I just got home and had a look at our new arrival. SOOOO CUUTE!

 

I'm worried as I can't see that it's crop has anything in it yet. I think it hatched around 2pm. How long should I wait before I intervene?

 

I haven't got another hen to foster it under yet. Only Hermione is has two eggs.

 

I have some Neocare here, I bought it just in case. If I have to feed it, how much and what ration should I use?

Edited July 29, 201113 yr by **KAZ**

It needs food in its crop before nightfall. Check closely...sometimes its hard to see such a tiny feed in their crop. If you have to feed yourself it will only need a couple of drops....hardest thing about making up an amount that small is making sure is warm enough as the smaller the amount the colder it gets faster than usual.

Keep us updated.

Edited July 8, 201113 yr by **KAZ**

Thank you! I just checked and he definitely has some food in there now. PHEW! It looks like a bit of an air bubble too in there, should I be worried about that? They are both first time parents.

 

I'll try to get a picture tomorrow when it is warmer. I am grinning from ear to ear!!!! It's been about 25 years since I had a baby budgie :) I'm so excited. I will have to put a breeding journal with pics, being a photographer I am hoping to document it all with gorgeous images.

 

I got some new birds and cabinets from a breeder in our club and I have one beautiful show pair on eggs, and another two about to set up nests. I am very excited about our first season.

 

This baby is from our non-show pair. It is still so beautiful to see!

Dont worry about the air bubble at this stage...usually happens when consistency of the food formula doesnt coincide with the baby sucking it into its crop.....Should get better with time.

 

PS CONGRATS !!!!

Edited July 8, 201113 yr by **KAZ**

:):)

 

I feel like a fussy Mum, I know how bewildering it was when I had my own kids!!

Glad all is well.... and Congratulations!!! I remember how exciting it was when you have your first little chicks! Can't wait for the photos.

How is it going ?

He sooo gorgeous. He is growing soooo fast. I thought we might get another to hatch yesterday, but not to be yet. Sparkles has six eggs, but I suspect only three are fertile. So I'm not sure which one red was. He's wriggley and noisy as when you look at him. I haven't had the heart to take him out for photos yet as it was so darn cold here this weekend. Mum is being brilliant with him and he looks so well fed. Dad is gobbling up egg and biscuit mix in the morning.

 

I am a bit confused with incubation times. I read different things all over the place, all between 17-21 days. I marked on the calendar at 21 days just in case, but he didn't hatch on any of the marked hatching days, so now I'm a bit lost!!

 

I now have 4 pairs on eggs!!! I'm so excited.

 

1st pair - Sparkles and Cosmo, they have six eggs, one hatched on Friday.

She is rec skyblue pied opaline, he is dom light green pied. (Bad pairing I now know, but these are just pet types so I'm not to stressed!)

 

2nd Pair – Hermione and Johnathon

they have 3 eggs. Due to lay another today. She is an English skyblue normal hen, he is a huge grey normal. They came from the same breeder I bought birds and cabinets from, so I just quarantined them in the cabinet and they went to town from day one.

 

3rd Pair – Adam and Annie

2 eggs due for another tomorrow. She is a stunning Cobalt hen, gorgeous big headed girl, he is another big gorgeous grey male. I am expecting big things with these two!

 

4th Pair – Whizzbang and Possum

Another pet type pair. He is T2 golden face cobalt, she is dominant mauve pied. Laid their first egg yesterday.

 

So it is all happening and I am just over the moon!!!

You can get in the habit of saying HIM.....might be a girl baby budgie

 

There's a person on facebook who handraises baby budgies and she keeps putting piks up and offering them for sale....every single one according to her is a male. I tell her when they are females and she doesnt like me telling her .....I guess because everyone wants males.....and when I say they are females she says ...."oh well, you cant really tell yet " but I can and I know she is saying boys just to get sales of them when most of them are females anyway LMAO

Edited July 11, 201113 yr by **KAZ**

Yes you are right. It's just nicer than saying IT. My daughter has named it "Red" so I shall call it Red from now on.

