The 3 french moult babies are now in a seperate cage and I dont know what to do with them.

If I leave them in the cage it will get boring for them eventually but if I put them in the avairy many things can happen eg: The other budgies can steal their food, The quails could hurt them etc,,

What should I do? They cannot fly so they waddle around like ducks. The youngest (the blue one) sits in the egg food dish all day to protect it, its funny to see.

 

Thanks

 

I have had two long term french moulters in my aviary and they do very well for themselves. They have branches from floor to top perches and they take flying leaps from top perch to ground ( I call one BOMBER and the other KAMIKAZE because of that ). They will surprise you at how they adapt....and if it doesnt work out, then it was never meant to.

okay Thanks KAZ.

The french moult babies are 51 days old, 50 days old and 48 days old. Do you think I should put them in the avairy now or should I wait a while?

Hi all

 

The eggs in summers nest box are 10 - 16 days old. Originally I thought only the first two would be fertile because chomper died 2 days before she started laying, but now I think they are all fertile. They are all white, where as if they were infertile they would be pink/clear. Here is a picture:

Do you think they are fertile??

 

I was going to transfer the first two eggs (if fertile) into another nest because I didnt want summer to have to raise the babies alone. Do you think I should transfer the eggs to another nestbox or can she raise the babies her own?

 

Thanks

 

 

Here are some avairy pics.

 

On the right is the youngest of chomper and summers babies, settling in well.

 

 

Both chomper and summers babies.

 

 

Sunny

 

 

Grunt and bull

 

 

Overweight bluey.

Pearce...they look fertile to me. Have you candled them ?

Hi

 

Yes I've candled them KAZ. I drew somthing up in paint:

 

 

As you can see, The 3 eldest are fully black and I cannot see any air pockets. The 3 youngest have small airpockets at one end of the egg.

 

Thankyou

All looks good so far Pearce. Cross all your fingers

okay Thankyou KAZ.

Should I transfer the babies when they hatch or can summer raise them all by herself.?

See how she goes..... by about the 4th hatching any after that you may want to transfer.

okay Thankyou KAZ

 

The french moult babies have feathers growing, especially the eldest. He did have just white feathers on his chest but now he has green feathers sprouting. And the grey green opaline now has tail feathers sprouting, where as before her tail was a stump. Maybe its possible that they all just had a stress moult like you first thought? And are now growing their feathers back.

okay Thankyou KAZ

 

The french moult babies have feathers growing, especially the eldest. He did have just white feathers on his chest but now he has green feathers sprouting. And the grey green opaline now has tail feathers sprouting, where as before her tail was a stump. Maybe its possible that they all just had a stress moult like you first thought? And are now growing their feathers back.

Very cool sounds promising doesnt it ?

 

 

By the way....this may interest you..........

 

Fertilization from the cock bird on one mating can fill all the eggs. Sometimes the first egg will be full, the second clear, then the rest full. On observation, about day four, against a bright light the egg can show a clear yellow color. No fertilization has taken place. If the egg shows a cloudy orange color in these early stages, then fertilization was complete, however the growth of the unborn chick has ceased. These eggs can be discarded. The fertilized egg on day three to four will appear to have a red area with veins radiating from it. This is the start of the circulatory system of the baby. It is very important to leave the eggs alone as continuous handling of the eggs can cause problems. The hens sometimes detect human scent on the eggs and may discard eggs from the nest or may desert the entire clutch altogether.

Edited December 2, 200816 yr by KAZ

Yes I hope so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking and sounding promising!!!

 

 

 

 

Great photos too... just something to remember... remove the shells once chicks hatch asap, as they can get caught around new eggs about to hatch and make it harder or impossible for them to get out

okay Thankyou Maesie I will remove them now. I left them in their because I have read that the mother will eat them for calcium.

I'd read that somewhere to pearce...

Some do... but I think they do it pretty much straight away... so leaving them in there is pointless

okay thankyou all.

Some do... but I think they do it pretty much straight away... so leaving them in there is pointless :laughter:

I agree with Maesie. Leaving them in there as long as it takes for the next egg to hatch is dangerous. It wraps around the next egg and isnt seen easily and the chick wont be able to break through a double layer of eggshell

Some do... but I think they do it pretty much straight away... so leaving them in there is pointless

I agree with Maesie. Leaving them in there as long as it takes for the next egg to hatch is dangerous. It wraps around the next egg and isnt seen easily and the chick wont be able to break through a double layer of eggshell

 

 

(A wise woman once told me that... lol :laughter: )

Hi all

 

Budgies going well. I have managed to get a hold of some tin offcuts so I will be making a small avairy in my spare time. It will roughly be 3 metres wide by 7 foot high by 3 metres front to back. It will be for the baby birds and cockatiels.

Hi all

 

Budgies going well. I have managed to get a hold of some tin offcuts so I will be making a small avairy in my spare time. It will roughly be 3 metres wide by 7 foot high by 3 metres front to back. It will be for the baby birds and cockatiels.

Excellent :hug: Please post photos of your new project :raincloud:

okay KAZ I will.

Hi all

The breeding shed will be finished by tomorow. It's not the best but it is good.

I cemented the base and dug a trench around the outer edge of the shed and cemented 2 feet deep. The wire also goes 2 feet deep. They will get plenty of breeze and lighting but are also shielded from the rain and rats. I put 15 cm thick polystyrene sheets above the avairy to provide basic insolation. I will build the safety door tomorow and fit the wire on the windows and it will be finished. I will take pictures tomorow.

Can anyone think of anything I've missed?

Edited December 4, 200816 yr by pearce

Sounds great I, too, have used polystyrene on the ceiling of my birdroom for insulation :rofl:

Does it work well KAZ? Have you had any problems with it?

Mine is covered by tin.

looking forward to the pics.. Sounds great.