Browsing Archive: February, 2010

Down

Posted by Phil Hodgkins on Sunday, February 28, 2010, In : Feather 
The last time I was in budgies, I noticed that down appeared to be important in producing large birds. A friend had given me a wonderful Dark Green cock, he was five years old but fertile and he bred a brilliant Opaline Cinnamon Cobalt cock. Both birds had very thick down, trimming their vents ready for breeding produced a mini-snow fall. Looking at my other birds showed a range of down from fairly thick to almost none, the bigger birds were almost all with thick down.

This time around, I've b...
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Breeding update #1

Posted by Phil Hodgkins on Friday, February 19, 2010, In : Breeding 
Thirty-three days after pairing up the first six pairs, all have had fertile eggs but one pair have addled their only one. Four of the pairs have chicks, ten in all. The most promising pair hatched their first today, and an egg punctured a few days ago also hatched today against all expectations. Nine fertile eggs still to hatch - hopefully.

The next four pairs (paired up Sunday 7th Feb) have started laying in the last few days, three have eggs.



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Violets?

Posted by Phil Hodgkins on Saturday, February 13, 2010, In : Genetics 
Last year I paired a normal Cobalt cock to an Opaline Violet hen and got 14 youngsters. Each youngster was either a Cobalt of a visual Violet, no Skys or Mauves were produced. In fact, 11 Cobalts and 3 Violets was the final outcome.

Since the genetics of the youngsters are purely due to chance, this is a possible outcome (on average of the youngsters produced there should be 1/4 Sky, 1/2 Cobalt & 1/4 Mauve with a half of each being Violet as well). So out of 14 youngsters, 3 or 4 Skys, 7 Cobal...
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Four more pairs put to breed.

Posted by Phil Hodgkins on Saturday, February 13, 2010, In : Breeding 
The first six pairs all involve at least one bird from the Cinnamon family, in these next four pairs only one bird is from that family.
 
Of the four pairs, two are likely to produce good youngsters. One of the pairs is a reasonable hen from the Cinnamon family paired to Light Green from Dave Swann and is related to the hen, the other are two '09 birds from Richard Bowker (YF DF Spangle hen x Grey Green cock). The Grey Green cock is very useful looking and hopefully the hen is a relation and so...
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Maligned hen

Posted by Phil Hodgkins on Saturday, February 13, 2010, In : Breeding 
The old girl that I said hadn't produced any fertile eggs has proven me wrong, after a week's grace she started laying again and so far the first two are fertile.

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Breeding Again

Posted by Phil Hodgkins on Monday, February 8, 2010, In : Breeding 
I keep too many birds, but as soon as I begin pairing up I can see those birds I'll never use and will end just eating seed. They'll have to go.

I put down 6 pairs just after the snow disappeared, within 12 days all had eggs. Only one pair has had not been fertile, the hen is an older girl that is past her best but she bred some good youngsters last year (two of her daughters are in two of the other nest boxes - I've paired up many of my best birds in these 6 nestboxes).

Today I've put together...
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About Me


Beginner exhibitor. Restarted with budgies in June 2008.

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