 

Girls are just as cute! We had a lutino hen that was the friendliest pet we ever had. She was amazing!

Well Red is growing beautifully. He doesn't have any siblings at the moment. There is one egg left, but I'm not too hopeful. One appeared to die hatching, and Sparkles kicked the other 4 eggs out, when I opened them they were fertile but not fully developed. Any suggestions as to why?

 

Red is totally gorgeous. Loud, well-fed and growing at an amazing pace. I've wanted to take more photos but it has been so darn cold. We heated up the kitchen this evening to whip it out for some photos. I was desperate to photograph our baby! Sparkles went nuts while Red was out and came out to the kitchen to find her baby.

 

Welcome little Red, hatched last Friday.

 

Edited July 13, 201113 yr by moglet

when I opened them they were fertile but not fully developed. Any suggestions as to why?

 

 

sounds addled. This can happen if the parents kick them around going in and out of the nestbox. It can happen if you dont give her warning and she leaves the box too quickly rather than slowly and gently. It can happen if they spin around not having enough nesting materials. Can also happen if she stayed off the eggs too long while incubating one time. Some of those eggs make it but most dont.

Edited July 14, 201113 yr by **KAZ**

Ahh. That makes a lot of sense. She has always been a skittish hen around us. We got her as an adult from a pet store, and despite months of being with us she is still very nervy when we do anything in the cage.

 

We always tap on the box and giver her time to leave before opening it, but she tends to stay and look anxious then suddenly startle out of the nest.

 

At least the other three hens I have on eggs are very used to us and quite relaxed with us and tend to just shuffle aside while yelling at us to get out when we look in there. It cracks me up, such tiny feisty girls yelling for all they are worth!! I love them so much

 

Hermione (our now single Mum) is doing brilliantly, she is eating and diligently sitting. She now has five eggs. I will candle them in a few days. I suspect she has 3 fertile ones at least. I hope one of them looks like Johnathon. He was a beautiful boy. I put a small dish of warm egg and biscuit in her nest every morning and it is always all devoured in the evening. I see her come out to eat, and sadly she seems to come out to call for Johnathon. I guess she has the urge to continue mating.

 

Annie has 4 eggs, but I'm not sure how successful she will be. She never looks like she is sitting on the eggs. She seems to be up one end and they are up the other and never terribly warm. It's her first time, so ..... hmmm! Adam is being very attentive and has discovered he looooves warm egg and biscuit in the morning.

 

Possum is a natural. She has three eggs and is fabulous. Just moves aside gently to let us peep. We've had her since a tiny girl and she is very comfortable around us. Whizzbang is being his usual good natured loud self and is looking after her well. These two are pet types, and I already have some eager and excited homes for them. My niece in NSW is waiting every day with bated breath for news of her babies.... they aren't due to hatch until about the 29th, but I have to send 'news' everyday to her on email. I sent her some photos of possum with her eggs and it made the kindergarten news of the week!!! they should be just the right age to travel with us to Forster in NSW when we go to visit later this year.

 

I will take some more photos of Red this weekend. I had forgotten how fast they grow and change! It has been fabulous for the kids to observe.

This is our beautiful baby Red today at 10 days old. I think from the little yellow wing spikes he will look like his Dad Cosmo.

 

This is his Dad, Cosmo. He's such a gentle soul.

Red is growing beautfully. He is 3 weeks old today and just adorable. His Mum has now hatched two foster eggs I sneaked under her when a hen stopped sitting and he looks ginormous next to the newborns! This photo was taken at 18 days old.

 

Could just be the lighting, but I think Red might be a girl

Cooool! We've been dying to know. How can you tell at such a young age? My daughter is so madly in love with Red. It's one very cherished and loved little baby, she has been waiting AGES for our first chick as I promised she could have it for her very special friend.

 

Should I try to get a picture in daylight tomorrow? I have a strong macro lens so I can get within millimetres if needed. The problem is Red jiggling around sticky beaking and trying to climb up Grace's sleeves.

Red is so cute, i cant wait until i get my first chick.