Quick update today- well it seems that the grey cock has recognised his chicks and seems to be feeding them in the stock cage and generally running around looking a little more occupied, so ill leave the new cock with the old hen and ill take the weaned chicks out of the weaning cage and place them into the flight as they have been weaned for a few weeks now and leave him to finish off the job in the following week. Never easy this decision making thing!

Blogs are like busses it seems- I miss a day and then do three at once!

I've had some help in be manshed today from my youngest and egged on a little with questions like "if you think your going to do it then why wait until tomorrow?" I've taken the two youngest chicks away from pair ten whom have six and placed them with the feeder pair- bit of a risk as she hasn't hatched any of her own yet but t worked last time- I've CBS led them twice and she hasn't kicked them out and at the same time she hasn't topped them up- so I'm hoping that this evening when they get hungry she will kick in- as always fingers crossed.

The pairs in four and nine are both now trying the boxes for size and I hope for some good news by the end of next week but they re in the box with confidence rather than ska paring out of it when I enter the shed so fingers crossed for just a couple of chi is from these pairs- not being greedy bu something would be nice!

The old cock from pair three that was split up to repair with another hen is bouncing fit in the flight and yes you've guessed it his new hen has gone into a light moult, I hope in ten days its all over and they can get down to work.

Its a very fine line at the moment between filling cages with birds ready and waiting for the right birds to be free- if that makes sense? I've three hens that I've my eye on for one family and two from another that will make or break my season- not young hens by any means- but genetically bang on, so just one full egg will do and then next year its all about starting with the right aged birds rather than the OAP's

So its a relaxing one at the moment, apart from wondering if two chicks will be alive in the morning? And plotting a few pairings ready for the new season And then repairing all in the same thought.

Speaking of thoughts I've picked up a couple of single factor spangles to try and I can't decide if I double factor these or just put them into my "odds and sods" miniature/feeder line- as always time will tell, but right now I'm resisting temptation and being patient but I do need a sort out

Well A funny old day today- I managed to withstand 4hrs of gardening in the rain before heading into the manshed after getting some dry clothes on and putting everything through the washing machine.

So lets start with some good news- the pairs in three, four and nine seem to be comfortable with eachother and in the morning I should have the second egg in three.

In cage two all of the chicks are now on the cage floor- its a really mixed batch in there with chicks from three nests and one of her own fostered out- the cock bird was very aggressive- in fact he is positively a deviant so he is with the hen next door and judging by the opaline grey green hen he has produced I may just swop him back after they are feeding- then again I may put another cock in with her to have some split dilute half brothers/sisters for next season to try for luck.

Talking of luck- if you recall I put a day old chick with a hen with clear eggs whom hadn't hatched anything- well to push my luck even further I've put two chicks with a hen that's still laying eggs and sitting on fostered eggs and a couple of her own and so far its good news- ill foster an older chick in there tomorrow so she has three and the hen in cage ten can keep three of her own- thats the plan anyway

On the flip side I have two cock birds that are looking very under the weather- one in a moult in the flight and one I'm feeding every morning- as always fingers crossed but right now I may have to change my moto of "just wanting to breed a couple of good hens"

Other than that it was 14 degrees in the manshed today, winter really is just around the corner!

A bit of an up and down day today which shows me that as the seasons change I should also expect a little change in luck!

The pair in ten have hatched another chick which makes seven! So I've transferred it to the feeder pair above and ill cross my fingers as so far they are doing well- its Nic when a stroke of madness pays off....

Taking of madness....

It feels like I'm crop feeding everything at the moment!- ill explain

The hen in two has all of her chicks out and for a couple of days all has been fine- I even tempted fate with a picture- but I noticed today that the hen was spending a long time in the box and upon inspection the chicks were very light to the touch- I popped the best one into the box only to have it ejected ten seconds later- so three chicks had 3 ml of feed and the best chick took 7!!! A kind of damned if you do and damned if you don't moment but having bred a better hen is like to keep her alive

I'm also crop feeding two cocks with feed,GA and a little antibiotic to try and save them for the breeding season as they are from the same line and typically ive hens coming ready!!!

So a game of two halves- a pair churning them out like its for fun, a hen deciding to stop feeding and two cocks ready for the parrot sketch!!!

Oh well roll on the Norwegian blue as we all recite the infamous saying "where there's livestock you get......"

