feel a bit mean that I left the other two chicks I have out Both are fine, no where near as big as champ though (not even his brother/sister who is nearing 20 days) But Champ's sibling seems to be turning out to be a normal Grey. The single chick I have in Nest #4 is turning out to be Yellow. Whether or not it will be a green spangle or a DF I will have to wait and see. That pair has been fantastic so far. Dad has been feeding baby since day one as well as helping mum to keep him warm. Mum is also leaving baby's down intact. Which means this is the first fuzzy baby I've had lol

Those are some really nice cabinets PJI. Thats what I hope mine to look like when I get my dream bird room lol Also, mentioning the name of the place you get your wood has led me to a search and have found a store not 25 minutes from my house. But, like squeak asked, does it warp? Or is that only with moisture? (I guess that would make it strictly indoors cabinet) If your in a giving mood, do you think you could share your plans with me? I can't do anything with them now of course, but having stuff like that would help me to design my own when i get to

I think I know the answer to this, But before I go willy nilly deciding pairs for june I would like to know... I know you leave a hen to rest for at least 6 months. How long do you leave a cock to rest? I hear of people giving them a week, or a month or sometimes that same time as a hen. But Pie, the father of my last clutch (who has reached the 3 month milestone) is coming back into condition and bonding with some females already. Oh, another question I would like to add to this... >Does anyone have any suggesstions about what to do with a hen that won't interact with the cock? Should I change cocks? Block the nest hole? (which I did with cardboard, but she chewed through it with no change) Remove the nest for a bit? I currently have 2 hens in different cabinets that won't interact. Both are in or coming into condition and the males sit on the perch singing all day long with bright blue ceres.

That is a lovely cock for $25 I hear a lot of that too. People buying a name but having zero success. I think the whole hype about paying ridiculous amounts for a bird is silly. I hear tales of people paying around $10 000 for a single budgie, because they may be from some top breeder somewhere. But you just never know what their success rate is going to be, and like you said, it just adds insult to injury when they reveal how much they paid for them.

So I read a lot about the 'different kinds' of show budgie breeders. There are the ones that put blood sweat and tears from the very beginning into their birds. Waking up at 5am to tend to the pinkies and clean the flights. The ones that start out with average stock birds and over a course of many years, produce absolute rippers. Then there are the ones that have deep pockets, going to the best National bird breeder and buying top quality birds right off the bat. Then breeding these birds and have National winners. I know personally I would prefer to be the first one. And from the articles I read on this forum everyday, majority if not all of the members here today put a lot of work into their birds. But as a beginner, its daunting to think of how long it will take to find that one chick out a clutch that just takes the cake. Whether or not I'm (or we) are taking steps in the right direction with learning about and choosing pairs. So this is more of an enquiry of curiosity, inspired by GB's post of her stud and how it came to be. If you have them floating around, or still have records going way back when (depending on how long you've been breeding and showing), I know I would love to see or hear about your first show type pair. I would love to know where you started, if it were as low down the ladder as me (or us). Post some pictures if you have the inkling, or just a description about them. What flaws do you look back on and think of what could have been done to fix it? Was your first pair absolutely rubbish or did it provide the start of a learning curve? I just think this will be valued information for beginners such as myself to read and think "So they started where I am now." A boost of confidence if you will.

Is it possible that the cockatiels were muscling him away from the food? if they were sharing it that is. I rescued a bird with severe scaly face and his weight was fine. It was more that he wasn't much to look at. If you're worried about his weight try some high protein seed like hulled oats. That should get the weight back on him. Just make sure he doesn't go from thin to obese

Champ is so adorable, but so very ambitious. Found him (her?) on the bottom of the cage this afternoon. Was worried because it is a bit chilly today. So I popped him/her in my jacket for about 5 minutes to warm him/her up... and he fell asleep lol I didn't want to disturb it, but I had to So I've put a bomb shelter filled with sawdust on the bottom of the cage. Its a 1 litre takeaway container with a hole cut in the side and end, the hole is the same size as the nest box hole. When cleaning out the nest yesterday. I filled it up again with sawdust and a scoop of seed. Found champ chewing on it this morning. Champ is only 23 days (3.3 weeks) old I've also been calling it him/her as I see a blue/white tinge to the cere and its usually early signs of female...but this is why i choose unisex names lol But I am very positive that he/she is not a mop. I've been reading topic after topic about them on the forum and feel that it isn't one. She/he has the right amount of tail feathers and flights and I see that mops are all over the place with theirs. He/she also sounds like a regular chick when calling for food. So I think it is just a budgie on invisible steroids lol

Was the hen sitting on the eggs? The life inside an egg doesn't start to grow until it starts to be incubated, which is usually when a hen has laid about 3 eggs. They won't go bad if you leave them a little longer, and its better to be safe than sorry. If a hen moves the eggs from the concave its okay. Hen have to move the eggs around so that they aren't on the same side all the time. Also, they regulate their temperature by putting the eggs out from underneath them every now and then (unless its super cold) Also be careful when touching eggs with your bare hands. Because the shells are porous, bacteria can enter the egg and potentially damage a developing chick. Just make sure hands a clean or wear some clean gloves if you feel you have to touch them.

