Well its that special day where you either love or hate the postman depending on when the Jiffy bag Of rings turns up- I'm still waiting but I'm excited as its 30 years since I rung next years chicks in December

So a round up I guess-

The ugly news-

I lost a '10 chance hen that I bought in- she had tried and failed to lay and on recovery with the chicks she didn't respond to any medication.

I've also had two sisters who are from a lutolf background albeit 20% with two 50% ball cocks decide to smash their first eggs! 'Tis how my luck goes and I've popped in a fake egg and they are both sitting on it to get the idea and one has laid another yesterday so let's wait and see what happens.

Mediocre news-

The Adams hen that went clear is feeding six foster chicks well so all is not lost- the Sykes hen is also clear- she had some fertile eggs but rolls them around the nestbox dislodging the embryo so that's another lesson learnt. See its all positive,even the bad stuff!

On the plus side....

I've eggs and chicks with most pairs- the European contingent which is six pairs all have eggs/chicks and although its early days and a couple are problematic so its with trepidation that I say first foot forward. But I must say I've got four chicks in '13 rings in the nestbox that I'm chuffed with.

I've also got some pieds coming along from my Marchant (watts) and my spruce (allwood&Bird) birds so crossing them over in the new year should be good.

I'm also pleased that I've finally got some dark factors sorted to play with in the new year and also a time in February when I can start on phase two of my Marchant line. I've a couple of lines in the shed and I operate them in phases-

My ball line is being used now for the first time- its a few birds from mike and a couple of his sateite breeders to see if I can build some larger framed birds.

I've a pure Marchant line that is built mainly around two foundation cocks with a couple of brief appearances by two Marchant cocks to stop them being too close.

I've an Adams/spruce/wilson-esque line that I'm playing with at the moment to put the right stance and blow into some fringe birds. The Adams birds are on their third round having hatched 13 from the first two!- my plan is to use their DF greys to start a slate line at some stage and their blues to start a violet line at some stage- purely as my European line is Mainly grey.

The final line is from a dilute hen that I've put three Matchant cocks to this year and with luck I'll make it four in the new year to breed some dilutes. I do have a split dilute from garyshep to fold into this line but at the moment he's far too busy chasing the boys!

So there we are I've 40 chicks either weaning or in the nest boxes- the postman didn't have my rings- and now limps- and I'll have to work harder in the new year to maximise the output from my key birds to be able to have a sort out in the new year.

So ho ho ho everyone- have a fabulous start to the season- enjoy making your luck and when you find that one bird with great gathering you've forgotten to pair up think of me :-)

I'm really hoping that the rings arrive Monday as I've checked the delivery and registration addressees and nowt!

Other than that I've had the Sykes hen kick out 9 eggs today and as its her second clear round with two different cocks I'm presuming that she is one of those box bound birds- shame really as she is an exceptional hen and I'd have liked a dozen just like her- but such is budgies!

I've also noticed that the ball hen is getting a little distant from the chicks and I suspect that tomorrow I'll be removing her and letting the cock feed them for the next two weeks- when they fledge ill oh her back in the cage and remove the eggs as they turn.

But the good news is that the feeders have laid four eggs and kicked out the three chicks- two Lutino's and one ball/Lawrie chick so I hope that all goes to plan and they wean over the next week.

I'm thinking that as I've some maiden hens laying at the moment I'll remove all the feeders eggs and replace them with fertile eggs from different nests- not that I doubt the hens but I'd just like some volume!

So tomorrow I'll be breaking up a pair and putting another down and as I've a spangle hen mating in the flight that I took a round off eaier in the season I suspect we know how its going to happen and it is opportune that I have a well shouldered spangle cock to mate her to- not that I want to extend the spangle line as it doesn't have the ultimate directional feathering that I want-I just want to throw some well shouldered hens for crossing into from my ball sor Marchant lines- simples. Just a shame you have to wait a year to see if it works!

Pressed the wrong button!

What I was saying before technology got in the way is that I I've a ball DF spangle to use and if I produce some DF yellow and white spangles it may give me a few more options- I'll let the show cage decide which one.

But I've also had a look at the pieds I've bred and not one, not one single one, has any body verigation- lets just hope they throw some directional feather and I'll be a happy chappie rather than pretending their clear flights !

Oh well- the sisters have laid an egg each that they haven't smashed so its fingers crossed for an embryo in a few days on any I the new pairings with young hens and key cocks.

Oh well- stops me fretting about ring deliveries, dodgy Turkey or gift receipts !

Its a funny old day.....

I decided to move the hen out of the ball pair as she was looking very bored and fretfull so the time was right, the cock has been in the nestbox a couple of times today so hopefully tomorrow will see full crops.

The rings arrived today and i managed to ring the chicks that I could upto about 20 days- bit of a job but let's hope it was worth it, I also had a new pinkie today which is the first of round three from the Adams birds and I'm not sure if I'm using him on another hen soon or not-

However

The cock now feeding the chicks worries me so I popped in today during the 50mpg winds to find that I got dripped on! That's right the roofing felt has been ripped off exposing the roof and trusses and with winds expected tonight of upto 90mph I'm starting to panic as my inside flight goes upto the roof and with no roof it goes upto the sky!