Ill just have to cheer myself up with the dentists tomorrow!!!

Some times you just kn

Some times you just know the day is going to be a painful one!

I just hate it when you find a dead bird face down in the food- makes you think to yourself why didn't you eat- especially after I crop fed him yesterday but alas it didn't work and a yellowface grey '12 bird is off to new adventures, the other cock is also looking the same as yesterday so I managed to get 5ml into him including some probiotic and he is with some hens resting and seeing what happens next.

The chicks on the other hand- well lets just say that I had to remove them today after the best chick had blood on her head, the other chicks seem to be fed just fine but this one has been singled out- so I've put them with some young birds and I've topped up the three with 5ml and the opaline grey green took 10ml! I'm hoping that they learn to feed or the other chicks feed eachother as sometimes they do as I'm not looking forward to three feeds a day until they wean.

I've cleaned out the hens cage and nestbox where ill leave her for a day or two before I either out the old cock back on day release or select another from the flight- time to chew Ian's ear I think.

My expired ring collection is starting to read like a who's who and its a bit depressing to lose a young bird before he's filled an egg!

Its a funny old game.....

Well following on from the trauma of today I had a visit from my mentor Ian to have a look at what's happening. Three deep conversational hours later it was agreed that it was pure circumstance that i'd lost a bird, had another ill (which it was agreed was due to his wound) and with luck we spied the topped up opaline hen chick shuck her first seed- although she still took 10ml o formula just a moment ago.

But

What we didn't spot was that the pair in nine laid their first egg- and then the cock ate it! Typical!!!! You wait ages for it to happen and wham a kick in the plums but worse that that is that he is a foundation cock for this coming season so I've popped in a false egg in a hope of him not doing it again after he gets bored of it

But on another note we agreed that I need to thin down on the birds I have to hand at the moment- especially the feeder chicks and we agreed that the idea is that these are sacrificed rather than fitted into other nests

The feeders for this coming season have been identified- which look to be a spangle family or three- and ill be focusing on the Marchant/spruce/Adams/wilson line and the ball line- just as long as the grey cock stops eating eggs!

One step forwards and two backwards- must be the changing of the wind- or was that mary popins? Either way I need to have a fairy tale season and not something from the brothers grim

A mid day update as ive time on my hands today!

The autumn is unpon us without doubt and to be honest I'm counting down with dred the prospect of freezing cold mornings enroute to the manshed but hey ho it could be worse!

I've managed to keep the grey green chick alive with crop feeding and her siblings appear to be feeding a little so I hope that she won't be that far behind and that will be a big sigh of relief as she took 9ml this morning and her siblings 5ml so it can't happen fast enough!

I also had a call from the local feed merchants who managed to get some denge naked oats in- only two weeks overdue so I've ordered another bag as its the breeding season approaching and a bag of budgie expert so that I'm not caught out as I was before and down to the dust-

I've also been a busy boy and I phoned basil Thomas who's dispatching me a half dozen nest boxes and two extra inner boxes which holes in the concaves for the egg eaters in our lives! And in anticipation of an upturn in luck I've ordered some show cages for next year- exciting isn't it!!!

I've also realised that I have to make and push my luck so I've a listed the Friday the 13th and out three pairs down today, I'm going to call them pair one, two three etc as they should span the new breeding season and ill get some records for the 12/13 season that's passing.

They are-

1: a yellowface cinnamon sky Marchant hen with a cinnamon sky Allwood & Bird cock- he has something of the spruce about him and she needs some backskull and indeed slimming down so I hope a good match- she refused earlier in the year and he is known to be a bit aggressive so its fingers crossed

2: a dilute hen from Gary Shep wilson line with a DF grey Marchant cock- she has excellent blow and feather but is a slim woman and he is thickset but needs some blow- I'm hoping for some siblings from this pairing for a couple of chicks I'm weaning from another Marchant cock I paired her to a few weeks ago

3: a Barry Matthews sky opaline blue spangle hen with a Gary Shep sky cock from his Sykes line- she is a tall bird but needs. A Little more feather and width and he has feather And a nice width but could do with her height so fingers crossed.

