Sunny upside! We're about to batten down the hatches for some 70mph winds-apparently.

So today I had a visit from the boss to check out the chicks and to have a chat about progress to date and how I see the pairings for the coming season.

My chicks I've bred are in the main ok with a couple of stars and a few below par but that's to be expected as I am a beginner after all!

I've had a few birds turn up their toes this year- in the main it's been hens where I've swopped partners and they have retained an egg and then bingo egg bound so I've decided that in future I'll remove hens to move to new cocks rather than wait for chicks to fledge and introduce a new partner as by then they should have started laying with their existing partner.

The good news is that I feel I have two cocks coming through for the A team and by the looks of it a dozen plus hens which is good news. The European line is in the throws of going down to breed and I will be making pairings in the next few weeks as and when I feel the time is right- or rather trying to juggle timings of feeder pairs starting new rounds.

Ian then asked where I feel my outcross would come from this year given I have a couple of lines- its nice to answer that I don't have any planned- what, a beginner with his hand stuck on his wallet and not opening it!!!, whatever next!

The thing is when I started I managed to get a couple of cocks from alan and from mike and I've the "hard yards" to do and I need to combine the chicks from these cocks (within the families and not together) and a couple around the fringes from Gary Shep and darren snell to form a uniform look and I feel that will take another year. Yes I know I'm down on a couple of things and in my English line that's spot/length of mask and backskull but their isn't any point in bringing this in until I have three or four hens of equal quality to work on and in the same Breath I just need to get my first real season with the ball birds working (as they were young) hard and drive up the numbers and cross them over to get some uniformality.

But if the right birds came along tomorrow I'd rip off your arm and beat you with the soggy end but I have my work cut out at the moment and if you chase you just end up with the wrong thing at the wrong price.

So there we are- the chicks need to grow as the eldest is 7months, the birds I've bought in to improve the feather texture have hatched a couple of chicks making three pinkies and the Adams pair have just chipped out the first of their 9eggs!

As fertile hens go I'll be keeping those, mind you a swop might be on the cards if they hatch all nine and they go again!

Safaibto rick watts tomorrow with Ian riding shotgun so another three hours of budgie chat there and back to see how rick is doing as he has some similar bloodlines- perhaps I'll take a show cage after all?

Well what a busy old day!

I started the morning around 730 on a day off- in fact a safari day as I've elected to work tomorrow to get a few chores done. I started the day finding that the grey spangles had hatched another chick and it didn't look like it had been fed so I swopped it with a 3 day old chick from the nest above that had hatched another chick- that's 4 in 4 days for that pair! But the down side is that I had to leave early so I have no idea if the chick made it- really bad form I know but I has to do something !

All of the pairs apart fe one are using the nestbox and I've noticed a pair bonding in the flight that I'd actually put together so it is as we say "tickerty boo" but a long way to go,

Then today it was off to pickup ian and off on safari- as always with ian and we never stop talking and often were competing for the silences but such is the price of being keen and its always the same story on the way back even if its a long drive!

So having chewed the cud all the way down to the visit It was agreed that I was lacking three things and to be honest i was looking for the directional feathering along the cere line- having lost a couple of cocks this close to the breeding season from my Marchant line I needed to put in a reserve appearance and whilst rick watts has some nice birds I found myself in the delta between some young cocks that had this feature that weren't old enough and birds in his breeding team that weren't for sale so I went for a cock that had a couple of the other features that I need to upgrade this line for which is improved backskull and a deeper mask with bigger spots. The idea is that I can use him now to start with and then as my own hens come on line in January I can cross over from prodgeny of the three original cocks and use him where needed. He is a different style and will fit well and with luck bridge the gap until I can breed or bring in the directional delta- the downside is that he is flecked so ill have to be very careful on how I use them and what I use from him.

Other than that the M25 is still painfull and tomorrow should tell me if the spangle made it or not and with luck I'm expecting another pinkie or two

Well what a day yesterday was-

Firstly I was my daughters 15th birthday and so it was always going to be a red letter day but I didn't expect it to develop into a purple patch!

The pair in 1 are a Jim Laurie bred ball hen and a ball cock that I paired on the 21st and yesterday I found an egg- after 4 days! And with luck tomorrow i have another as for me she isn't sitting as tight as it like but often that is the case with the first egg. In the cage below (4) I have a Sykes cinn greygreen hen that has stopped trying to kill me and a Marchant grey cock- she has better backskull and mask length than the cock and yesterday they also laid an egg!

In terms of the blasted spangles! The chicks that I moved had been fed which was handy as today she hatched another one and I've done the same by taking an older chick from one pair and swopping it over.

Now- if we recall I've had a bit of struggle with these birds- I put down four pairs of spangles- one pair (a violet sky spangle hen and a sky normal cock) abandoned the eggs the week before they were due to hatch and I had to move them to the two pairs that are now hatching- another pair was a green spangle cock and a light green hen- she died after the first egg and I moved that to one of the hatching pairs above-

Complex isn't it and we know I always get confused when it comes to tracing unrung chicks- however....

There is method in the madness- one pair was blue, one pair was green, one pair was grey and one pairing was cinn greygreen and cinn blue. But the green chick that hatched under the greys I believe has died, the blue eggs should stand out and with luck only one pair should produce greys and he is yellowfaced.

Now- the reason I've bought in a few spangles was two fold- firstly as they have a very soft feather where the down is the same length as the main feather and they are very silky with higher shoulders and weight than my Marchant birds and I've put them to Marchant/Adams birds that were a gift for noise that have better blow and capping. So in theory if I get some positive cross over birds they will be 25% Marchant and able to be used in the line. If they don't then as a beginner I have some pretty birds for the pet shop!

I've also got a couple of other birds for feeders/pets which should give me some greys,pieds and perhaps some more red eyed chicks but who knows- I'd rather they raised some exhibition birds but lets see what the future holds on that one.