But I did break down the pair in 4 as they were clear but- I also candled some eggs and found my reliable feeders are sitting on eggs and the better pairs have a couple of eggs turning- I see some swops coming up and some nests being cleared out to allow some quick second rounds- going to have to work the birds harder this year!

Oh well- back to the panic!!!

Yep the panic won!

I woke up yesterday morning to find that the roof had no felt at all and I'm all the heavy rain had poured into the manshed, run over and expanded all that lovely white melamine faced Chipboard and collected in puddles on the floor.

It also ran over all the breeding cages and expanded the ply before again making a mess of just about everything.

The good news is that as I'd cleaned the flight the day before it did at least smell nice- but I know that tomorrow it won't smell so good and as everything is damp I'm going to have to clean out the cages and ensure that I use plenty of disinfectant- the reason being that I use deep litter and with the dampness its easy to get germination spores turning a little bad.

So there i was yesterday in the pouring rain trying to fit a 5 x 8M tarp over a 10ft high shed and at the same time trying not to get wet, lose it in the wind and get it secured!!!

On the plus side I don't think humidity will be a problem !!!

So what's good news?

I managed to get 7 rings on chicks I'd already rung and in the next week I've got a few more to ring. The chicks in the foster pair have all fledged and as the neighbours fence broke over the shed at around 3am I've had one that has dropped all its flights and I need to keep an eye on it to make sure its not a repeating patten!

The chicks where I took the hen away and I placed them on the cage floor are all being fed by the cockbird and that's good news as I rather suspect that they are three hens- all '13 rung and one of them Looking rather good. I was going to split the pair up and put the parents to two dark factor birds I'd picked up but I'm thinking about putting the hen back in once they are fledged, she is an '11 hen and I may have to remove the eggs as the are laid.

I also lost some eggs in the hurricane/roof/fence disaster and in the next few days when cleaning up ill move a few eggs around and make a full clutch under a feeder pair and free up some of the better birds to try again.

Oh well- it happens and I'll have to re roof in the spring and hope that I don't lose the roof again in the next storm that's due this week- damn typical that I just get the shed finished and some birds doing the business and disaster comes a'calling

Oh well its what happens some times.

So a busy couple of days cleaning up the mess and thankfully today the wind didn't top the 90mph and the Tarp is still on the manshed.

So I managed to clean up 12 cages and replace the bedding before I ran out of goldchip and with luck ill pick some up next week. The downside is the name of the distributor in Kent was in the stock book that's gone missing, such is life.

While I was cleaning the cages it was an ideal time to move the fertile eggs around and I moved six to a feeder pair and with luck I'll be able to recover the position prior to the storm and flooding. On the plus side I have a fertile egg in cage 18 which I wasn't expecting which means that the cockbird is working well- so in a couple of days I'll move this to a feeder pair to get a couple more eggs before we find out how good they are at being parents:-)

I dot usually move fertile eggs around but I do need to be a bit harder on the birds and if I can get just an extra chick from each pair then it will make a big difference come the end of the year. I guess what it means is that I may have another half a dozen hens to use this time next year and that's all I can hope for- and lesson learnt from this year as I got caught short when a few let me down.

And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse....

I have a pair in cage 9 that in two rounds have hatched 13 chicks and in this round they hatched a second chick 4 days after the last one- so I thought I'd check the rest of them and I found some clear! Turns out after the cockbird left the nest and walked a bit odd that he's has a stroke!!! Its a shame as I wanted to pair him to a hen in the next cage thats on clear eggs but I suspect now that's not going to happen!

Oh well I'm sure my luck will change soon and something wonderful will happen when I least suspect it

Well I'm still waiting for something wonderful to happen. Ive had a strange old day really. I checked the eggs as per normal but I found that I was unable to candle the eggs despite changing the batteries and I can't decide if its because they are fertile or if the eyesight is going but ill know by the 10th when they are due- having said that I do know that the two eggs in cage 12 are clear and the hen has lost allot of body weight so I may bin the eggs or go to plan B- the hen in cage 17 keeps leaving the eggs to go cold before sitting again so I could always pop them under 12. Although I do swop the odd chick around I try and stead clear of wholesale change but i do hate the idea of cold eggs!!!

Its a strange time when the pair in 10 are only hatching two chicks so ill either take the cock out and let the hen raise them whilst he recovers or ill do something different for a fourth round, as always their isn't a clear answer but I'm sure it will come to me :-)

The chicks in the cage with the cock are being fed well but the chicks in the weaning cage are messing around- shucking seed in the cage with day and forgetting how to do it when you move them and then being a royal pain when you crop feed them- don't you just live agreasive cocks!!!

Other than that the tarp is holding well and I'm crossing fingers that he storm over the next few days misses us!!

Oh well this will be my last blog of 2013 unless we lose the tarp and along with it the roof of the inside flight!

