Here's where we spill the beans on all the rotten things that happen when breeding budgies......................

 

 

 

I will start.

( some of these things happened when I was first starting out )

 

 

1. Opened a nest once to check six fertile eggs, the hen got so silly she flapped and flew and kicked all six eggs out onto the concrete floor ) SPLAT !!

 

2. One of the best young greywing hens I ever bred flew into the feeder platform during a lightening storm one night and broke her neck

 

3. One of my best bred young hens breaks her leg at the hip joint and it cant be fixed.

 

4. A greywing cock I bought at auction for $450 arrived with feather quill mites, took ages to clear, then goes down with paralysis of feet before I was able to breed him.

 

5. A hen I paid $350 for lasted five days in the quarantine cage and died.

 

6. A dark stained egg that appeared a dead in shell chick was about to be tossed in the bin, but I opened it before throwing out, to find the chick was alive and fine inside........till I opened it and killed it

 

More to follow ..... ( Your turn )

Edited September 2, 201014 yr by KAZ

1... opened the nest of my violet hen and the old boy and one egg rolled out and bounce all the way to the floor, blood came out of the crack. Dead

chick. that was the nest of 3 violets and a dark green cock, all top birds.

 

2... put an egg down my bra to warm up and forgot about it, and it fell on the bathroom floor and SPLAT...would of been fertile.

 

3... I sat an egg on top of the nest for minute because it was off colour and I thought it should of hatch and I was going to check it by chipping away

and throw it out. well I forgot until the next morning, and I broke it and the chcik was perfectly fine, I killed it by leaving it out of the nest. It was all

ready to hatch.

 

4... My best hen had that crook eye and then seems to everything wrong with her all the time. Always in a holding cage.

 

5... My second best hen sister to the won above died , couldn't believe it. both these hens have won me heaps of awards. both 08 birds and both full

sisters to the white df spangles.

 

6. Stood on one of my best cocks, lt green spangle lol full brother to the 2 hens above, but he did make a full recovery but gosh I stood on him fairly

hard it was so awful, I felt just horriable, he couldn't fly for a few weeks poor boy.

 

That's enough from me for now, someone elses turn.

confession time hey

lol

well i have opened uncountable eggs and killed many babys due to eggs not arriving on time and turning black

i have learn t to pretend to trick myself buy recording lay late about 4 days after real date in-till i actually put into records of course this has saved many chicks

 

 

i have fallen and grabbed breeding cage while looking at eggs and broken half clutch of eggs twice now as my leg has given way

 

i have sold my best cock thinking he was **** due to seeing what he breed with a really good bird

then put him to a not so good bird but from a great stud with good foundation line but sold him before chicks hatched expecting **** and breed my two best hens this year

 

i left door of my holding cage open and let out my first show quality cock i ever brought (the grey violet from you splat ) i didnt get to breed him :rofl:

 

 

my dog ate my only goldenface sf borg n skivington cock also before i got anything

 

i forgot to give my first breeding birds seed in one of the cages and almost killed him due to i had to greys next to each other and children distracting me to ask questions

2 days almost with no food

i never put two same colour cocks next to each other now

 

sent somebirds to people with mild scaly face (not my birds ) but failed to recognize they had it after looking over them fully

 

brought 7 sick birds of breeder all of which died with in the month lucky for quarantine (and no i didnt say anything )

 

left a cup of water in my room and dround a baby i was tamming as it went to drink from it whilst i was out of room for one minit then i came in looking for it didnt see it till i wanted a drink

 

also almost killed my daughters pet bird by leaving it out and it flew into a vase couldnt get out

i thought of looking in it very last and just in time

 

im so not perfect

This is my first ever time breeding budgies and so far:

 

1) One of my hens died in the breeding cage. Egg bound :question:

I put a seed dispenser ion the aviary once that was tube shaped and had an open top section. Found an excellent cockbird had gone in from the top and drowned in seed as he went in head first and couldnt back out.

 

Stopped using large seed dispensers in the aviary after finding a hen had dived in and up into the reservoir section and suffocated in seed because she couldnt find her way out.

 

Found a bird dead and hanging in the aviary once from the fringing on one of those interlocking rope swings with fringing off the bottom. Cut the fringe off it. Forgot there was another the same and found a hen had caught her wing on it and flapped and flapped until she died of shock and stress. No more string swings now.