With luck ill get something happening in the next four weeks but don't forget that when I comment on the pairings that they are lessor birds and not typical of the studs show team- is they have been obtained or given for a specific feature-

Phew- a busy day, the Adams cock in ten is still feeding his four chicks in the nest and the three fostered out from this round are doing ok with the foster hen but to be honest you can tell she's a little star struck by their arrival and I'm sure she will start over feeding them soon.

The lutino hens have left for a new home, I'm trying to find a home for seven pieds from the feeders and I've a couple of older birds to move on soon to make some space for the ten babies in the weaning cage and eight in nest boxes!

Will the boss notice if i add a few more cages? Hmmm let's think this one through!!!

What to do with Rat Bird?

Help- that's the bottom line so please feel free to pm me....

Now, I've need a hen, that's not unusual as over half of my chicks are but this is rather special. Ok its special for me which makes it rather average but she has not only long feather but also a bit of directional feathering but and here is the but

She's not eating and must weigh half of her siblings who have been topped up a couple of times but are eating ok. I can even pop her in my pocket and leave the manshed and go in the house (which freaked Charlotte out and hence the "get that ratty bird out of the house" make up some formula and five her 10ml for breakfast and tea.

So- the parents and the rest of the chicks are fine and despite having 20ml of formula a day what do I do?

Keep going and hope she puts on some weight or bang her on the head and accept some times even the best bird can be a little backwards?

So what should I do?

Other than that the pairs are bouncing at the moment- naturally the smaller the hen the more active she is, but rat bird aside its been a good day with the third egg in three.

Basil Thomas has confirmed that he will ship me six

More nest boxes next week and an inner for an egg eater-

The dilemma is tht I've split that pair up as the hen was looking a little troubled at being bullied by the cock- I get the impression that she is struggling to pass an egg as she is a little out of sync and I suspect she will be next for the reaper- when I leave the cock with the chicks and move the hen with time for her to go straight into the next round its no problem- let her raise the round and put in another cock and its all goes, frankly, to rats!!!!

I've been a bit worried about what to do with the great unwanted excess and with luck and a little pro-active activity I rang somewhere and recognised the voice on the other end Of the phone- a nice chat and a "ill take anything you can let me have as I know they will be well looked after and delight my customers" talk about pressure! So with the Amount of adult cocks I've lost to date ill need an outcross sooner rather than later so ill be using some additional cages for "just in case" pairs and feeders knowing that they will at least pay for the seed and should pay for a cock- even if it is 20:1- such is the heady weight of commerce- it also allows me to keep the border line birds longer as they will also take adults

Other than that winter is almost here and thankfully the skins waterproof and the hair won't get ruined on the walk to the manshed- I just need to fix rat bird so I don't have to do it carrying baby food!

Today has been a black day- I got reminded in a moment of weakness that I'd offered to pay for a hairdo and that set me back £45! I had the service reminder come up on the car so that's going to be an ouch moment and I've had to euthanise a bird in the flight- he was an OAP and the tumour he'd developed was almost as big as him and as tough as it was to do it was a quality of life thing!

Trouble is when you look around the flight when your feeling down and a birds asleep or moulting you start to panic that all isn't well- but you look further and see all the bouncing fit birds and remind yourself that your out of sync because these fluffed up moulting birds are 11-16 weeks old and to be expected but it does remind you that its time for a deep clean tomorrow and that's always good for the soul and its free!!!

Other than that and as a lift a couple of the pairs are using the neat boxes and tomorrow ill put another feeder pair down just in case the other one doesn't do the business

Another positive is that the grey cockbird from cage nine is looking a lot better and his wound is healing- a huge relief if he makes a recovery as I've three hens in the flight that could do with some TLC from that line.

As always fingers crossed and its at times when your feeling low or things aren't going right that you have to remind yourself to be positive seize the moment and make your luck

I've a safari on Wednesday- or rather I'm a chauffeur for a junior that wants to go and see someone down the road who doesn't drive!- so ill be putting something back into the hobby and NOT taking a cage or the wallet

As always its fingers crossed and I cant wait for the birds to get through the ugly period

I'd like to say I was up bright and breezy but I wasn't- I lay in bed till eight with a filthy hangover- the thing is I didn't deserve it I only had two pints, a glass of wine and three shorts- I Blame the chips

But today I took the hen from twelve and put her for a rest into a cage with the hens from one,the hen from eleven and the grey cock from nine- the grey cock is starting to look better now that his wound is starting to heal and fingers crossed he steps up his recovery and makes the September breeding squad!