The chicks that are in three (a Lightgreen yellowface hen and a grey green cock) are going to be an opaline light green hen, a grey green and a grey so one of them has to be split blue! But they keep leaving the nestbox but to me aren't ready so I'm popping them back and over the next week I'll retrim the vents on the parents and let the hen have another round- they should be able to produce better chicks or ill swop In another cock or even swop around completely as I've the dilute free in a few weeks when she stops rearing the current chicks-to finish the round up I had another chick from the Adams pair hatch yesterday so another pinky.

See we've gone from a purple patch to a pinkie so its quite the rainbow- which is a nice link to the weather were the mild gusts this morning of 40mph broke the neighbours six foot fence onto the back of the shed and I've has to screw it to the shed to stop it banging!

And this afternoon we have 60-80mph winds predicted so I guess it will be one step forward....

So were battening down the hatches in anticipation of a storm which looks to be hitting us in the small hours so I thought I'd get busy and make use of the time. Other than the Adams birds now hatching their third pinkie ther is nothing Mitch to report apart from I found an egg in cage four which means as it was broken that ill have to wait another couple of days before she extends the clutch but while I was there I decided that I'd get ahead of the curve.

I decided to trim the vents of the pair in three and again pop the two chicks back with their brother in the nest and I checked on eleven (blue spangle pairing)- she is a dirty hen but by the feel of it she should lay in a couple of days and I think this time I'll remove or replace them as soon as I've seen they are fertile and put in a dummy egg- I hate soiled eggs!

So I thought I'd put a couple of pairs down figuring that three weeks to hatch, two weeks to ring makes it the first week of December so if they take two weeks to lay its bingo '14 rings, but to be honest I don't care as long as their healthy!

So having been motivated at the two pairs going down I decided that I'd pair up when the body laungage is right and the bird feels right rather than wait for the cere to turn nutty and be behind the curve and have problems.

So fresh pair in cage eight is a grey ball hen- she is the auntie of the cock in cage 1 and I've had two rounds from her earlier and she has had a couple of months rest and now playing up to a darren snell sky cock- when I feel her pelvic bones they aren't quite opened up so I figure she will come into condition in the next ten days and then its happy days. I've had to find a RH cage as both he and her were last used in a LH cage so I'm hoping just that little change will buy me a little thinking time but they look very settled and the cock needs to change his luck as he has lost the last two hens!!

In 12 I have a fresh pairing of a flecked grey cock in his first outing (a local replacement of the bird that I lost a couple of weeks ago to use on the Marchant hens) and a lt green pied hen- she is an older proven hen and I like her backskull so I'm hoping for something a little different here. The cock has a longer mask and a bigger spot so if it works out ill use him on a couple of the cleaner hens I've bred.

In the new bank of cages under the window I've also paired a new pair and so its cage 15. I have paired a Jim Laurie bred opaline grey green that I weeded out of him on an aviary visit- her back end is a little swollen and her pelvic bones are wide apart so I have high hopes- I've put her with a young cinnamon grey cock from darren snell that has a very soft feather that is very dense so I they throw something it should be nice as they both have a Mike ball background. Sure she is a 11 hen but as always you only need to breed one to replace her and anything else is a bonus!

Talking of bonuses I was giften a while ago a normal grey hen that doesn't have a tail and is missing a few flights bless her and it turns out she has terrific pedigree that fits with what I have in the shed so later on ill be able to find out if the worst bird from a good nest really is a point of truth or fiction as her brothers looked good and she is very typey so as always if one messes around I've got a reaerve and we all know the Fordham "rule of three"'and the "where there's livestock" motto that seems to be ruling the output of the shed.

The yellowfaced chicks that I bred in cage 1 earlier in the year before the hen had enough are looking very good and wait for it- they have directional feathering just coming out from nowhere! So im a happy bunny and the parents are repaired at the moment and as soon as I get an egg with a heart beat them be off under fosters!!!

Exciting isn't it and I've still got two cages left and at this rate if I have a bit of luck ill run out of rings!!

And two steps backwards!

I hate it when I can't get our and about and today was rained off as if was a day helping out with some coppicing work so I managed to fill it by getting some jobs done at the ranch, off to the accountants and the post office and then onto the bachelor pad to start the repaint before it goes on the market.

So I had a little extra time today so I was drawn to cage one where the hen was outside on the perch and the cockbird inside the nestbox. Yesterday I noticed the box was disturbed and so today I decided to swop the eggs over with a foster pair and mark the fosters remaining eggs and the fosters eggs I moved (ie the only ones in the nest boxes marked was the fosters)-

Well

When I came home tonight I found again the hen outside and the cock had trampled the eggs and smashed them up! Normally I do things too late sonit was nice to be ahead of the curve but I had to remove the cock to the chicks cage and I'll put him in the breeding cage when feeding and the day before the egg is due-damn it!!!

So this begs a question of should I pair him to another hen and do a day on a day off and as this is the second hen's nest he's trampled how do I best manage him? Please do feel free to contact me direct with advise

Other than that dillema its all tickerty boo- the spangle collective have seven chicks that thy are raising, the Adams birds have three chicks which for them isn't that many so I hope for more tomorrow but it is a nice round ten to ring which means it will be touch and go eaking out the rings as ill have a dozen left.

It does leave you a little down when your star pair messes around but that's budgies for you and I guess I'm not alone on this front.

Aaaarrrggghhh frustration overload!

I decided that true to form the egg was due tomorrow so I put the cock into the cage to fertilise the egg and when I can home tonight the two eggs with a cross on (transferred from the foster) had gone and a single cold egg was in its place and it was punctured- so in disgust I've placed him with a hen in cage 12 and I'm going to wait until the hen in 1 lays (just In case they managed to rub off the felt) and I'll remove the egg and let the cock bird in having firstly blocked off the nest box.

What's interesting is that the hen abandons the nest when the cock is around and sits straight in the box when he isn't- so I guess he is a high maintenance boy and I'll have to use him to fertilise the eggs and nothing else- bugger! There goes the low maintenance first round!

Its a shame that another cock in the flight just isn't old enough or I'd have my problems sorted but that's budgies and these are the hard yards!