 

Transfered a bird from one show cage into another on the back verandah ready for a show, and another better bird got out through the gap in the showcage door and flew away.

 

Stepped onto a baby budgie as I stepped into the aviary once and the baby budgie flew under my foot as I stepped in.

 

My first ever attempt at crop feeding without being shown how.......I heard a pop sound as I pierced the trachea instead of finding the crop

 

Had a blind budgie once. Until I could decide what to do about her I put her in a cage and hung the cage up on the back verandah. The cage ( I didnt realise ) had bars too wide apart and this blind budgie escaped and flew away :question:

Edited September 2, 201014 yr by KAZ

i sucked baby budgie up off floor with out side vac blower unit it was very curious lucky had flick switch to blow as it just got in way as i saw and flicked switch no move vacuuming flight with that :question: baby was fine just dizzy for a bit

NO 7...cleaned breeding cages out and put the seed jar back in an empty cage so a pair with chicks had no seed for nearly 24 hours as I didn't notice in

the morning either, I wondered why the hen was out of the cage all the time. BUT all chicks grew up big and healthy. Did it again to a different

nest a few weeks later. :question:

 

No 8... Threw a couple of eggs out that didn't hatch, I chucked them on the ground to see what was inside and out pop a live baby. I threw it hard too

He lived.

 

No 9.. I have had babies fall from top nest and luckily grow up normally. a couple of weeks ago I was at some friends place who were showing me their

babies from a pair that cost them $$$$ and one chick about 2 weeks old fell out and went SPLAT you could here the thump. Well it died about an

hour later, I felt just terriable. where as mine have fell from much higher distance but were younger and they bounce from one thing to another

and survived.

I put a seed dispenser ion the aviary once that was tube shaped and had an open top section. Found an excellent cockbird had gone in from the top and drowned in seed as he went in head first and couldnt back out.

 

Stopped using large seed dispensers in the aviary after finding a hen had dived in and up into the reservoir section and suffocated in seed because she couldnt find her way out.

 

Found a bird dead and hanging in the aviary once from the fringing on one of those interlocking rope swings with fringing off the bottom. Cut the fringe off it. Forgot there was another the same and found a hen had caught her wing on it and flapped and flapped until she died of shock and stress. No more string swings now.

 

Transfered a bird from one show cage into another on the back verandah ready for a show, and another better bird got out through the gap in the showcage door and flew away.

 

Stepped onto a baby budgie as I stepped into the aviary once and the baby budgie flew under my foot as I stepped in.

 

My first ever attempt at crop feeding without being shown how.......I heard a pop sound as I pierced the trachea instead of finding the crop

 

Had a blind budgie once. Until I could decide what to do about her I put her in a cage and hung the cage up on the back verandah. The cage ( I didnt realise ) had bars too wide apart and this blind budgie escaped and flew away

 

I thought I was the only person who had a dearly loved hen hang herself on a rope toy! All cut off now but the horse has bolted. Last week my daughter was moving the babies to a nursery cage and one got away from her and flew like an f one eleven over the horizon!

We all have terrible mishaps and we all do the odd silly thing or two that we kick ourselves over for quite some time. The idea to this thread is to allow ourselves to look just as "human"and fallible as the next person

Yes like me today, crop feed my sick bird and I must of put it in wrong and result dead bird.

 

The first year I started breeding I had a little set with 8 cages and I couldn't reach the to cages silly in experienced me use to stand on a bucket.

well one day I was changing see in one of the top cages and the bucket give way to me weight and next thing I know was that I was lying on the ground with all the 4 top breeding cages on top of me. As I fell my arm hit the door which swung open my my beautiful Danish pied flew straight out.

My arm was still stuck inside the top cage. All cages had eggs, well the eggs were everywhere, scrambled eggs all smashed.

All birds survived the ordeal and I never saw my danish pied again.

From my experience, I set off and purchased a fold up ladder and a hook and eye for the door inside and out.