You can try covering any places that drafts can get in. I'm not sure what I did with mine, but it seems that no matter how windy or wet it is, my aviary stays around the 20˚C mark. And there is nothing special about it, its just constructed of metal sheeting and wire. And we live around the same area. I know some people that insulate theirs, but I don't see the need. Budgies have all that feather to keep them warm, as long as they can get out of the wind. If you are a little worried, then check their weight. You can always feed them a high protein treat every week to keep the fat on them , like hulled oats or sunflower seed.

I just thought I'd add something about this mousetrap. I check this thing everyday, a quick glance through the lid and slide the lid off a bit to check under the ramps. But I have been noticing a bad smell in my aviary for a few days. Turns out, there was a mouse stuck underneath the ramps, right in the corner. I had to get a torch to find it, it was only little. It is not a pleasant job to clean out dead mice from this thing, especially if they had been there as long as this one. So just a heads up to anyone with this trap. I know its mostly my fault for not checking thoroughly enough, but check right in the corners. Apart from this 'flaw' it is bloody brilliant for catching the little blighters.

Yep, boy

These are just my opinions, I am no where near expert The first cock looks like a opaline cobalt spangle clearwing. The first hen looks like a violet or mauve dilute (she doesn't look like a spangle to me) The second hen looks like a sky spangle clearwing. Someone else will be able to give you a definite I'm sure

Thats my bad....I didn't write it down very clearly Like I said, I am in NO way disappointed with a blue baby. In fact he is turning out to be very nice, and I have a name for him Champ My fingers were cold, but he was quite happy to perch on my arm anyways. He is 20 days old. Its a little ambitious I know, but ambition is never a bad thing But In my opinion he is very nice in terms of features and I can't wait for him to feather up completely. Then there is Chick #2 No name yet ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Okay, I just went backwards in my topic and had a look at Gloria at 20 days old. I thought I was just being paranoid crazy again....but champ is growing remarkably fast compared to her. Can someone please tell me that there is nothing to worry about (as in, it's NOT a mop)

What colour is the cere Moglet? And what colour is the ring on his leg?

What I wrote next to the hen was her lineage So by the theory you mentioned, if the hen is a DF grey and Gandalf is SF grey...I shouldn't of gotten any blue chicks lol Its so hard not knowing his lineage, But he is definitely not hiding cinnamon otherwise the chick would be one...which its not.

It is very exciting. Soon I will let them loose into the aviary Now, I went to check the nests and confirmed that chick #1 in the first pairs nest is definitely coming up blue. A lovely cobalt colour in fact I'm not disappointed in the slightest, I wouldv'e been if it was green though. However, this means I'm getting closer to figuring out what Gandalf is hiding. So hopefully some of you genetics experts can give me a hand... Hen = Cin Grey/Blue x Opaline Cina Grey The grey/blue I'm not sure if that means spit for blue or blue in colour as well as grey....it was written by the member I got the birds from Following this I can safely say that any cocks I get from this pair will be split for cinnamon, and I'll get Normal hens. But I'm unsure about the blue gene. I know grey is dominant so it must mean that Gandalf is split for blue? I really have no idea lol But I'll appreciate anyone's thoughts

Very interesting read. It seems, patience is key in this hobby

Photo time! Seems it was all in my head and I was just being paranoid (not the first time) So the chicks are all well Mum likes to pluck down, I already know. But no pin feathers have been pulled thank goodness. Chick #1 - 14 days old Chick #2 - 9 days old Pair #4's nest Took three of the 6 eggs out to relieve some stress on the parents trying to incubate them. Left 3 as pillars for baby And of course Potato, Ace and Leela These three are going through their first moult now They're all messy and spotted with pin feathers.

I did think about it...but the size difference may just be a little too much between the nest that already has chicks. Had my other pairs done something more constructive than feed the walls and stay in the nest all day then it may have been a great idea lol So I'll let them raise it, get some experience under their metaphorical belt and see how it goes Checking on Pair #1 this morning, I notice something strange about the youngest chick. It doesn't seem to be able to move one of its legs our from next to its body. I guess from the term 'splayed legs' that the legs are splayed and can't be pulled underneath the body, so this is like the opposite. I will try and get a picture of it later

Pair #4 had their one and only fertile egg hatch today That makes me happy as it would of been a shame to have it DIS. That pair is funny though. Dad has been in the nest just as much as mum during the whole incubation. And when I lifted the lid to check, mum left but dad stayed to look after baby. Guess he is in touch with his feminine side (would explain only one fertile egg lol) But if all goes well then I will let them go for another round.

Wow good eye K&M, I myself wasn't looking for gender lol Yes, "Victor" looks like a girl from these photos.

So, they are eating fertile eggs and not babies? If thats the case then you have egg eaters, and its a habit that you have to break

I have to agree with Maesie. A tank doesn't sound like a good idea, it seems to me that it would have no ventilation in there. And like Maesie said, if he gets too hot he won't be able to escape it. Just get a flat top cage, covered 3 sides and a heat lamp on top to one side. Lots of perches too so he doesn't have to move much.