With two empty cages and nest boxes I cleaned these and I scrubbed them down together with all peripherals ready for some pairings to follow- I've got two cocks ready to go but hens lagging behind so I may just put another feeder pair down as typically the four pairs will be out of sync as one feeder has four foster chicks and will be out of sync with these new pairs and I've three spare cages to hand so I've got the space- I just need to get some drinkers, feed pots and finger draws.

I also cleaned out the inside flight and changed around the furniture so whilst its a dusty job with all that sawdust they say its good for the soul!

Rat bird was seen shucking four or five seed kernels today- hey it's progress! But I do feel that she isn't yet able to sustain herself as she still took 10ml tonight and she is as light as a feather so unless she steps it up I can't see the weekend being a happy time.

Speaking of happy times- the pair in four are a crossover pair- and if you recall the sky hen died eggbound and I had to find another hen from the "problem pile" of hens that have refused already and he is down with a light green hen- she had messed around with the nestbox after he had made a nest!, well today they have been mating so its fingers crossed that it goes well in the next week and a pair of feeders have been using the box after two days- the pair in cage 1 are gong to be tougher to crack!

Other than that a big congratulations goes to the winners at Croydon where ian Fordham took another Award in the show and champion line-up with his Lutino's and to mike smith for BIS with the sky- a repeat winner and two thoroughly nice chaps.

I've just got to persuade the birds I've got to breed and stay alive long enough to

Fill a show cage. Fingers crossed that i have a positive run of luck.

A turn for the better.....

We all know Mother Nature and I have an arrangement- every time its going well she brings me down a peg and when its dyer she shows me a day of light- bit like marmite this special relationship

So this morning I popped into the manshed and saw Rat Bird shuck a couple of seeds but that was a it it and she took 10ml of formula and off I went to do some gardening. On my return there she was in the corner of the cage- fluffed and unloved bless her- I reached for the crop needle and she ran to the seed tray and stayed there for fifty mins eating- which meant I had to wait until she had stopped so I could check her crop etc- also to make sure she was swallowing rather than just playing with it and hurrahs he has some in her crop- as time was getting on I topped her up with 5ml so I really do hope that's it

I was asked today why call her rat bird- apart from the bosses naming convention if you give a bird a rough name and it doesn't hurt so much if it doesn't make it- call it fluffy and the kids will love it just before you bury it!!!

Other than that I've a fertile egg in three which is rat birds dad with another hen and the cock that was with the hen in three is keen on the hen in two- which is rat birds mum so fingers crossed we have an upswing in luck

The weather is turning and its going to be 10 degrees tonight so I hope that it doesn't mean another moult or hens falling off the perch! But I've been having a look in the flight and I've got some feeder/chance/mix 'n' match. Birds that could go down next week- to give me some maternal options and hopefully a couple of the main lines hens will get the message and start to compete for attention but as always its fingers crossed and try and learn some patience, rat birds other bigger sibling is out of the box today and I just hope its a smooth transition!

Its been a funny old day today- as always never quiet and my phone was ringing red hot so a thank you to everyone for the kind words. It never ceases to amaze me how the English way of keeping a stuff upper lip is fast becoming an ambulance chasing no blame no claim culture but in these times of austerity I can as Mary popins would say sense a change in the wind as people get fed up with the PPI mentality and its surprising how the "old guard" are viewing things with intereat at what is happening to their hobby of which we are just custodians to the next generation- I just hope we pass down the right legacy and for now that is that.

The good news and I mean really good news is that rat bird is feeding all day today and that's my ray of light, I missed out on a stud sale that included some pure wilson birds to see if I can get a rat family rather than just a rat bird but ill just have to do with what I have and stay out of the limelight

I'm very happy next year for people to comment "who the **** put that ratty bird out" and who knows I may even get up north for a few shows.

I'm doing my penance tomorrow and going to see a local champion- no I'm not shopping I'm transporting a junior to have a look- I'm not even in the club! But when the conversation ends with "can I get a six foot flight cage in the car?" You know its a group effort from the whole county to get him started and that's good for the soul, no cash, no promises and no politics just plain old putting something back into the hobby and that may just be a few Marchant bred birds depending on the moult

Other than that I've found ten third hand new show cages for sale which I think I've done a deal for- the next debate is what comes in them when they arrive!