Not to mention I was hurt in the ordeal. I hit my head very hard on the cement, and the cages caused quite a bit of bruising to my face and body. I twisted my ankle. AND my PRIDE was hurt. I layed there for ages until Greg missed me and came looking for me.

splat i know what its like to be underneath the breeding cabinets only mine were not set up yet or full i was just trying to relocate them by myself and ended up laying their intill my son got home to help me out

this was November last year

and why i have a cabinet of nine breeding units for sale as i am not able to move them when breeding is done and as i live alone needed to get ones i can move when where and when ever i like

(if anyone is interested )

 

i forgot i was holding a bird once as i was moving it from veiwing cage back to aviry and talking at same time me being a person of much expreshion with my hands opened my hand up to make an action of i dont know and released the bird off it went

I had a door that was slightly warped between two cages and thought it'll be alright they can't get through there. A young greywing hen stuck her head through and I found her dead in the morning. The door got fixed promptly after that

 

Went into the aviary to catch a bird a lady wanted to buy, the budgies all came down thinking I had a treat for them. Couldn't find the bird I wanted until I picked up the cage - I'd put it down on the bird and killed it. Fortunately the buyer wasn't there

 

I had one hang itself on a frayed rope perch. No more rope perches in my aviaries

 

Had a double factor spangle cock who liked to perch on my shoulder. Walked out of the avairy without noticing he was there until he took off into the dark blue yonder. Never saw him again

splat i know what its like to be underneath the breeding cabinets only mine were not set up yet or full i was just trying to relocate them by myself and ended up laying their intill my son got home to help me out this was November last year and why i have a cabinet of nine breeding units for sale as i am not able to move them when breeding is done and as i live alone needed to get ones i can move when where and when ever i like (if anyone is interested )i forgot i was holding a bird once as i was moving it from veiwing cage back to aviry and talking at same time me being a person of much expreshion with my hands opened my hand up to make an action of i dont know and released the bird :fly: off it went

sorry Gb this is funny, open and fly away.

I had a door that was slightly warped between two cages and thought it'll be alright they can't get through there. A young greywing hen stuck her head through and I found her dead in the morning. The door got fixed promptly after thatWent into the aviary to catch a bird a lady wanted to buy, the budgies all came down thinking I had a treat for them. Couldn't find the bird I wanted until I picked up the cage - I'd put it down on the bird and killed it. Fortunately the buyer wasn't thereI had one hang itself on a frayed rope perch. No more rope perches in my aviariesHad a double factor spangle cock who liked to perch on my shoulder. Walked out of the avairy without noticing he was there until he took off into the dark blue yonder. Never saw him again

Thanks Neville for a good laugh, I am so sorry at laughing at your cost , I know at the time it would of been awful to pick up your cage and find the bird that was missing underneath flat as a tack. But I am cracking up here. I really needed a good laugh after today .I am just so glad that other people can admit to their mistakes and weakness, we can all learn from this.

splat i know what its like to be underneath the breeding cabinets only mine were not set up yet or full i was just trying to relocate them by myself and ended up laying their intill my son got home to help me out this was November last year and why i have a cabinet of nine breeding units for sale as i am not able to move them when breeding is done and as i live alone needed to get ones i can move when where and when ever i like (if anyone is interested )i forgot i was holding a bird once as i was moving it from veiwing cage back to aviry and talking at same time me being a person of much expreshion with my hands opened my hand up to make an action of i dont know and released the bird :) :fly: off it went

sorry Gb this is funny, open and fly away.

I had a door that was slightly warped between two cages and thought it'll be alright they can't get through there. A young greywing hen stuck her head through and I found her dead in the morning. The door got fixed promptly after thatWent into the aviary to catch a bird a lady wanted to buy, the budgies all came down thinking I had a treat for them. Couldn't find the bird I wanted until I picked up the cage - I'd put it down on the bird and killed it. Fortunately the buyer wasn't thereI had one hang itself on a frayed rope perch. No more rope perches in my aviariesHad a double factor spangle cock who liked to perch on my shoulder. Walked out of the avairy without noticing he was there until he took off into the dark blue yonder. Never saw him again

Thanks Neville for a good laugh, I am so sorry at laughing at your cost , I know at the time it would of been awful to pick up your cage and find the bird that was missing underneath flat as a tack. But I am cracking up here. :fly: I really needed a good laugh after today .I am just so glad that other people can admit to their mistakes and weakness, we can all learn from this.

