Hello, I am new here. I discovered this forum about a week ago and the advice about budgie breeding has been so helpful! Thanks to everyone for your great tips and comprehensive info. Here is my current flock:

 

This is Pistachio, the new mom:

 

And this is the new dad, Plato:

 

And their 7 babies:

 

This is Storm:

 

And, last but not least, Rocky:

 

This is my first time breeding budgies and I can't believe how many babies they have! Pistachio acutally layed 8 eggs, but she dropped the first one from the perch and it didn't make it. I guess she figured out after that to lay them in the nest box. Thanks again for all the advice and information!

 

Also, I have a question: how hot is too hot? The weather has been almost 100 F outside lately and without AC it can get up to 85-90 F in the house. I would guess that it gets even warmer than this in the original budgie habitat, so can I assume they are fine? I always keep them out of direct sunlight (though they get plenty of indirect).

Happy to have you here, Allison

Your birds and babies look fantastic. Looks like all the babies may be opalines too, which would mean dad is split for opaline as well.

Too hot ? If the birds are panting and have their wings away from their body they are hot, ....if not...they are fine. Are the chicks in the nest box hot ? If so, a few strategically drilled holes will help.

Cheers Karen

Edited June 22, 200717 yr by **KAZ**

Hi Allison, welcome to the BBC forum. I'm glad you like it. You have a gorgeous flock, Pistachio is a cutie. Too hot is when the birds have their wings held out from their body in an effort to cool down. When it gets that bad they would probably appreciate a light misting. You could also put air holes in the nestbox to help circulation.

 

You are right that in their natural habitat it is often at such high temperatures, but your budgies are acclimatised to what is the normal range for your part of the world.

 

 

Feathers.

 

 

 

snap, Kaz. I answered while you were answering

Edited June 22, 200717 yr by feathers

Welcome aboard your birds and babies are gorgeous

Your birds and babies look fantastic. Looks like all the babies may be opalines too, which would mean dad is split for opaline as well.

 

Cheers Karen

 

 

Not all the babies are opaline. the first two babies aren't opaline, and I don't think the smallest one is either. third baby definitely, and forth baby looks to be opaline. (check the down feathers colour.. )

 

But Kaz is right though, for you to get opaline baby, the dad would have to be split for it.

Some of those lighter coloured babies might be Spangles, isn’t Pistachio, some kind of YellowFaced2 Blue Opaline, Spangle & maybe Clearwing & Cinnamon. Welcome Allison & those chicks look nice & healthy.

 

Thanks for the cooling tips Feathers- mom and dad both took a bath and they seemed pleased. The babies don't feel too hot, but I cracked the top of the box slightly to allow hot air out just in case. Fortunately for all of us, it gets much cooler at night and there are only a couple of hours over 80 per day.

 

Wow, how can you tell so soon about the opaline? You must have a lot of experience. I didn't even realize that Pistachio was an opaline until recently. I didn't expect to get anything other than normal out of this coupling. But it was love at first sight between them (at least for Pistachio). I would love to find a dilute male for her, but she is the only dilute that I've ever seen in person. We don't have that much variety available here.

Norm, Thanks for the welcome. I'm not sure what Pistachio is. I thought that she was a dilute, maybe with yellow face also? Her wing markings look more grey than brown. This picture makes her look blue, but I think that's an effect of the camera or the flash or something. I've been trying to get a better picture of her, but she is hardly out of the nest box now and not too thrilled with the camera.

Hi Allison, welcome to the forum and thanks for the great pictures!

Welcome Allison all your birds look great.

 

I would stay Pistachio is a Yellowface type two opaline grey wing.

 

And agree with Cheeta the third and fourth baby look to Opalines (the youngest is too young to say)

 

Karen those two have white down feathers the two oldest have grey down feathers.

Welcome to the Forums

 

your flock is beautiful and l love their names !

Edited June 25, 200717 yr by birdluv