Other than that I squeezed air out of an inflated crop this morning which is a first- and the Adams pair have hatched their 4th chick so I've 7 under the spangle collective that are still with us at the moment that will need ringing next week so that's 11 chicks to ring before the 21st December and ten more and ill run out of rings!

The spangle sky/violet looks like she should lay any moment but I can't feel an egg so I'll keep and eye on her and if nothing by the weekend she'll be out in the cold. The new pairings are all using the nestbox so perhaps I'll have something else to report by the weekend :-)

Its interesting to just sit there and have time to look at the birds and the families (although I do get told off for mixing them together in the flight so its impossible to age and assess the birds) and look at the differing styles.

I've got the H&M line that I just wanted to breed a dozen hens and although I've lost a few I've bred probably 20-25 pure bred chicks and 12 half bred chicks that have either spruce/Adams/ball in them and now I have the spangles that have 7 chicks that are H&M/Adams crossed with what I'd consider a South African look- finer feathered with a concaved outline but not the top end I'm looking for hence crossing them over and if the right bird pops out I can out them into either the Adams chicks or the H&M chicks.

The next decision will be who do I put with the dilute hen in 2 in about three weeks when she is ready and by then I'll know what cage three is doing in terms if another round.

I've a few hens in the flight that perhaps are in the last chance saloon after faltering on one or two occasions and at the same time I've a couple of Adams hens coming through that I could use and I've a couple of others that I could again use- and then I have the home rung chicks that were hatched in march coming through- the dilemma will be looking at the mix I've got and seeing what has worked and doing some more of that- the trouble with hybrid vigour is that If you pair it back into the main line you could go backwards but oh hum a step forwards would be nice !

So tomorrow is D day- and I'm not talking about a French invasion!

Te grey cockbird from 1 is still with the hen in 12 as I won't move him till after the hen in 1 has laid an egg which should be tomorrow and then he can go in over night to do the business.

I've candled the two eggs I've moved but they are showing clear but to be honest so re eggs from the foster pair of the same age- the eldest foster parents eggs are both full so as much as it hurts I'll have to bin these tomorrow.

But it's not all bad news!

The grey spangles hatched another egg and as she isn't the best day old feeder I've swopped it with the nest above so they both have 4 chicks

The Adams birds have hatched number five- ill have to candle the others as it will be a tight fit with any more in the box and the only other nests also have four each in!

But- the pair in four have laid another egg- their second after she laid what would have been one in the middle outside on the cage floor.

Other than that I'm still plotting what to do with the chicks as they mature in terms of crossing over the three Marchant cockbirds chicks and if I bring in something to compliment/bolster the line- but at the moment playing with the birds from mike and Daren is consuming every thought!

On the plus side I bought a box of drinkers and 90 finger draws today- just in case the next hurricane hits you understand.....

So time for a small recap on the chick front:-

Firstly I can't count and the Adams pair are on four chicks, as are both pairs of spangles so that makes 12 chicks of which I've ring 4 so that's all good progress and at the same time I've got three chicks in cage 3 that are in weaning but a wee way off and I've a couple of foster chicks in four that are ready to come away especially as mum is sitting on six eggs which aren't all her own....

At last I got the timing right and the hen in 1 laid an egg while the cock was in 12 so it wasn't trampled or smashed so I've whipped it out and put it under the foster hen and thrown one of hers away. So now I've taken him from 12 and out him in 1 and tomorrow night ill out him back- just typically I don't have enough laying hens (ie any!) to be able to distribute the eggs between!

I've also had a good look in the flight to look at the hens coming through and I'm doing ok and for a change I'm happy- I've half a dozen coming through that are march raised and another half a dozen may raised so I've a couple of waves of reserves that should make a difference.

I've just got to get this family working properly first but I'm confident it will happen I just have to be patient. I've not candled the eggs of them yet but I'll have. Peek tomorrow and see what's what.

I finally think the autumn has arrived as its been cold and around 11 degrees for a couple of days- I know this as I've been helping someone plant some plants that are wheelchair viewable from inside a house an today i spent a few hours coppicing some Kent cobnuts-which is basically an excuse tinplate with chainsaws !

So inside the manshed.

I left left the grey cockbird with the hen in 1 today and swopped him back tonight- I've finally for the dates right as she had an egg yesterday so fingers crossed it will mean a new one tomorrow- I've candled them and by the looks of it they are clear but who knows how it will end up. He is with the hen in 12 until tomorrow night so I wonder which one of them will encourage him to do the business- the maiden hen or the old girl, but time will tell.

Other than that I must say that I'm pleased with the spangle posse- their just starting to get some down and they appear to be a good size but as always there is room for error and the proof of the pudding etc

The three chicks in cage 3 are making themselves a demanding mob Of the cockbird and the hen is starting to make a fresh concave out of the box- usually its the other way around and the chicks leave after then hen has started to lay- so I'm not sure if it means there is trouble ahead or if the chicks left just too early? But we have a grey green. An opaline light green and a yellowface grey !

The four chicks in cage 2 are finally coloured up (a grey/yellow dilute hen and a grey chick) and if you recall the cock died in a night fright- the chicks look like a nice opaline grey hen, three greys and a grey green- I'm just pleased that there is a light green chick in cage three for a change from grey series birds!

The Adams pair in ten are busy raising their four chicks and its fingers crossed that they only raise a couple more as I'm stuck for space to hide them!

Other than that I've hens busy kicking sawdust around and with luck I think in another two weeks we could be in business :-)

Its interesting this time of year- the highs and the lows and the promises we all make ourselves on how good the chicks will be and forgetting all the drama when the ovaaaional hic-up happens.

For me I bred two great yellowfaces this year and I've just put the parents back together- last time around the hen took six weeks to nest and it looks like the wait will be the same- she spands an age getting it looking just so and this time doesn't look like it will be any different!

As for the rest as always its fingers crossed as we head into the winter silly season ;-)

Its all fizz and bang at the moment and with luck it will pass without in incident but who knows?

A couple of days ago on the eve of the storm I lost a Marchant cockbird along with the neighbours fence and during the storm all seemed ok. So I am hoping by turning the radio and lights on later in the night that it will pass without incident and without a rocket or banger landing on the manshed!

