My photo
I keep and breed a small number of Australian grass parakeets. This blog provides information and pictures of my birds and a log of their breeding activities. It is also a photo blog of landscapes and wildlife. My dog Buster may also make an appearance. For Nest Box Live - click the link above or visit my website!

Thursday 28 April 2011

Turqs - update

I've got a new turq hen and already she's mated and had her first egg with Rudolph. She's a red-bellied yellow (possibly cinnamon yellow).  These also have a nest box cam.
Goldie has responded well to antibiotics, but somehow she's still not right. I had her with Scar for a while and she just growled at him.  I think she needs some time yet to recover.  Pity, because Scar really needs to mate.

Bourkes - chick photo's

Rocky and Rosie's single chick
Pinky and Perky's 3 chicks
The rubino hen has the red eyes, but I'm not sure what the apparent gash is to the left of the eye. The green twigs fell in as I opened the box.

Friday 22 April 2011

Bourkes - update

It hasn't been the best eggs to hatch ratio.  I thought Pinky and Perky's 8 eggs to 3 chicks was poor, but Rocky and Rosie had 9 eggs to 1 chick...some how I don't think all the eggs have been incubated properly despite me removing the clear ones.  Still, overall that's 4 chicks more than the turks!

Rocky and Rosie.

I can tell one of Pinky's chicks is a Rubino because it has pale eye-lids or red eyes (the one being fed below).  This is the ino which will combine with rosa to give a rubino and because of the sex-linked inheritance I know it will be a hen.  The other two, with dark eyes, will be visually rosa cocks split rubino.

Tuesday 12 April 2011

1st chick this year

One of Pinky and Perky's eggs has hatched today.  The little bourke chick can be watched on the nest box cam at....
http://www.grassparakeets.talktalk.net/cam2.htm

Wednesday 6 April 2011

Bourkes eggs fertile

I was ready to throw out Rocky and Rosie's eggs only to find that some are actually fertile.  Embryos are only just starting developing despite being laid weeks ago.  I've taken out two definite clear eggs to leave her sitting on 7.  Meanwhile, Pinky and Perky now appear to have 8 eggs....I'm just going to leave them to it.  I've lost track when any of the bourkes' eggs are due to hatch.