I just wanted to post a huge thankyou to the BBC members and particularly the administrators for this wonderful website. My fifth budgie from the first clutch I have ever bred left the nest today. This would NEVER have happened without the support and excellent information available on this site. I will take some photos over the weekend and provide a more comprehensive post. Thanks again.

Congratulations the credit is all yours and your birds as well lol.

You took the time to get the information and gained a new family in the process well done.

 

Cheers Jenny

Well done Pebble, I think the first clutch is pretty special also. Glad you have put all your reading and advice together, to end up with 5 chicks. Don't forget the pics.

That will really top it off for you.

This forum is a great resource, true. But I agree with what Hilly said. You are the one who took the time to do your homework and set yourself up for success. So many times people come on here and ask a lot of questions, but you can tell they don't listen to the answers or read the FAQs articles we recommend. Those are the same ones who come back months later with a whole mess of problems.

 

It's much more encouraging when we get people like you who care and make it their business to learn all about breeding, and then they do a great job of it.

 

And I remember my own first clutch, and all the encouragement the members on here gave me then.

 

Congrats on your first fledglings!

This is my first try with photobucket, so here are some pictures (I hope)!

This is the mother of my first clutch. An opaline visual violet

This is the father of my first clutch. A yellow faced blue, ressesive pied

And here are the babies

Two creamino chicks

One albino chick

A yellow face visual violet

And my calm little ressesive pied sky? blue.

 

There was one other chick who died as I poster about in another topic. Having learned heaps from the website, I knew to breed two clutches for the noise, so now I also have the following:

Mother a sky blue, opaline, grey wing. Father a recessive pied cobolt blue. I thought they were other combinations but this is what I have changed my mind to this week as based on the chicks which are as follows:

 

I also thought I would explain the choices I made and where I got the information from in relation to the website.

I already owned the birds and enjoyed them so much I wanted to breed and show them. After finding this site, I took the advice and went and joined my local budgie club. I discovered that my birds were no where near show quality. So I bought a show quality pair, however, not wanting to breed with them at my first budgie breeding attempt (they were more expensive than my pets), I decided to breed with my pets as I had originally intended. The club is where I was able to buy the breeding cages and boxes from (the only cost me $20). I read a number of books I borrowed from the club library as well as basically every post and FAQ I could find before attempting to breed. To get set up I put together a first aid kit, using the website for advise. I also put together a supplement kit. I chose to use Cod Liver Oil to make up for the fact that my birds are inside and so do not get Vitamin D naturally. I also gave the Vetafarm MultiVit to the birds twice a week before breeding and every day during breeding. I organised constant access to a charcoal bell, iodine bell, cuttle fish bone, and True Grit. Next time I would also add a specific probiotic to their food.

I fed them a seed mix called Budgie Blue with the cod liver oil mixed through. Every day they had access to fresh vegies (particularly spinich) and Raven Gypsies Budgie Bean Soak. This saw the violet hen lay 9 eggs and hatch 6, and the blue hen lay 10 eggs and hatch 3. Once the chicks started growing I decided to focus on providing the parents with a high protein, high fat dies so I also gave them a regular helping of the polenta and egg meal and extra store bought egg and buscuit mix. They also received a daily ration of millet in the cage and also in the nest box. The babies were thus able to crack seed when they fledged and have not lost any condition. I also bought Neocare hand rearing formula for the chicks, just in case they failed to thrive, but I did not need to use it except for my sick chick and it dies anyway.

I chose to use newspaper on the floor of the cages, which I change daily. I use wood shavings bought from my local pet supply in the breeding boxes. Weekly, I add some native branches and leaves to the cages for the cock birds to chew on and play with.

My only problems were the chick that died and the second hen did not sit on her eggs until she layed her 5th egg. Even then, she had a tendency to kick them around. I think this is why only the last 3 eggs layed, hatched. I knew from the website however, not to panic and just to let her take her time and get used to being a mother

I have had a great time looking after these clutches and now have eight new little lives to enjoy!

Edited March 4, 201312 yr by Pebble

Hi Noddy,

You have some beautiful babies there. Both of your males are actually dominant pieds though the second one may be a combo of both. The pied baby in the first clutch though looks like it could be a recessive pied so both parents may be split.

The hen of your second pair is a spangle as well and looks cobalt in the photo.

All of your ino babies will be hens.

You have done a great job and have some lovely babies to show for it.

 

Cheers Jenny

Edited March 4, 201312 yr by hilly

Thanks for the info Hilly. Could you please explain to me what makes you identify the pieds as dominant. I thought the thumb print and the colour at the bottom of the body denoted a recessive pied. Please educate me : )

Hi Noddy your first male has classic dominant pied pattern and also has blue in his cere by the look of it and I think I can see a hint of an iris ring around his eye but it's very faint. Recessive pieds have solid coloured eyes. Your second male is a bit harder because he looks to have solid coloured eyes and has a pink cere, but some dominant pieds can have this and also a combination of both pieds will too.

When you look at the pied baby from pair two it is definitely a dominant pied so dad must at least be dominant pied for him to be one.

Hope this makes sense.

Cheers Jenny

Thanks Hilly. I will have to continue my research on pieds as I dont totally get it yet! By the way Im Pebble not Noddy : )

Oops my bad sorry I'll fix it.

That's the problem with answering on my phone LOL.

Cheers Jenny

 

 

Well I tried to edit the other posts but it will only let me edit this last one sorry.

Edited March 5, 201312 yr by hilly

Well done Pebble. Your little chicks look very cute.

Great job Pebble, lovely chicks to show from all your hard work. If you have bought a show pair are you going to try showing birds or just a hobby? I only have pet types but I have a few show bird culls and I paired one show with one pet and it made a huge difference to my birds, (size and improved looks) I'm really pleased with the improvement. I don't know how they would compare with show stock but they are well above the average pet shop buds. Worth a try.

Thanks everyone. I would like to produce some quality birds I could show Robyn. But I bought these two birds from the same breeder so if anything worthwhile comes of them really I am just benefiting from her good breeding practices. So long run I would like to put them or their offspring to my pet stock and enjoy the process of developing my own line. I also really enjoyed the surprises in colour and mutation that came from my pet birds. Eight chicks and only two the same! Every egg was like a Christmas present. A surprise you cant wait to see : ) So I may just breed pet birds sometimes also.