I'm a little bit puzzled as the hen in 1 hasn't laid an egg upto 6pm so I wonder what's happening there but I'll not put the cock back until she does but I found a small piece of eggshell in the box and I'm convinced it was from before- if she doesn't settle down and start becoming available then I may just choose another bird from the flight for her.

The dilute hen in 2 is still rearing the five chicks but when I checked her today she seemed a little light so ill either rest her or ensure she gets plenty of carbs between now and the next round.

The pair in three are feeding the chicks on the cage floor and typically they aren't the biggest chicks (which is a shame) but the opaline light green is very well marked so I wonder if the flecking in the line tags itself to the blue or grey gene- but as always fingers crossed and time will tell

Other than that its status quo with no more hatches, matches or dispatches and its fingers crossed until one of the other six pairs playing with the nestbox decide to actually so something.

On the AOB front I've sorted out a bird for a junior who's having a problem motivating one of his cockbirds, organised a safari and been in the deep doodoo as facebook changes its policy again and my budgie remarks and offers to buy show cages appears on the missus's profile dispelling the myth that everything budgie related only costs a tenner!!

Roll on the silly season but I've 8 leaving the shed next week so that should keep her happy- or rather buy me a stay of execution!!

I do enjoy a relaxing day these days- so very few of them it seems so today I was up around nine and I washed and scrubbed all of the drinkers and refilled them- I took a leaf out of the wisen book of knowledge and put a crushed clove of garlic into a 2ltr bottle of water overnight to give it a little kick for two reasons- firstly the acid in the clove will change the PH level in the same way ACV and Probiotic's so and secondly the aroma will deter mites and cleanse the blood- apparently- but I've been eating the stuff like mad but the midges are immune this close to the channel!!

I've cleaned the lflights out and replaced the bedding and mixed up some more seed. I've rung eight chicks-yes eight!- leaving just two to do in the future and leaving me ten rings to last the rest of the year! I've taken stock of the seed that needs ordering and I need to catch up on the oats order- phew what a catch up!!

Other than that......

The hen in 1 hadn't laid so assuming she'd eaten it I put the cock bird from 12 in the cage and she laid at lunchtime! I spotted her eating seed looking like she'd done some hard labour and I spotted an egg in the nest box which I swopped out for a fertile egg from cage 7- he was then placed back with his other hen in 12. It looks like they are infertile so I am at a loss as to what to do about this- your best cock to two great hens and he isn't filling them!!

I'm also assuming that the hen in four has a few eggs by now but I tend to wait until she is out of the nestbox to have a look rather than lose a few layers of skin!

Other than that its all quiet while I wait for the other pairs to catch up and the two remaining chicks to be big enough to ring. Its funny when you've had at least eggs/chicks from four nests bounce in and out due to egg sitting/hatching/poor feeding/nest balancing you get surprised when you see a green chick in the nest from abpair of greys- but that's budgies and these damn spangles!

I also rehomed the 7 chicks from the first round of the Adams birds today into a double breeder for four weeks while I moved a lutino and feeder chick into the single weaning cage- I should have 3 more in there in a week and another four in two weeks- then its all quiet until the spangles shape up and its either the pet shop or the keepers cage for these bloody things, least the second round from the Adams pair should keep them company-

On the flip side as we know I'm sending a cockbird on a busmans holiday to help out a junior and I'm taking a few hens on holiday up country- I wonder if I'm able to borrow something That will fill these damn eggs in cage 1 and 12!!!!!

So....

I've been into the birdroom to check how palatable garlic is to budgies and to pop a few soaked millet sprays around.

Surprise surprise I've a couple of unexpected chicks- one in the spangles and one in the Adams pair- trouble is they all have four chicks and its rather neat and tidy!

As they have just hatched and I have to go out until mid-day ill juggle them later as it involves taking out the bigger chicks in 6. Moving these to 9, taking the chick from 10 etc etc

Thing is they are both good mums so as they have just hatched I'll see how they look around 330 and take a decision then.

Other than that the cock from 12 is with the hen in 1 until then also

Like spring watch live here!!!

How many times do I have to say "

If you think you should then do it as afterwards its too late" before I believe it enough to "just do it" every time first time!!!

Oh well- the spangle chick didn't make it but the Adams chick is doing ok, on reflection the spangle was a little weak but its not an excuse I should have acted and saved both but I'll know for next time.

The lutino an the feeder chick are doing ok- I'd like a little more weight on their bones before they are rehomed but I'm sure that will come as soon as the small weaning cage gets a few more chicks in it- in fact the three chicks in cage three are about a week away- two of them are feeding but the third (a yellow face grey) is a little behind but fingers crossed it gets sorted as i think the hen will lay another round.

So- the 1/12 saga rolls on. I only let the cock in for the day today and I've seen that the hen is sitting on the one feeder egg and the two false ones so tomorrow she should lay again and I will swop it over again although I'm sure they are all clear ill just keep doing it and second round I'll try another cockbird. I just hope that the hen in 12 is a little more forward!

On the plus side I've had a look at the eggs in four which is the high hopes grey cockbird and a Gary Shep donated Kevin Sykes hen and I'm tickled punk to say they have fertile eggs! Long way to go but they may just be the crowning glory to my year end.

On the aubjext I food news I have a egg from a mike ball hen to a darren snell sky cockbird so that's good news and dear readers I have an egg from my Fordham feeders- a grey hen and a spangle/Ino cock so with luck I should be in a position soon to think about putting a couple of more pairs down.

I appreciate that its all very busy at the moment but I've a couple of hens waiting to be used and they should tie in with spangles having second rounds- the beautiful irony if pairing your best birds to tie in with feeders rather than the other way around- but needs must.

Don't get me wrong I still have hens rearing chicks as the cock died, hens about to start a 5th round which spells trouble and spangles waiting 3 weeks between rounds and 4 pairs just kicking sawdust around but I'm sure their just all waiting for either the ring dates or to wait until I let a few spare hens go. And them decide to die-it happens....

But...