An interesting day today as it was a safari and we all like those! I collected the junior from the train station and a quick lesson on feather types at chez Kev and then off to Simon gage's place- or rather as he refers it his budgerigar palace!

Simon over the years has done well on the show ben h and after a break for family reasons he is back and rebuilding his stud and I was impressed at the progress he has made in 22 months and the famines he has built around a few key birds- in 22 months he has turned 14 birds into 200! Full nests or a kleptomaniac- the jury is out ! But they were very nice and a real handful- given the work he has out in and the direction he is taking I'm sure he will be taking the top spot again and a very useful stud of recessive pieds- I'm just not sure that three feathers. Constitutes a tuft!

Other than that the feeders hatched a chick that was crushed by its siblings and I hope it was one of theirs- I did comment today that I just didn't think their heart was in rearing this round so perhaps I know the answer and ill break them up as soon as the current round weans.

More tomorrow as I feel a pairing up session tomorrow-

Ooo almost forgot- I was planning on giving the junior a couple of the Marchant chicks to get him started but I got beat to it as Simon gave him some pairs from his key fagan line birds,! a quas breeder and aome twill weld in exchange for him sweeping a couple of yards of floor- I'm going back next week with the Hoover!

Bit of a busy day today- as always some times it pays to put a little back in the tank and some times you have to take one for the team and as the domestic side is quite busy at the moment I didn't get into the manshed until 930 and there I stayed on and off for a good few hours- no not rebuilding it but picking pairs and moving youngsters around

On the change around front I moved Rat Bird and her friends to a newly arranged and finished cage (a bank of six under the window) and that gives them more space to grow on and not get bullied- her better brother is just learning to perch with his foster parents so fingers crossed.

I put together three pairs today all with spangles amd all with a dash of either Adams, Marchant or wilson about them- the cinnamon spangles have a very rich soft down feather and if like the previous pair they throw something good then bingo they can go into the main family and if not then its down to the pet shop until they do- cant afford passengers as I've outcrosses to fund next year

I've also come to realise that I need better baby facilities- no not a changing table but a nursery flight and over the winter that may just happen especially if I have a good start-

On the tweety front Rat-Birds Mum has laid her second egg today with a new man so that's good news and Rat-Birda dad is in the cage next door with three fertile eggs- all I need to do is get the high hopes grey cock to another hen when he is fit and bingo more half brothers than a rerun of devina's lost family show!

So its all good news and as always fun times and new friends ringing up to say hello from distant regions- ok Carlisle but that is the other end of the universe!!

Saying that like busses, I got another threat today- one to take seriously- my mentor tells me that if I start another line outside of my two main famines and fringe activities he'll abscond with the wallet and nail my feet to the floor after I threatened to have another dabble- I sought council tomight to which point my learned friend agreed adding that he'd sit on me until I repented and used the birds I had properly!

I'm glad that's sorted!!! and all I need next year are three birds, a little luck and a copy of the beano down the back of the trousers!

Regardless of the birds I am blessed to have made such fine friends and so many

I've ordered the sun so enjoy it....

They say its going to be an Indian weekend so enjoy the heat- I'm gardening Monday so its bound to rain! I went into the manshed at a reasonable time this morning as I'd intended to do the coupling breakfast thing and then do the birds and have it on my toes to go and paint my bachelor bedroom ready for sale only to get a phone call or three enroute that changed things.

The first was a certain "Mr Smug of Smugville" about his latest stroke of good fortune- I had to laugh as if he was paid by the hour in the time he puts into his birdroom he'd be a Millionaire. The se one call was Asking me to interview for a job so it ment as I'd had the summer off I've had to out some suites into the dry cleaners and make sure they fit!!! Oh well as the summer turns it may not be a bad thing!

I forgot to mention i spent an hour having a cross country chat with one of Hiya bud- I'm very impressed with the wilson/Marchant birds I've produced- I hear that there is a stud up your way for sale- is it worth a chat with you about it in its entirety? the stoke boys the other day and today i had a good chinwag with Tony Cash who's kindly invited me round to have a look at one of the most prolific pairs in history who laid and naturally raised over 100 chicks on the trott- mind you be suggests that I may get list around the M25 and could I bring a red eye specialist with me- I feel a pre-employment safari coming on and my mentor riding shotgun- or rather holding the shotgun should I have a roving eye!!