 

 

i also am laughing at these two things it was pretty daft moment i had lol oh and nev im so sorry but m it would have been a shock im sure, just glad she was not around

(the buyer )

but i too needed giggle thanks for sharing that

Once I came home and found all my youngsters ( 6-8 months ) flying around in the birdroom. They had been in holding cages while I built the new aviary. I caught them all up and caged them again. It was about 4 months later when I pulled a vertical bank of breeding cages out from the wall to vacuum and clean behind it. I found the best young cock I had ever bred flattened against the wall. He had wriggled down behind the cabinets when they were out that day, and I didnt notice I hadnt caught him up. There he was flat as a pancake.

Edited September 3, 201014 yr by KAZ

I don't know whether to laugh or cry !!!!!!!!!!!

Once I came home and found all my youngsters ( 6-8 months ) flying around in the birdroom. They had been in holding cages while I built the new aviary. I caught them all up and caged them again. It was about 4 months later when I pulled a vertical bank of breeding cages out from the wall to vacuum and clean behind it. I found the best young cock I had ever bred flattened against the wall. He had wriggled down behind the cabinets when they were out that day, and I didnt notice I hadnt caught him up. There he was flat as a pancake.

 

sorry Kaz but can't help myself, poor little thing, flat as a tack. Boy am I have a good laugh. I know it's awful but gee soooo funny too.

Bought a new aviary with nest boxes in it, and when I was taking them down found a dead budgie in one.... lets just say I contacted the aviaries previous owner.

 

When I had my breeding cages outside still I looked in a nest and closed the box lid. Came back the next morning to find it open a good 10cm (because I hadn't closed it properly) but luckily the hen was still in the box, peering at me like What the ****??? The lid was open for a good 12-14 hours.

 

Came out of my aviary and shut the door. Forgot to bolt the latch as I was watching birds (I have an outside flight). Came back a day or two later and saw it unbolted. Lucky the aviary is slightly downhill and gravity did its job, but I don't even want to imagine my losses if the wind picked up. I am very paranoid about making sure they are bolted now.

 

Had birds in wire cages with no trays as they are mounted. 10 youngsters just out of nests. Went away for 3 days, so I put quite a few extra feeders in. Came home to see them with absolutley no seed and very lathargic, they had tipped the seed dishes over on the first day (no husks) so they hadnt eaten in 3 days. Lucky they had baby fat on them still, I cropped them all and none died. I always make sure I have at least one dish on the cage side now.

Yes I hate those wire cages for that reason. At least in a wooden cage if they tip the seed out it just sits on the floor and they still have food to eat. Wire ones the food goes in the tray and they can't reach it what a waiste.

Waiting on three fertile eggs in a greywing to dilute nest............checked this evening to find one of the parents had eaten the eggs with live nearly ready to hatch chicks in them

life can be cruel some times

Oh no! Will you stop breeding this pair? Has it happened before? Are they 1st time parents?

Oh no! Will you stop breeding this pair? Has it happened before? Are they 1st time parents?

They had a first successful clutch with no problems. I would say some form of stress in this case. Doesnt mean it will happen again in the future.

I haven't had a major blunder yet. What I did do was use plastic inserts in nest box's. Food for thought for new breeders. Hen threw out all bedding material leaving slippery floor with no grip, I ended up with three splayed leg chicks from one nest. I managed to correct them in time (thank's to advice found here) all are fine now. Won't do that again.

Did lose a lovely grey chick because I tried to take picture in shed, bird startled and even though it had never even flown before it dissapeared into the sunset without a backward look. Moral never take bird out of enclosed area!!

Touch wood nothing worse to report. :

 

 

P.s. Sorry about your grey-wings Kaz hope they don't repeat that again.

Edited October 4, 201014 yr by robyn

I just went away camping with the kids for a week and I thought I would get my parents to look after my birds for me. I went through every thing with my dad and how things work inside and outside the aviary.

Well where 8 hours away and I thought I better give them a ring before we get out of mobile range to see how things are going, and I get told that dad has ripped the aviary door of it's hinges lol, They then went on to tell me that I hadn't put it on very well I then asked which way did he open the door? outward I was told no no no it only opens inward. Dad had just keep pulling door the wrong way till he ripped it of it's hinges even after I had shown him many times how it work, they spent the next few hours with mum holding the door while dad tried to fix it, both are 71 lucky for them no birds escaped

I also have lost 2 nice hens that I got from one particular breeder and another 2 that I have purchased from auctions.