Least I have some hens coming through for the start of the year when these ones all finish- as always fingers crossed but we know- where there's live stock theirs......

So there you go- an upbeat day despite losing a hatched chick.the manshed is clean and smells of pine chippings and garlic. The missus is on a diet which means I'm best friends with the kebab van and I have every chance of something popping out that I really like in the next six weeks- so roll on Christmas and here's to the new year :-)

Must get some tinsel for the shed!

Freaking spangles!!!

My spangle saga makes the times crossword look easy. Firstly they all lay in sync, then a hen dies after the first egg and I foster it out- it hatches and isn't fed, another hen has a full clutch and then leaves them to go cold- I've transferred them but let's see what happens and what's hatched when they colour up and hey bleeding presto the hen dies in the box today just as she is about to lay a second round. Of the two other pairs still running we have two nests juggled to cope with eight chicks and she hatches a ninety and its trampled! These bleeding spangles better be world beaters!!!

The cockbird I've been juggling between 1 and 12 seems to be more intent on the hen in 12 than in 1- so its no surprise that the eggs from 1 seem to be clear but I've plans to bring in a loaner that may help- I think its a question of the hen not inviting him to do the business and him not being able to "take" the upper hand and the hen in 12 being more game! But I've juggled the eggs with the foster pair just in case and I've been marking them to see what develops and placing an egg under her to slow her down as they are clear.

Very pleased to say that I have fertile eggs in 4 which is a Marchant grey cock and a Sykes cinn green hen- a well matched pair and I'm chuffed at the moment.

The Adams pair have had me ring chick number four and the newbie in the clutch is holding his/her own. I may just build a blue line out of these birds- I've a cinn grey hen in the flight that I was going to use to make some half siblings but I've found out she is a DF grey so I'll have a re-think.

The garlic was a hit and did smell nice and this weekend I'll try some probiotic and then the following weekend some ACV as part of a planned program. Mind you the grey&spangle/Ino pair have not sat the first egg and when I candled it I swear it didn't have a yoke.

Talking of yokes I had a bit if a panic the other night- with my spangles naturally- I found two of the chicks appeared to be covered in some alien sticky goo- rich and stringy and very think- to the point they couldn't open their mouths! Only to find it was the egg yoke from the double yoker they'd broken! I had to peal it off them like a face pack! Bloody Spangles!!!

Other than that I have a safari planned for tomorrow where I'm hoping to try and dig out something related to a bird I have to hand that's performed a surprise- I'm just hoping its not a one off!- and it won't be.a Spangle!

So the birds are all fed and watered and locked down tight for an overnight safari and I'm quite excited, I've popped a cockbird in the car for a junior down the road (Adams/Marchant) grey who to coin the young lads expression "can I borrow a horny budgie as mine are just looking at eachother" I can't gaurentee that it will work but he is bouncing fit and so there is every chance.

The Adams pair have hatched number six over night so I may just limit this pair to two rounds and get him working on another hen next month- but wh on owns how the dice will roll!!

More later when i get to my destination :-)

What a busy few days I'm positively pooped!

My safari took me to top shed designer and king of plastic trim Nick Allwood to have a look around what's happening in Robin Hood country and whilst robin was a bandit it was nice to see just how much the stud has changed in the last year since I've been up- I think the sales birds speak volumes and to be honest from the birds they are printing through I can see they will be tough to beat next year. I say they because I also went upto see Gary Biid's establishment and again subtle differences in the styles they like but they compliment each other in what they produce together.

Quite often a partnership is just a mirror image but here the lads have built different strengths and when combined in the breeding cages its another leap forwards- I can see them carryin through intermediate at this rate without having to spend a penny-lucky buggers- but I do know its all been hard work with key investments in the right places.

So did I buy anything? Well the answer is no. Nic helped me out lat year with a spruce bred cockbird that I tried into my Marchant line to get some hybrid features and its worked very well with the initial pairing but then the hen decided she had had enough and that was that. She is paired up again after a break but after much discussions, conversations, badgering and general playing on someone's nice side Nic agreed to lend me another spruce/Adams bred cock to fold into my army of opaline hens from my Marchant line to see if I can replicate it- naturally on a commission basis and I look forward to taking Nic some thNk you chicks in the new year.

However- we have a problem Houston!!!

I was there to pick up a split dilute cock that Gary Shep had sent down, when we got to Gary Bird's he then have me a sky blue by surprise and then as I was just about to come away today Nic sorted me out not one but three birds! The problem is its buggered my imaginary pairings that have kept me away for the last couple of weeks- a very nice problem to have and a thank you to Nic and Gary.

Its interesting when I release them into the flight here they disappear amongst the chicks I have but, and its a big but(as Beyoncé would say) if you then start to run your eyes over the birds look into for a certain feature they stand out a mile so it will be interesting using them in the new year.

I'm also sorry to say that while I was away nothing exciting happened. The chicks in 2 haven't left the nest yet but its close and if we recall the Rat bird saga the hen might not feed them on the cage floor- so its plenty of millet sprays in the nest box and fingers crossed. She had a clear round and then two rounds raised by herself so I she is up for it a cheeky third may be nice but she has earned a rest.

The chicks in 3 are a opaline light green, a grey green and a yellowface grey- the yellowface grey had a great body but neck up its not in the same league so I'm hoping its a hen as a reprieve. But they are all feeding so tomorrow they can go into the weaning cage with the feeder and lutino- I'm tempted to have a proper hangs around and swop out the cockbird but I'll see what happens there- I may wen take out the hen and let him stew for a week but he is in great condition so it would be a shame.

The pair in 4 have two fertile eggs so I have a dillema- do I remove them and put them under the feeder or should I let the hen raise them- I think i'd like multiple chicks from this pair so I think I know the answer- especially as the eggs from 1 are all clear:-( can't win them all

Spangles.....

I still have eight chicks which is a blessing and by the looks of it they are growing ok and some are starting to feather up- the tips of the folicles in the Inge which shows me I have a couple of greens and some blue series birds and.... Cinnamon- yep I've managed to find the only two split cinnamon birds I have to pair to the cinnamon spangles- good job its all about the feather texture and outline at the moment- the joury is still out on these until they wean.