Other than that most of the new pairs have bonded with the exception of one of the expected problem hens- the sky and the light green really need to lay as if they were paid for mating I'd be a millionaire! Either that or an internal layer as I can't find any egg shell or yoke in the box.

I did spot of of the new hens be sick in the flight- or rather regurgitate (at will rather than compulsion) and so I popped her and two other hens into an isolation suite for a close look and i'm happy to report I think it was some of the new bedding caught as she looks fine but I may keep them together until they out on a few ounces- although a couple of the new pairs I put down could do with losing some!

And now some good news...

They had one of their five a day today! since they arrived in feb they haven't touched the stuff to today inspired by a picture on a social media site I out two ears of corn into the flight and relieved and delighted to see it consumed.

The down side is that the spangle cock I have has tried to mate with his chick (sonill watch to make aurw it dowsnt get any worse as its rat birds prettier sibling) and his mate but just can't get both legs on top at his age so it may be time to retire the old boy- gutting as after four hens he never filled an egg!

Other than that its fingers crossed that all those building sheds and citing out get their fingers out and make bay as its going to rain on Monday!

Did I mention that it was a full moon when I put the pairs down on purpose? But that's another theory for another day as I'm still serving my ban lol

I wonder where that is from? I'm uses to the odd typo and out rather than put but not a whole paragraph of something id not written?

The trouble with kindness

Some times its all about how the dice roll- take today as an example. I picked up my girls from mums and called into a pet shop on the way home that had expressed an interest in buying pet budgies for a tenner each only to see them for sale at £30! and by the look of it they were imports and about the size of zebra finches.

I'm delighted to say that the birds are eating vegetables which is a first and four ears of sweet corn has disappeared and I've pealed off the putter leaves of an iceberg for them- (rings a bell but I don't know why but if its bad please call my mobile rather than reply on here!)

Now, my eyes are great but in the last couple of years I've aged and lets just say that I was given a pair of birds with the comment that if a certain colour turns up in the nest then the have a home- typically of the seven chicks the first four to feather up are all that colour and the other three are with fosters and yet to show themselves- the fosters are bored and although hatching one of their own in the week it died, being squished by the foster chicks- and today typically they hatched out a red eye! Yep another lutino hen but I've nowhere for it to go so I suspect it won't last past the weekend but again it would end up being a gift as a thank you.

That's the trouble with kindness its contagious

Here we go again- just as I thought it was safe to go I to the water I peeked through the window in the manshed and spotted the '11 grey cock that's key for this year sitting there pulling out his primary flight feathers, I'm not going to show him so if that's his idea he should have stopped at 7 lol but I wonder if its because he's been taken out of the security of the breeding cage and out into the flight? I'll keep an eye on him as I saw a little bit of an argument with another cockbird! Such is the ups and downs- I just hope it doesn't make him inactive for 6-8 weeks while they re grow!!!

It's been a funny old day- my 14yr old diagnosed the grey cock as suffering stress and to be honest I can disagree so Tuesday if all things are good I'm going to put the three stock hens back into the flight and take the grey coco and put him into a spare cage with a couple of compatible hens to see who flinches first- or then again I could take two cocks from the flight and out in with the three stock hens from the same line and do the same- decisions decisions !

But on the good news front its budgies 2 corn on the cob 0 yay fantastic news as it means I can get some alternate proteins and carbs into them other than the denge naked oats! Mind you if this tropical heat continues over the next few days I may just have popcorn!- least I know when its harvested locally I have a home for the cobs- I just need to get the kids organised into a scrumping posse!

It's going to be a busy week this week- I'm convinced that the pair in four should be laying but I am on my "problem hen" reserves so it could be a black cloud- the pair in two are on three eggs, the pair in three should hatch towards the end of the week and with luck the new lutino in four (its now two days old) may just make it to the weekend- but I doubt it and I'll take the three fostered in to adulthood over a surprise foster lutino.

But I should start to see some serious coupling going on- although the cock in eight which is a very serious bird still can't seem to get the hang of taking both feet off the perch to mate! As a ''10 bird this may be his last throw of the dice as he's been with four hens and zilch :-(

Other than that many a bag of spanners are due to turn into beautiful swans over the next month, its an exciting time but I must stop co pairing these chicks to the adults in the flight- it looks like a winters job may just be to build a baby flight and growing on flight- and yes ian you told me so!

