And this one is an oldie but a goodie, and definitely my favourite video of all time!:
Thursday 19 February 2009
More Budgie + Kids Happiness
Hadn't realised just how many videos i had of the girls having fun with the budgies, but here are some more :)
And this one is an oldie but a goodie, and definitely my favourite video of all time!:
And this one is an oldie but a goodie, and definitely my favourite video of all time!:
Kids + Budgies = Happiness
My 2 girls always enjoy themselves immensely when we have budgie chicks, as you can tell by all of these videos :)
Tuesday 17 February 2009
Budgie Breeding Tips
Click here for full article: "Budgie Breeding Tips For Beginners
First of all, we need to make sure we have everything ready to help maximise the chances of successfully breeding our budgies:
- Male + Female
- A cage
- Sturdy nesting box on the outside of the cage
- Low disturbance level
- Plenty of seed and water
- Mineral blocks and calcium blocks
- EggFood daily
- Extra light during the day to make them think their days are longer
- Lots of spraying to make them think it might be rainy season
- If other birds are in the house, let them see each other to encourage breeding
- Fruit/veg 2-3 times per week
Both birds need to be old enough, I'd say 12 months at least for him, a bit older for her.
Start fattening them up with lots of extras, millet and eggfood for definite. When it comes to spraying/misting I give mine a light spray 2-3 times per week when I'm aiming to let them breed, depending on how dry the air feels."
First of all, we need to make sure we have everything ready to help maximise the chances of successfully breeding our budgies:
- Male + Female
- A cage
- Sturdy nesting box on the outside of the cage
- Low disturbance level
- Plenty of seed and water
- Mineral blocks and calcium blocks
- EggFood daily
- Extra light during the day to make them think their days are longer
- Lots of spraying to make them think it might be rainy season
- If other birds are in the house, let them see each other to encourage breeding
- Fruit/veg 2-3 times per week
Both birds need to be old enough, I'd say 12 months at least for him, a bit older for her.
Start fattening them up with lots of extras, millet and eggfood for definite. When it comes to spraying/misting I give mine a light spray 2-3 times per week when I'm aiming to let them breed, depending on how dry the air feels."
Adorable Budgies; From an egg to a fledgling
Click here for full article: "Keeping Budgies: From an egg to a fledgling
This is a simple little story of how a budgie egg is laid and goes on to become a fledgling ready to leave the nest.
It all starts, of course, with the male and female both being in breeding condition and mating.
The first egg is usually laid around 10 days after a successful mating and then every other day until the clutch is laid. The mother sits in the nestbox most of the time and the father feeds her. At between 18-23 days after the first egg is laid, the chick hatches."
This is a simple little story of how a budgie egg is laid and goes on to become a fledgling ready to leave the nest.
It all starts, of course, with the male and female both being in breeding condition and mating.
The first egg is usually laid around 10 days after a successful mating and then every other day until the clutch is laid. The mother sits in the nestbox most of the time and the father feeds her. At between 18-23 days after the first egg is laid, the chick hatches."
Recognize A Healthy Budgie
Click here for full article: "Recognize A Healthy Budgie
Whether you are looking to buy a budgie, already have a budgie or even own multiple budgies, health is of utmost importance. A budgie can go downhill really quickly if it gets ill, so it is really important to know what a healthy budgie looks like and to watch for any signs that may be pointing to the bird being slightly unwell or even very ill."
Whether you are looking to buy a budgie, already have a budgie or even own multiple budgies, health is of utmost importance. A budgie can go downhill really quickly if it gets ill, so it is really important to know what a healthy budgie looks like and to watch for any signs that may be pointing to the bird being slightly unwell or even very ill."
How to keep your budgerigar happy
Click here for full article: "How to keep your budgerigar happy
A budgie is one of the cutest pets one could wish to own, but how do we keep them happy?
Budgies are instinctively used to living in a flock and love constant chatter and company. I would never suggest getting a budgie if it's going to spend most of the day all on it's own. The least a single indoor budgie needs of company would be either radio or tv."
A budgie is one of the cutest pets one could wish to own, but how do we keep them happy?
Budgies are instinctively used to living in a flock and love constant chatter and company. I would never suggest getting a budgie if it's going to spend most of the day all on it's own. The least a single indoor budgie needs of company would be either radio or tv."
Keeping Budgies; Sexing Your Budgerigar
Click here for full article: "Keeping Budgies: Sexing Your Budgerigar
The simplest way to tell if your budgie is male or female is to look at the cere (the bit above it's beak) and see what colour it is.
Most of the time, a young female will have a pale blue cere with white rings around the nostrils whereas a young males will be a purple-pinkish colour.
Adults are a little different. An adult male budgerigar will have a blue cere and the female will have an almost white cere with a hint of blue."
The simplest way to tell if your budgie is male or female is to look at the cere (the bit above it's beak) and see what colour it is.
Most of the time, a young female will have a pale blue cere with white rings around the nostrils whereas a young males will be a purple-pinkish colour.