On the other hand the Adams pair have hatched and are rearing their six chicks and I'll know in a week what cour they will be- heads its sky blue and tails its double factor grey- very soft feathering so in the long run illook out for some courser birds to pair to it next time.

The other feeder pair have alsoaid another egg- and by peeking in the box it appears that the cock and hen sit on one each- goodness knows what happens when they get three eggs!

So there we are- nothing changes really and I've a few birds in the flight I'd like to use but they have just gone Into a soft moult-again. But I'm sure it will all come out ok in the end-apparently

I really must stop thinking I can type at 20 words a minuet with the phone- I clearly can't and I still haven't worked out how to take off the auto correct! But you get the jist

Well today was a catch up day- I managed to do a few chores, clean some nest boxes for the chicks and put down a couple of pairs.

I spent a quick hour on the phone to ian today just chewing the cud and talking over what had been a busy week and where the birds are at the moment. Ian is one of very few people who've developed the knack of gettin me to stop talking and listen. I won't give it away but yes a good chat and yes an hour is quick in budgie circles and very quick for us.

I paired up pair 16 & 17 of the new campaign (since September 12th) which considering I'm using 13 cages tells you I've broken up or list a few since sept! And today I paired up-

Cage 1- a light green cockbird (Allwood & Bird) to a lt green pied hen- an within the hour she was checking out the nestbox so fingers crossed- this pairing is just to try and get a few hybrid birds with a bigger frame into the line.

Cage 11 (ex spangle) a pair of greys that have spruce/Adams I'm their blood to try and generate a partner for the Adams chicks coming from cage 10!

I'm always thinking ahead and whilst the pair in cage 10 have 6 chicks and 7 already flecked I will need to pair some of them to something else and so I have to try and produce something with common blood but a different feature in to cross into for the following generation.

Somone pairings for size (the birds are very long and need a little width In the chicks at the moment but they haven't moulted) and one is for an increase in feather length- the birds I have are fine feathered so a longer feather is needed in the next generation.

Ah- you may have noticed that I returned the hen in 1 to the flight- having to be ruthless and six clear eggs means a trip to the sin bin and a different cock next time- he is also in 12 and she is taking longer to lay so I have- date I say it- high hopes.

Other than that most of the spangles look like cinnamon spangles- the Adams line in 11 look to be a grey bunch to redress all the blues from the first round and that's about it!

Annoyingly the hen returned to the flight them spent a few hours chasing a greygreen chick cock around- guess she is picking out the shade of the next partner to try where others have failed!!!

So tonight and tomorrow will be noisey In terms of fireworks so I wish everyone some luck and an uneventful weekend and dare I say it some rain?

For the moment in happy- some fertile eggs off of the ball line will be great and just what I need moving forward so let's see what Santa brings.

I also got told off today for referring to a bird as a wilson bird when its not 100% pure- I figure its 75% pure so the question is how do you decide If a line is say a H&M line and when it isn't? After all a pork pie is a pork pie with 19% pork! So we have rung as a breeder bird, bred as a term for from parents of but what do we call it when a bird has one parent that isn't from that family? Just a question that's all.

Other than that the chicks in 2 are getting ready to fledge and the shep6 cock that came in yesterday has settled and as luck would have it is a good compliment for the hen- her blow is cap to crown and long feather, his is wide and down to the shoulders so let's see what happens- assuming they all get through the guy Fawkes rememberance bangers!

Roll on Wednesday when I have a guest before to view the development of the chicks.

So a few hours to myself today- how they fly by!

So I've started the day by changing all the water and as I've had a few birds come in on loan and bought a replacement cock for my Marchant line I thought with the outbreak of cold (4 degrees as I write) and some birds having traveled for a few hours I'd give them some preventative treatment so I've out them on ronistat S for a few days and then ill put them onto a probiotic next weekend,

The pairs are doing ok at the moment- there is always a few lulls in the room and at the moment I've new pairs going down, older pairs fledging chicks and hens sitting.

So today I can report that both pairs I put together yesterday are investigating the box and not killed eachother and that the replacement cockbird I bought in from rick watts H&M line together with a light green pied hen are aitting on their first egg.

So with any luck were fast approaching the time where eggs laid might just sneak into the new ring date:-)

Fingers crossed as always

I always get excited at times like this, pairs going down, pairs laying eggs and then the wait to see what happens. Tweaking the feeding, keeping to schedules and generally pulling your own hair out and starting the roller coaster of excitement, disappointment and apprehension.

So with that in mind I thought today I'd put some treats in the flight to try and bring on the soft moulters to a peak in a couple of weeks and being ruthless with those in the breeding cages as we approach that special time of year.

I'm a little different (in lots of ways!) as I started in march and worked my Marchant birds hard and at the moment I'm waiting for the initial hens I bred to be ready and I think that's going to be January- that means that at the moment I'm playing with my fringe birds- such as the spangles and the Adams/spruce pairings and using the Marchant cocks on anything with the right genes such as the Kevin Sykes hen and remaking the yellowface producing pairing.

I'm also starting to put down the associated ball line as the young cocks become ready.

With that in mind I'm quite excited to see a fertile egg in two cages- the grey Marchant. Cock and the cin greygreen Sykes hen (she is for me the ideal hen- I'd just like some more!) and I've also got a fertile egg in a mike ball hen with a darren snell cock, again I've relatives from her coming through with great feather so I just need to produce something with common genes to play with later-

But excited none the less as at the moment its the flat season while we wait for eggs from other pairs- naturally they will fit into the current years ring but who cares and there is a long way to go :-)

Well its still the flat season and date I say it nothing much has happened but there are some interesting things to note:

The spangle chicks- and they are a right mixed bunch, appear to be two green series birds, four cinnamon greys and then two normals which should be blue series, they are an ok size and at the moment they are due to feather up in the next couple of weeks so I can pass comment then but as much as I hate the damn things and wAs after the softer feather its typical that they are nearly all cinnamon and I'll have to do it again with the chicks I like to get normal/cinnamons/opalines with a bigger frame to move me forward.