So- the birds!

In general its going ok in the shed and my efforts to get a couple of extra eggs hasn't worked out as the hens stopped at five after I'd taken three away- but as one keeps leaving the nest (a bullish cockbird I feel) it may be ideal to warm them and add them (once marked) and return the hen to the flight and free up the cage. I've found that young hens and cocks together mess around I'm both rounds so I'll try her again in march- shame as it was a star pair but you can't win them all!!

I've taken the Adams cockbird out and put it with the chicks to give him a rest- when two full rounds turns into two chicks and a dirty nest then you have to listen to nature. As a precaution I've cleaned out the other nest boxes that have chicks in as you never know!

So there we are- I've suffered a bit due to the storm damage and I may break up a couple of pairs that are on infertile eggs, low amounts of eggs or cold eggs and return them to the flight as I fear the stress if the storm and lower cut will take its toll. I say may- I haven't done it yet but if I listen to my gut feel on the two birds concerned then its a serious consideration- one has lost all body weight and the other keeps leaving the nest to go cold-bit of a no brainer really!

So

How do I rate the year?

I can't say it hasn't been fun- I've bred close to 100 and I've bred 10 serious keepers and in the spring ill cross the Marchant cocks chicks over to see what they are capable of- I need to lengthen these chicks but he feather softness is what I'm looking for so let's hope for some hybrid vigor! The cross over birds have been good and I'll try some more in spring as I try and get the directional feather as more of a feature.

I've made some friends and no doubt ruffled a few feathers along the way and I must publicly thank my mentor ian for keeping me on track and not running around too much and to be honest of it wasn't for a couple of feeder pairs he gave me I'd have been in real trouble. I've been very lucky to buy/borrow/gift some birds from some very nice people and I hope that the genes they leave behind will be a the start of a great legacy.

So what's next?

At the moment its the "ball" wave of nests and pairs of part ball birds to try and get one or two outstanding birds to use next season. This will continue until feb when the Marchant/Adams/spruce chicks become old enough to pair up and use and I can then start to think about my rares...

Yep I'm really hoping to pop out a couple of dilutes but the quality of the spit dilutes is such that I may just ignore the fact they are dilute and put them into the main family. I'm also thinking about getting a slate to put into my blue line and perhaps using a violet cinn hen I have here as well- I do love a good dark factor but until now its been trouble getting a start and I hope to breed some In the new season as I've a dark green cock bird to have a go with.

Other than that Ill need a few rolls of felt and to get the shed dry or the freezing winter could be a real problem- but I'm having fun and in the summer I'll be cullin really hard if anyone is after some well bred stock- always pays to advertise early lol

I've now got two pairs of feeders paired up- one since feb last year! And with luck they will continue to pay for the seed and I've some spangles down to throw a few well bodied hens for later use or if not then for the pet shop. And I've some dominant pieds in the nest boxes to try out and the spangle saga rolls forwards

But as always a big thNk you to everyone for reading my ramblings, to my supporters Mike, Ian, Nick and Gary, the kindness of relative strangers such as Gary Shep, the fickleness of Mother Nature and to my missus- if I didn't fear her so much I'd never have the mancave in the first place- but don't tell her that :-) and to Tony for his inspiration on the blog and to my doubters for making me resolute to succeed and to be very focused on how I breed my way forwards

So its a new year and boy has it started with a bang!

Ok so I didn't expect to lose the roof, floods, smashed eggs and FM but I've also got non feeding feeder hens!!

No doubt some of you will be rubbing your hands and making offerings to the gods but it just goes to show how steep the learning curve is- and its vertical in places!!!

So I popped over after posting to borrow a Fogger to see Barry Matthews Of the Ellis and Mathews partnership that have gone up to champion this year to borrow a Fogger and he offered me a couple of the reserve pairs that would sit in the sales cages from the third round. Naturally I declined that I'm not that brave given charlottes view of inward bound birds and I was resolute and explained that I'm committed in the cage department until march at which point he thrust a couple of birds out of the breedin cage into my hand and said something along the lines of "these aren't for sale their a loan and bring me something nice back next year!"

Now with kind guestures like that you can see how the hobby locally could grow- so I've "borrowed" a fang yf grey cockbird and as luck would have it last year I was given a normal grey hen from jim Laurie that's fagan/ball as she was the runt of the liter and I was about to put them together.

When

I removed the clear eggs from cage 17 to see if I can get something off of them if they try again and is perm tested the cock and bingo he is producing (7 month own blend cockbird) so the fagan yf will have to wait.

It's taken me ages and following Mick Freakly's excellent tutorial on the web I've cracked it- at least on that go and Ira just nice to know that if she lays again its more of a copulation issue and there is nowt I can do about that!!!

Thing is if you do get gifted a bird and make a pair up who gets first choice of anything?

Oh well- back in the corner and here's to finding some F10 locally

I've had a fabulous day in the manshed- but I've also moved my blog to the blog section on the main index- come say hello and enjoy my ups and downs!