Here is a really good link on eye colour in chicks because plum eyes darken as the chick gets older

 

http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/faqs/index.php?action=artikel&cat=8&id=315&artlang=en

 

The chicks are looking fantastic, sooo happy for you

Cool, thank you, maybe they are plums, that's exciting

I will have a better look at them tomorrow :3

 

Oh and I moved some of my photos around in photobucket to organise them, but I didn't realise that it would remove them from the topic :/

Pair 1-- update

Eldest chick seems to like me, when I poke my head in, it wonders over and stands up to be tickled, handling every day seems to pay off

Here is the four chicks growth progress, the youngest has begun to open its eyes

 

Pair 2--update

Have seven eggs

 

Pair 4--update

Laid their second egg but when I checked it was cracked, what could be the reason for this?

She is skittish and does spook easily so she may have knocked it, the photo shows the yolk is still there so I hope it isn't that they ate it :/

It could be calcium, every bird is an individual so she may not process it like the other birds, I have decided I will start to supplement it more, what do you think?

The other egg is fine, do they feel a certain way if they are low in calcium (the eggs)?

Hi Kathryn I've made that mistake with photobucket before as well when I tried to organize them into albums now they just stay where they are lol.

As for telling if the eggs need calcium they do have a different feel to them and they are more porous and sometimes soft.

It is possible she broke it accidentally in a flutter, just make sure you tap or scrape on her box so she knows when you are inspecting the nest.

Cheers Jenny

You asked if you should start supplementing calcium more. What are you already giving them for calcium?

 

The broken egg may be due to some other reason, so as long as you are giving adequate sources of calcium, I wouldn't worry about that.

 

I might try adding more bedding material, and if they break another egg, you can give them a dummy egg or two. I have found with a couple of mine that were egg destroyers, that once they had a fake egg, they gave up on breaking the next real ones that came along. I can't presume what goes on in a budgie mind, but it's almost like they learn that the eggs aren't breakable, so they quit trying to break them. In any case, it seems to have worked a couple of times for me, unless it was just a coincidence.

For calcium, I have a calcium bell, mineral and calcium block and cuttlebone, as well egg food?

I added more bedding when I found the cracked egg and today the remaining egg is still fine, so I don't think it was on purpose but still unsure :/

Pair 1--update

Chicks!

 

Eldest- 14 days old

 

Second- 12 days old

 

Third- 10 days old

 

Youngest- 8 days old

Edited February 13, 201312 yr by kathryn92

They're looking great, soooo cute

 

I love seeing it when their colours start to show. What colour were the parents? (I can't remember sorry)

Pair 1-

 

Hen

 

male

 

Pair 2-

 

hen

 

Male

 

Pair 3-

 

Hen

 

Male

 

Pair 4--

 

Hen

 

Male

 

Hope this helps!

So annoyed I lost my photos!!

I was wondering if I could get some advice on taming, what can I do to get these little ones to love human company and not be frightened?

Are there any good methods, or is just love and plenty of it the best course of action?

How long can a chick be away from its mother before she worries etc... (and what age)?

I am handling them everyday, mostly the eldest two as I don't want the youngest to get cold etc...due to lack of down?

I am new to this so don't want to do the wrong thing :/

At the moment she doesn't worry if I cuddle them and seems not to care, then when I put them back she checks on them quickly and then goes back to business

 

I read some information and found that this sort of method is called co-parenting, where the chicks are parent raised (fed etc...) but are handled daily by people, does anyone know much about this or is it as simple as what I have been doing so far?

Sounds like you are doing the right thing, I haven't really put a lot of time into taming birds in the nest only the ones I have to hand rear.

From what other people have said they do similar to what you're doing.

Mums are pretty resilient just watch they don't get cold.

Cheers Jenny

Yes, handling them daily like you are is a good idea. Once they are getting their pin feathers in, you can take them out for about 10 to 20 minutes at a time, for socializing, but probably not more than once or twice a day.

 

Be prepared though, that as soon as they fledge from the nest box and can fly, they usually won't stand for the cuddling anymore, and will panic when you try to catch them. It is at this stage that I usually just leave them alone in the breeding cage with their parents for as long as possible, so the parents can teach them to eat by example. I lose a little ground with the babies, but I don't want to take them away from the parents until I am sure they are independent and can eat on their own. I also don't want to freak them all out by trying to catch up the flighted babies. They go bonkers when I try.

 

Once they are independent from their parents enough to leave the breeding cage and go in a kindy cage, and I know by then that they have fully mastered the use of their wings, I will clip their wings, so that they are handleable again. Then spending about 20 minutes per day with each chick gives them a great head start for when they go home with their owners.

 

The problem with this method, is that with so many chicks, it's just not practical to do all of this for each one. (And it gets VERY tiresome!) So I would charge more for the ones I have worked with, and if there is a waiting list, it helps to have them choose which chick they want, and only work with those.

 

This is also one reason why I switched to hand raising some of the babies from two weeks of age on, because that gets WAY better taming results, and is a little more efficient. But of course, hand raising is still a lot of work, so I charge even more for those babies. And there is a more limited supply of them.

Thank you for the detailed answer, it gives me a lot to think about

I was playing with the two eldest yesterday and the younger one came to me when I started calling it, so cute :3

Here is a photo

 

The oldest is definitely a golden face and the second has started getting a little yellow on its face like the father

The first two photos are of the oldest, who I think is also getting cinnamon feathers and the third the second oldest chick

 

 

 

The growth of the chicks of pair 1

 

Pair 3-- update

Have stopped laying at 8 eggs

 

Pair 2--update

Have stopped laying at 7 eggs

 

Pair 4--update

Now have 3 eggs (have not been broken)

Edited February 16, 201312 yr by kathryn92

You've had an amazing first breeding season

 

That chick is definitely cinnamon. I can't wait to see him fully feathered.