The Adams pair are still feeding their 6 chicks and by the looks of it they will be grey- but- and this is an admission here, I'm a little colour deficient so I have to wait until further down the road before my 11yr old tells me what colour they really are, but hey- its a nice problem to have.

The next few days should see a hatching or two- I'm hoping that the feeders and the grey/grey green in cage 4 do something. I'm also excited that the mike ball hen and the darren snell sky cock (from his ball line) have a fertile egg but I'm also as nervous as a kitten as the weather forecast for next week is not above zero!

The Fordham MK2 feeder pair have broken an egg and I can confirm that they do indeed have a yoke in! To stop it happening again (it was broken on the wooden step) I've placed some more wood chippings in the box and with the cold its fingers crossed that things settle down with the weather.

The other eggs are the rick watts h@m line pair to test the cock I've bought in- he has a tighter denser feather to the blow and a longer mask with bigger spots (but he is flecked ) and with luck he will pass on something positive that I can use in the main line.

We all know that I like to act rather than react to change or chance so as I've popped chicks back in the box for a couple of days I've taken them all out and put them onto the cage floor, she seems to forget to feed them if they are in two places at once- and it also means that I can start running the next cockbird into the cage for an hour a day until they are feeding and she can have a mate full time. I always lose a hen if I mess with her by taking the cock away and trying another, in fact I now prefer to take the hen away and put her down with another cock two days later! But as her mate died It will be good to see how she reacts-

Now, she is a grey yellow and her first mate died after a couple of days, she laid a clutch with one fertile and threw them out he day before! I paired her to a grey green cock and got 3 grey greens. I paired him to a light green and got a grey so he is single factor grey, I paired the grey yellow to a grey and got 3 greys and a grey green which means she must also be split blue(I think). So I have the new cockbird to hand (thank you mr Shep) which although flecked has some blow that will compliment hers and he is a light green split blue split dilute (I have the parents on video such is technology and distant matchmaking!) so if they click I may get two classes for the price of one- and that can't be bad, indeed a nice problem to have :-)

Well its still the flat season and date I say it nothing much has happened but there are some interesting things to note:

The spangle chicks- and they are a right mixed bunch, appear to be two green series birds, four cinnamon greys and then two normals which should be blue series, they are an ok size and at the moment they are due to feather up in the next couple of weeks so I can pass comment then but as much as I hate the damn things and wAs after the softer feather its typical that they are nearly all cinnamon and I'll have to do it again with the chicks I like to get normal/cinnamons/opalines with a bigger frame to move me forward.

The Adams pair are still feeding their 6 chicks and by the looks of it they will be grey- but- and this is an admission here, I'm a little colour deficient so I have to wait until further down the road before my 11yr old tells me what colour they really are, but hey- its a nice problem to have.

The next few days should see a hatching or two- I'm hoping that the feeders and the grey/grey green in cage 4 do something other than her go Ino a moult. (I kid you not!) and he have a cyst burst(again I kid you not). I'm also excited that the mike ball hen and the darren snell sky cock (from his ball line) have a fertile egg but I'm also as nervous as a kitten as the weather forecast for next week is not above zero!

The Fordham MK2 feeder pair have broken an egg and I can confirm that they do indeed have a yoke in! To stop it happening again (it was broken on the wooden step) I've placed some more wood chippings in the box and with the cold its fingers crossed that things settle down with the weather.

The other eggs are the rick watts h@m line pair to test the cock I've bought in- he has a tighter denser feather to the blow and a longer mask with bigger spots (but he is flecked ) and with luck he will pass on something positive that I can use in the main line.

We all know that I like to act rather than react to change or chance so as I've popped chicks back in the box for a couple of days I've taken them all out and put them onto the cage floor, she seems to forget to feed them if they are in two places at once- and it also means that I can start running the next cockbird into the cage for an hour a day until they are feeding and she can have a mate full time. I always lose a hen if I mess with her by taking the cock away and trying another, in fact I now prefer to take the hen away and put her down with another cock two days later! But as her mate died It will be good to see how she reacts-

Now, she is a grey yellow and her first mate died after a couple of days, she laid a clutch with one fertile and threw them out he day before! I paired her to a grey green cock and got 3 grey greens. I paired him to a light green and got a grey so he is single factor grey, I paired the grey yellow to a grey and got 3 greys and a grey green which means she must also be split blue(I think). So I have the new cockbird to hand (thank you mr Shep) which although flecked has some blow that will compliment hers and he is a light green split blue split dilute (I have the parents on video such is technology and distant matchmaking!) so if they click I may get two classes for the price of one- and that can't be bad, indeed a nice problem to have :-)

Ah the best laid plans of mice and men!

Now today was one of those days!

It started with a facebook message from a junior that started "I don't know to tell you but ...." And its just one of those things when you lend out a cock bird and it goes toes up- in fact the day prior he'd wrestle the bars apart and can open the seed tin- but alas he is no more and as a Adams/Marchant cross bird that I bought I'm gutted- but that's the rub some times and as ive been showered in kindness and luck I can't really saying apart from "it happens"

So yesterday I popped the split cockbird into the cage with the dilute hen and..... Nothing, in fact I tried him a couple of times and whilst he is alert and active he just isn't ready and as the hen is cleaning out the nest box I need a bird that's going to rise to the challenge a little quicker or we will miss the hens cycle!

So as she is an upright long feathered hen and the young cock isn't upto it I grabbed another from the flight and whilst he is coming into condition he compliments the hen a treat and when I placed him in the cage he seemed a little more active and at least looked at the nest box enterance ! So I'll try again tomorrow and the next day......

Other than thatvthebthing in two I topped up tonight as they only came out yesterday with some food and a little GA/Ronistat S as a Boost and antibiotic- a new routine I've got into.

I think I've a fertile egg in the new H&M bred pairing so fingers crossed- but I'm now not sure I've a fertile egg I'm the other matchmt pairing! Such is life.