As always fingers crossed as I've been looking at the "serious" hens and I think they are three weeks away which gives me a Little time to get some wing feather stuck onto a grey cock- just kidding

I've also advanced booked or should I say warned the collective that I want to go to the London and Southern show on the 6th- its going to be good as there have been some excellent shows locally with different winners and it may just be the last fight at the OK Carole before the national- I'm the taller mike smith clone should you stumble into the hall

Well were hanging in here, I've the first egg of the second round from the spangle cock that's in the last chance saloon- again he isn't getting both feet up on the job so I don't think that he will so the business and may have to be religated to expensive ornament as the feeders I have were freebies!! But lets just see what happens- but its exciting times none the less. I'm also expecting one of the eggs in three to hatch soon- she is a canny hen and every time I try and sneak in another egg she finds it and eats it- the theory that they can't count isn't one she has read and its a royal pain as I'd love to slip a lutino under her but fear she will destroy it as an alien. On that front its quite bizarre that the feeders are acting odd- with three chicks in the nest the hen appears to be just sitting in the box and isn't even eating millet sprays when they are put in so I wonder if she has given up in protest and its just the cock doing the business? The new chick (a ten day gap) seems to be doing ok but I expect him to be squished soon but I've nowhere to transfer it to.

On the plus side after three weeks it looks like one of the birds in pair one has been in the box- I have no idea which one and I was going to split them up so ill just wait another week for a more definite patten.

Rat bird is going from strength to strength and isn't quite so take now that they are in a knee level double breeder flight cage- her weaned brother is a racing snake and on the reserves team but her other sibling shows allot of promise and is waiting to come away from the spangle above but the tail is short and it isn't yet perching so I hope as the hen is laying that it doesn't make a nuisance of itself and cop a right hook.

Other than that I'm still waiting for a light green hen to lay after four weeks, the three bought in hens are a way from breeding condition so the pressure is off until they are ready and I need the cage space,'I must find time to buy some more drinkers, feeding pots, a catching net and a few other things like rings...

Don't shoot the messenger !

Ya' know its a funny old game this budgie business- we have people at the bottom run of the hobby who are capable of running for the Nobel prize for science and at the other end of the scale we have the grand champion with birds that he can trace back 40 years. We have small potting sheds with double breeders and we have elaborate set ups with 80 plus cages but what we all have in common is the abity to learn from eachother and to ensure the golden nuggets are passed from one generation to another.

To a certain extent that was what the challenge was and best in show- the collective wisdom of the time and what have we done in the last ten or twenty years since it came out? Answers on a postcard

The BS at the time needed to become commercially astute and to a certain extent it still does as its a long way behind how an organisation of its size and weight should behave in terms of governance, but then again its a hobby and in all of the noise, smoke and mirrors, profiles and egos is the easiest thing to forget- it's the subjectivity that makes the conjecture interesting, its trying to understand the motivation behind peoples actions and all the time......

Things just tick along- great organisations tend to be run by meek and astute people that turn the wheels and listen to people, alay fears and make solid rational decision and things happen in a selfless way and we have had some exceptional people at the helm and long may the quiet men listen to the noise and beating of chests and then just get on with stearing the ship and enjoying the ocassional thanks

So here is a public thanks to all the quiet men, the selfless few that actually run the hobby and to those that selflessly contribute without thanks, you know the ones I mean, they take on the jobs that no-one wants, they organise and do rather than shout and delegate- me I'm a shouter and then I do but I've always appreciated what the quiet few can do in the organisations I've managed and the power they have in their wisdom and least we not forget as when your busy being loud in an ivory tower the buggers are taking the bricks out!

I had the first of hopefully three interviews today and the biggest take away was EQ as a tool rather than iQ and although I'm loud I'm also angoodnlistener so tomorrow I meet the MD and the staff to talk synergies- I'll be ok as long as they don't ask me to spell! I've been on stage as a guest speaker in a few countries and in front of 500 people so I don't get outwardly nervous- but I'll be making like a swan and paddling my feet like crazy as its a family business they want to place in safe hands and expand next year.

