Hi all, I have wanted to put some birds down for a while, due to a surplus of birds could not, until I on sold some birds. Well I have finally paired up 4 pair 13 days ago, to date I already have 4 eggs. Hope the rest of the birds follow suit quickly so they are weaned before the coldest part of winter.

 

I bred some chicks this time last year with good results, weather didn't seem to effect them at all so hope this year is the same. More later.

Wow, Robyn your birds don't muck aroud.

 

Good luck. Don't forget pictures

Sounds like your budgies are off to a great start Robyn.

Edited March 18, 201312 yr by rachelm

yes good luck!

Thanks all, now have 5 eggs, nest 1- 3

nest 2-2

Other 2 nests hens both looking "egg bummy" looking good so far. Touch wood, don't count chicks etc.

Well today, cage 1 has 7 eggs, cage 2 has 5 eggs, cages 3-4 both have 2 eggs. Should start hatching from 1st April onwards. Some looking fertile.

Well 1st chick hatched on 2nd. found it dead in box?????? Looked normal had a bit of crop milk in crop, just dead. She had 9 eggs. Dad is always sitting in box with hen so maybe new chick got squashed or something.

 

New chick in that box today, fingers crossed this one is okay. In 4 nest's I have 9, 10, 5, 5. eggs not expecting all to hatch but most look fertile. 1 more due today.

Awww sorry to hear about the chick, maybe it got squished between all those eggs.

 

It sounds like you are going to have your hands full

Thanks Nadene, so far so good with chick no2 . Hope that's all the hitch's I have this time.

Congratulations, sounds like they are going really well. Good luck with them all and hopefully you get a heap.

Thanks Budgie lov3r, so far so good.

Hey Robyn, just thought I would see how it has been going?

You haven't posted in here for a while..

Hi Rochelle I haven't been on as much as usual either. So far I've had good and bad this time. I have 20 chicks, I think.

 

I have 1 new hen who decided eggs are laid in cage not nest box. I put eggs into nest box and she incubated them okay. First round she hatched 2 left them unfed, both died, moved her last 2 eggs into another cage 1 hatched. She has just started to lay 2nd round, thought this time she may lay in box, no 2 in cage, to-day 1 in box yay!!

 

Lost 2nd chick from second cage, they have 7 now but she attacked 1 and killed it, getting very savage when I check box. Another chick dead to-day, not attacked just squashed I think. She had 1 tiny one from yesterday so I swapped it into nest with 6 chicks. (She ended up with 12 eggs )

 

Third cage has 7 I think.

 

Forth cage poor thing has all tiny ones ;they are great parents very placid so I have taken a couple of her bigger chicks to 3 cage and given her the tiny ones.

ARE YOU CONFUSED YET?? l.o.l (you did ask )

I am. so all in all I have had the most topsy turvy round I have had since I started. I have to go do a head count to see how many I have left, only have 2 eggs that look very suss left, other than new 3 2nd round eggs.

I'm not sure which chick belongs to which parents at the moment hoping I can tell as they feather up more. More later when I figure it all out.

Edited April 24, 201312 yr by robyn

After I checked I have 4 box's.

no 4 box has 3 2nd round eggs.+ 2 " iffy" eggs don't think they will hatch but you never know.

no 5 box has 7 chicks

no 3 box has 5 chicks

no 6 box has 8 chicks.

Total of 20 chicks, chicks have been moved around so not sure who has what at this stage.

I just removed Hen that was savage etc. she was busily attacking oldest chick when I went down so Dad can finish 5 chicks.

 

I think that about sums it up, if I have it sorted now. l.o.l.

Wow!! That's a good number of chicks Robyn, congratulations.

 

I can't wait to see some pictures

Hi Robyn,

 

It certainly sounds as though you are having a very busy time with your birds. Congratulations on all your chicks. I too shall look forward to seeing some photos of them.

Thanks for comments, well to-day the 2 eggs were duds, removed them. All babies fed looking good. Dad with 5 coping well. Some starting to feather up pics. soon.

can't wait to see them all feathered up.

Trying to add pics of box's. P.B. has changed again since I last used it.

 

cage 3, Dad feeding these.

 

cage 4 eggs.

 

cage 5 could be 2 d.e.c./d.f spangles here

 

 

cage 6 my jumble of 8 tiny's.

 

It may be me. but can't we preview post any more, before posting??

Edited April 26, 201312 yr by robyn

Wow!!

That's a lot of chicks!!

And yes, I am confused! Lol

You certainly seem to have your hands full!

 

Those tiny ones really are tiny!

Any idea why they are so little?

Or are they just not growing as fast? Hmmmm

 

Living the pics!

Can't wait to see them all feathered up!

 

Do you have any leg rings or anything you could use to keep track and identify the different clutches?

 

Keep your updates and pics coming!

Love them.

Rochelle, that's how small they are when they hatch. They grow VERY fast, from newly hatched to fully feathered in 4 weeks.

 

Robyn, great variety. I love the pics, keep them coming, the chicks look fantastic

Thanks, Nadene & Rochelle.

Haven't you seen a newly hatched chick as yet Rochelle ? I have one I call peanut, he was as big as a peanut when hatched, another called cashew, I had to sell him though, peanut is special as he is the only one that will come and chatter to me while I'm cleaning aviary.

 

The tiny ones in last picture are about 3-4 days old I think. They are tough little things they burrow in under the bigger chicks and don't come to any harm.

I don't use rings now, I used to use colour coded ones for each nest box but when they are being on sold etc it's very hard to keep track.

I generally know which birds breed what chicks and keep certain amount of breeding birds and sell off any surplus chicks each year.

Quick up date on nests.

cage 5 first fledged.

 

cage 5 rest of nest.

 

Dads bubs.

 

cage 6 assortment

 

cage 4. Fingers crossed this is my first chick from hen that lays on cage. BUT it's been fed.!!!

 

enjoy!

Edited May 7, 201312 yr by robyn

WOW what a beautiful mix of babies. They are lovely

 

Dad did a really great job in box 3.

Thanks Nadene, they are looking good, no 4 has fed her chick again today, thank heaven no hand rearing needed so far.