Adults are a little different. An adult male budgerigar will have a blue cere and the female will have an almost white cere with a hint of blue."
Keeping Budgies, One Of Each Sex
Click here for full article: "Keeping Budgerigars; One Of Each Sex
Keeping 2 budgies is always beneficial to the birds themselves, although it may make it harder for you to tame them. If you want to tame them and you have 2, then it's best to have 2 males. If you really want to keep 2 birds then 2 males are the best option, as they will rarely bicker and fight, whereas 2 females will spend most of their time doing just that.
It's also totally possible to keep a male and a female in a cage together. There's one thing you need to be aware of when keeping a male and female though, and that is if they're given the right opportunities they WILL mate and breed. I suggest you think very hard about what your plans are for your birds before deciding on one of each sex."
Keeping 2 budgies is always beneficial to the birds themselves, although it may make it harder for you to tame them. If you want to tame them and you have 2, then it's best to have 2 males. If you really want to keep 2 birds then 2 males are the best option, as they will rarely bicker and fight, whereas 2 females will spend most of their time doing just that.
It's also totally possible to keep a male and a female in a cage together. There's one thing you need to be aware of when keeping a male and female though, and that is if they're given the right opportunities they WILL mate and breed. I suggest you think very hard about what your plans are for your birds before deciding on one of each sex."
Availability of Adorable Budgie Chicks
I don't like to count my chicks before they're hatched, or even assume that they're all going to make it, but I already have people interested in chicks from this seasons breeding so I have to start thinking about when they'll be available.
The first of the chicks is already 20 days old so all being well chicks should start becoming available in about 5 weeks time. That would make the date around 24th March. I never sell my chicks until they're 8 weeks old and fully weaned. I know some people will sell them at 5-6 weeks, but I believe a chick is better off with it's parents until it has learnt what it needs to learn from them, and that usually takes about 8 weeks.
I like to keep a few of my chicks for myself, so not all of these ones will be for sale. Anybody interested in buying chicks from me should either check back here or sign up at our forum and let me know.
The price of my birds is £10 per chick as this helps offset costs of feed and the upkeep of the aviary. Be aware that I am located in Cardigan, Wales and I can't send birds to people so they need to be collected. There are, of course, various courier services but they tend to be very expensive. Anyway, a day trip to Wales is usually fun for those who do it :)
We keep our chicks tame and friendly for those who want us to, and we have no aversion to holding onto them for a while if somebody needs us to. The kids love spending time with the birds anyway, so either way it's fun for us all :)
The birds in the above pictures aren't for sale, they're just to show how my 8 year old works with our birds ;)
The first of the chicks is already 20 days old so all being well chicks should start becoming available in about 5 weeks time. That would make the date around 24th March. I never sell my chicks until they're 8 weeks old and fully weaned. I know some people will sell them at 5-6 weeks, but I believe a chick is better off with it's parents until it has learnt what it needs to learn from them, and that usually takes about 8 weeks.
I like to keep a few of my chicks for myself, so not all of these ones will be for sale. Anybody interested in buying chicks from me should either check back here or sign up at our forum and let me know.
The price of my birds is £10 per chick as this helps offset costs of feed and the upkeep of the aviary. Be aware that I am located in Cardigan, Wales and I can't send birds to people so they need to be collected. There are, of course, various courier services but they tend to be very expensive. Anyway, a day trip to Wales is usually fun for those who do it :)
We keep our chicks tame and friendly for those who want us to, and we have no aversion to holding onto them for a while if somebody needs us to. The kids love spending time with the birds anyway, so either way it's fun for us all :)
The birds in the above pictures aren't for sale, they're just to show how my 8 year old works with our birds ;)
Lots Of Chicks
So far this breeding season seems to be treating us well. We have 4 pairs with nests and they all have chicks. In total there are 17 chicks and 9 or 10 fertile eggs left. We did have 18 chicks, but one of them (3 days old) sadly passed away yesterday due to some sort of growth in it's throat.
When you get to this many chicks it's all part of the territory really; Losing chicks, eggs not hatching, eggs not being fertile, hens plucking chicks due to being overly attentive etc. It can be a heartbreaking hobby at times, but the pleasures and joys definitely outweigh the sad bits.
Every chick in every nest is a new learning experience, right from the day it is laid as an egg. If we are willing to take on board ideas, tips and views that others give us, then we can soon learn a whole lot about our little feathered friends. Of course, we don't have to ACT on other peoples ideas and views, as long as we are prepared to listen and then we can make our own choices from there.
When you get to this many chicks it's all part of the territory really; Losing chicks, eggs not hatching, eggs not being fertile, hens plucking chicks due to being overly attentive etc. It can be a heartbreaking hobby at times, but the pleasures and joys definitely outweigh the sad bits.
Every chick in every nest is a new learning experience, right from the day it is laid as an egg. If we are willing to take on board ideas, tips and views that others give us, then we can soon learn a whole lot about our little feathered friends. Of course, we don't have to ACT on other peoples ideas and views, as long as we are prepared to listen and then we can make our own choices from there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