Thank you

I know believe I have three cinnamon's and one normal, so I am quite pleased

Oh and I also believe that two are yellow face and two are golden face

I will get some photos soon!

 

Pair 2 and 3-- updates

Eggs are due to start hatching this week!

 

Pair 4-- update

Now has four eggs

Pair 1--update

 

Feather growth of the two eldest chicks

Chick 1- I'm unsure of what colour this bird will have on its body it seems to be developing a yellow green though, it is greyish green underneath

Beautiful wings

 

Chick 2- has started getting a light blue colour on its body

 

Pair 4-- five eggs so far

 

Pair 2 and 3--no chicks so far :/

Due this week however

Pair 3-- First chick and it has been fed!!

Also I think only three will end up hatching as the other eggs look infertile

But I am still happy, to have a possible three

 

Pair 1-- update

The chicks growth progress and their colours

 

Chick 1

Is mostly all yellow, no blue, what do you guys think of this, can goldenface do this?

 

Chick 2

Very light wing markings, light blue body colour

 

Chick 3

Has beautiful wings, what is this where the body colour shows up through the wings, I can only find that opaline can do this?

 

Chick 4

Still growing, but has a yellow/golden face and light blue/greeny body colour

 

Some overall questions ??

Are all chicks cinnamon?

Can any one see anything else in them?

How do they look?

They all look Cinnamon to me...

Pair 1-- update

The chicks growth progress and their colours

 

Chick 1

Is mostly all yellow, no blue, what do you guys think of this, can goldenface do this? It looks like regular yf2 to me. Since the parents were a goldenface and a yellowface mutant two, you could get either one, or a combo of both. If both parents are split to blue (SF golden or yellow face) then you could get blue chicks, too, but apparently not this time. )

Chick one looks like a cinnamon to me.

 

Chick 2

Very light wing markings, light blue body colour

I think this one looks like a greywing, but maybe when it feathers up more, it will look more cinnamon. Did you check their eye colors, when they hatched?

 

Chick 3

Has beautiful wings, what is this where the body colour shows up through the wings, I can only find that opaline can do this?

Yes, this one is an opaline. Looks like cinnamon opaline yellow face mutant two cobalt. Also notice the tail feathers, that have some of the cinnamon removed, leaving white and colored parts. That is another opaline trait.

 

Chick 4

Still growing, but has a yellow/golden face and light blue/greeny body colour

This one also looks more like greywing to me, but its hard to tell from just pin feathers. Have to wait a little longer. But to get any cinnamon chicks, your cock must therefore be split to cinnamon.

 

Some overall questions ??

Are all chicks cinnamon? Since the cock is normal but split to cinnamon, you wouldn't expect all cinnamon chicks, just half. But then, with only four chicks, percentages will be way off. It's funny that you don't have any normal black wing chicks. If you breed this pair long enough, you are bound to get some.

Can any one see anything else in them?

How do they look? They look very nice. Seems like your first round is turning out quite successful!

Thanks for the help

I remember that they all had similar eyes, with the reddish tinge when they first opened, but I may be mistaken on the second chick, if it is a greywing. Greywing is recessive so the hen would need to carry this trait too, wow! If it is a greywing, then these birds carry so many hidden surprises haha - especially the cock (as I have an opaline chick too!)

I thought chick 1 might be goldenface as it was so bright at the start, but it must have just been the pin feathers, as it has lightened up

 

Why is it that this bird is all yellow but the others have body colour (blue) with the yellow face? Is this a combo thing or is this just a case of an "individual" looks different? Is it how if they carry two of these genes the colour is less diffused through the body? Or something else?

 

Pair 3-- update

Now have a second chick

Edited February 26, 201312 yr by kathryn92

It sounds like they all had plum eyes, so then, yeah, all cinnamon. It is also possible that the two who look greywing could be cinnamon greywings. In that case, both parents must be split to greywing. BUT, I would just wait to decide, because it could just be the photos or the pin feathers that are making me see the grey. They could be regular cinnamons after all.

 

When I've had cinnamon grewying chicks, the only way I knew they had cinnamon was because of the plum eyes at hatching, and who the parents were. Otherwise, they look like regular greywings, only slightly paler. So time will tell.

 

Pet types seem to carry a lot of surprises. I think that's because we pet breeders like to mix and match and make all kinds of combinations. The show breeders tend to try to keep their lines pure, I think.

 

About the yellowface and goldenface: These are basically "yellow removing" genes. So when they get doubled up, they remove more yellow than if the bird is single factor. So a yellowface or goldenface bird that is split to blue will usually have more yellow seeping into the body color, and one that is not split to blue (say it's goldenface/yellowface) will have a bluer body. The differences can be very subtle, and I believe it takes someone with a lot of experience to be able to look at a bird and say "Yup, that's what that is". (I am not that person. )

 

Plus, there is also that difference between individuals that you mentioned. That's always in there messing things up!

The youngest has now gotten some more feathers and to me it looks cinnamon

I will get some photos as soon as possible!

 

Haha, yeah I suppose

Hi Kathryn,

I think chick one is also an opaline due to the lack of barring on it's head and some body colour through it's wings.

It seems to be similar to mum but not violet.

Chicks 2 and 4 do look like greywings on my monitor as well maybe they are both cinnamon greywings???

Cheers Jenny

I think you are right, I was looking at chick 1 today and it is definitely an opaline, it's belly is a nice light colour now, not white but a blue grey type thing, I will try and get photos today (off all of them as well)

I think that you and Finnie are right with the greywing cinnamon theory, they did have the plum eyes, but the wings are definitely grey