Other than that the lutino is still alive at four days old and although I don't think it will make it I'm not tempting fate by naming it- mind you the term rat bird hardly inspired the last naming convention but her brother looks handy and in terms of what I need to bring into the shed next summer I think I know and ill get the order in soon. The pairs are bouncing so to recap they are mainly H&M pairings with a spattering of pairs containing wilson/spruce/Adams/Matthews to play with the feathering and I'm waiting for the Ball bloodline to pass a moult and then away we go- third star to the east and carry on until morning (sorry that was Peter Pan!) or was it the west? It doesn't matter and today's forums have had far too much fairy tale telling and fables in them in my humble opinion but it does appear to be a fair fight which is a nice thing to see.

The only exception is that pair one- a yellowface sky cinnamon brute of a Marchant hen and a spruce sky cinnamon cock who are just sitting there while she calls to a grey cock in the flight that's boing bananas up and down- he is an Adams bred cock that's in a moult and the wrong shape for her but after two weeks I'd have hoped any attachment would have worn off by now but hey ho lets see what the next two weeks bring?

Other than that lets all hail the quiet men and who knows if we can get them to read the contributions of the "improve the BS" suggestion thread we may just grow the hobby And welcome in the new dawn- we just need them to delegate and set some objectives we can publish and hold people accountable for or the light at the end of the tunnel may just be a train or a juggernaught lol

I would just like to thank that preachers daughter from easy Germany for being the quiet person inspiration. Thank you Angela Merkle

Just when you think you know what's going to happen you get surprised?

We all like a little curve ball from time to time,!the odd surprise in the birdroom so how about this one. Ive a pair in cage seven that are fosters- in the first round they reared six which included a couple of fostered chicks and the grey dom pied cock appeared to attack anything that wasn't looking like the DFS green series hen- the same with round two. In round three and under encouragement from my mentor I placed other eggs under the hen and binned hers but she kept on laying and at one stage she was on nine and I kept binning the ones that didn't show anything, couple this with the fact that despite the fact that nothing had hatched I had to transfer three chicks from another pair in and thank god she started to raise them. The thing is I could tell that her heart just wasn't in it and pulls this with the fact that she sits in the box ignoring the hicks and the cock feeds her and the chicks! Now that's not a bad job for her and if she was human a whole Jeremy Kyle series!

Thing is she hatched one of her own - some ten days after she started rearing the fosters- and it died having being crushed by the other chicks, however, she hatched a red eyed chick and she appears to be nurturing it- in fact she hatched another chick today and its doing fine leaving just one other egg to go! Thing is I've been puttin soaked millet in the box and to date its untouched- I change it but it never gets nibbled, and I noticed tonight that she has moved the nest contents around to be able to nurture the two hatchlings and separate them from the others that are frankly able to provide their own body warmth. I know now I've mentioned it they will all keel over but hey that's budgies for you and you never know what tomorrow brings.

Today also bought six new nest boxes and two Inners for managing egg eaters for the coming season- I just need to get the new season underway and I'm hoping that the first will be the sky and the light green but you never know and at last the pair in one have started to use the nest box as she and he have started to show some quills- but that's budgies for you!

I spoil these birds- and my missus!!! I should have been a libra!

She who must be feared reminded me on her way out the door that the flowers I bought her last week didn't last that well- and chaps we know what that means don't we- either your tight and robbing graves for flowers or you've got the no that the ones you bought weren't upto the mark and you need to replenish them and to be frank I'm not brave enough to enter into a doorstep quizz on the matter.

So off I trundled to the market and bought some Lillie's and would you believe it I managed to find grab corn on the cob and I thought hello hello, I'm off for a visit to the Fordham stud where ill pillage his grit and minerals and can't go empty handed- yes I know bourbons would have been ok but u do believe when time is given that you appreciate it and although I've spent manf an hour with Ian today was one of those pivotal moments when things click in your mind and you ask more smart questions that you do daft ones- and if you follow my comments I'm very capable of asking obvious questions and unfounded hunches and opinions.

But I'm still very excited and I'm waiting for key hens to come into condition from my ball and Marchant line and I can't wait. I've tall, short and wide cocks and I've fat.thin buff and yellow hens and its all in the mix and all to play for- trouble is its the troublesome hens to go first !

As a beginner you don't realise you can use a hen more than once a season with a rest, or how to use a hen to multiple cocks and cocks to multiple hens, the joys of egg binding, egg eaters and internal layers! I just want to have a run of luck and some fun along the way lol