I still can't determine the colour of the Adams chicks but now the spangles are getting a little older in 9 I can say that I've a cinnamon grey green spangle, a cinnamon sky apangle and a cinnamon grey spangle with a normal- I can't make that one out yet but time will tell as it will for the chicks in the other spangle nest above.

So there we have it- nothing much to report and its all hands to the decks as I've a visitor in the morning and no doubt there will be lots I questions :-)

Well the boss came round today and as always I try to listen as much as I talk but I decided I'd do my chores while ian had a look at the youngsters coming through and then have a good natter.

So- the chicks in the flight are looking ok, I've one or two stand out tiddlers in the flight that are hitting the six and seven month stage. The seven month old cockbirds I had for noise from Gary Shep has been filling eggs so I know they can do the business at that age but I'd rather use the older cocks on the younger hens around jan/feb.- however if you want to build a family (and I'm building a family not adjusting a stud) you have to be brave at times.

And so today I've been brave- I took a cockbird away from his hen that's sitting on a couple of fertile eggs and put him with a new hen- actually the dilute hen. Both hens are in the top five in the shed but I've come to earn that if they aren't filling eggs then their ornaments and some times these fall off the shelf and it breaks your heart.

So I've put them together and they are feeding eachother but I had to take the chicks away and I gave them 5ml as a top up- he is a great dad and I have no fears but I don't want him distracted as he has a job to do- within seconds her tail was up in the air so fingers crossed for some progress while your all at Donny.

I also had a moan- I've a pair down for feeders that have a clear round and sometimes you bang your head against a wall or stand too close to the trees to see the forest. What I actually want these birds to do is feed the chicks so I moved some of the other feeders full eggs to the nest so with luck if they feed them I've more options for fostering. See its easy when you have another set of eyes ground you- I don't want fertile eggs I need birds that feed, problem sorted and double the feeder pair quota!!!

So- I've had a fumble through the spangle chicks and they look like they will be ok- 6 spangles and 2 normals and with luck they feed well so more options later for them.

The ball hen and the darren snell cock have at least one fertile egg so I'm a happy chappie as her daughter in the flight from eaier is looking good and I need some hens for the family.

The rick watts H&M bred cock has filled an egg so I hope that's an upwards trend and I need to get him to a couple more hens this season to pay his way so while he is busy with the pied hen I need to see what's next on the list.

On the other front my eyes are a little shot- terrible with similar shades- so cocks and hens of a certain age can look the same to me but I'm please to say of the 7 Adams bred chicks from the Allwood/Bird partnership that 6 are hens :-) a couple look very useful and have filled out a little so who knows what the second round will look like but I do think it will be a grey round with the odd blue rather than blue with the odd grey.

But I am waiting for pairs to do soelthing- cage 1 has just been paired,2 is Anne a cock to the dilute, 3 is now 10 days between round but looking keen. 4 is waiting to hatch. 5 is a weaning cage, 6 has spangles waiting to fledge in a couple of weeks. 7 is a feeder pair with some eggs fostered in- and some fostered out. 8 is the ball/snell pair and she is laying eggs at the moment- I just hope its more than four!, 9 is another spangle waiting to fledge. 10 is the Adams bred pair on 6 chicks, 11 is the new Adams bred Allwood/Bird pairing and I'm waiting to see what happens. 12 is the nephew to the hen in 8 and a Jim Lawrie hen and they are making the right noises but nothings happening lol. 13/14 are a weaning cage and 15 has the watts grey cock and lt green pied hen in on a few eggs on an incomplete round, 16 are the second feeder pair on a coupe of fostered on eggs. 17 has the parents of the yellowface chicks trying again but nothing is happening- can't win them all!!! And finally while I draw breath 18 has a fringe pair of a cinnamon grey cock and a green dom pied hen for the pet shop but again nowt has happened. She is a dirty hen and experience tells me that never ends well but as always its fingers crossed!!!

Phew what a round up. But its all gong on and with luck and the right momentum I'm hoping it rubs off on the other pairs.

And that's about it- tomorrow is the last day for the general antibiotic and ill out them onto a probiotic as a pick me up. I've fed some fresh veg to the flight to try and bring them on and I've hung up today a beetroot and carrot medfly on chains to get some oomph going.

Just a question of waiting to see what happens next- just hope the hens sit, the chicks feed and we all get through the impending cold snap:-)

An interesting day today....

I fed and watered the birds today and later I popped a chick into the local pet shop to see a junior in there and needless to say a brief hello turned into an hour chat in the stock room from pigeon supplements to the price of seed and generally the state Of the nation.

Of note were a few comments about taking on rares- he's amassed quite the collection of all sorts of birds and now he is looking at miniatures and crests? Eventually the conversation turned to Budgienomics and I've suggested he looks at what he can sell to fund seed and work backwards- I fear that may include cockatiels- any animal that squits sideways isn't my cup of tea!!!

So the manshed.

Of note is that the hen in 4 which looks to be pining for the missing cockbird- I'm just hoping that she doesn't abandon the eggs as I hope they hatch next week. The new hen he is with seems to be accepting and he is feeding her at the moment so with luck something may pop out next week.

So, I moved some eggs from the feeder pair into the other feeder pair and I checked them to find that one of them is numbered 4 which means its from a better pair and not the feeders!!! So I'll have to watch that one as it will be very much out of sync with any of their own- especially as it appears that the two remaining eggs from the feeder pair are turning fertile!

I'm also crossing my fingers as the ball hen is on 5 eggs and the first has turned and that would be a big big bonus. The downside is that the other pair of a ball cock and a ball bred hen are messing me around at the moment so again I'll leave them a couple more weeks before I make any decisions.

So that's about it at the moment- going onto a probiotic tomorrow and fingers crossed the cold spell doent result in any trouble. Oh, speaking of trouble I got told off for my final lutino- the others has been anything from a lemon yellow to the third being a buttercup yellow- however the 4th had allot more feather- longer and silkier and..... Lime green suffused! So you can't win them all and I just hope it doesn't end up the sort of gift horse Helen of Troy ended up with!

Thoughts go to everyone prepping birds for Donny and travelling up- keep safe and enjoy the show. I hear the sales section is quite something.