Emmy

When I had a pair that had hatched out the eggs themselves I removed them from the outside flight and transferred them into a large cage. Felt it was safer - other chicks that had hatched out in the hutch where there were other quails they never survived. So if these chicks hatch out(the ones that are being incubated by the hen ) whenever they are hatched I'll be putting them into a brooder. Maybe you ones will be OK though. Emmy

Sorrry I missed your birthday Dave but Happy belated Birthday Hope you had a great day Emmy

I like them when they are that size -so funny when they get wet. Nice chicks Claire.

Got doubts of it being a brinsea incubator doesn't look like theirs I have a Brinsea one. (Can only see part of it in the photo though) This incubator has hardly been off lately.

6 CPQ chicks hatched out this morning and I missed them hatching still a few more due in 4/5 days - now I know I shouldn't have put those extra eggs in - the last lot of 12 eggs only 2 chicks hatched that's why I put in more this time and it looks as thought they will all hatch!!! I only wanted 6/7chicks. Emmy

Just discovered she is sitting on 6 eggs. Looking good Emmy

Hope you get success with incubating the eggs. That cpq hen is still incubating her eggs but I don't know how many eggs she is sitting on. She's keeping that a secret. (lol)

I have two cpq's that hatched out in incubator on the 13th May- I just switched off the heater in the brooder two days ago.- the have had a small 'Teddy Bear' in beside them from day one and 'cuddle up' to it at night. I just noticed today that one of the cpq hens in my outside hutch seems to be a bit broody and there's definitely eggs there. Wished she had told me she was going to hatch some out before I had put another batch into the incubator Emmy

re the above (lol) Doubt it David- just lost one of the owl finches tonight. In a way I'm not surprised because it had been attacked too before I rescued it and part of its foot was missing, but I was just hoping it would be OK and it looked as thought things were going well for it. So sad when you lose them but it was worth giving it a try. I'll need to go to the sale on Sunday because I've ordered seed (lol)not sure if I'll be taking any birds still to check that out. MY pair of red winged Amazon parrots have taken a real dislike to me- 'talk about biting the hand that feeds you!!! No they haven't caught me yet (lol) but whenever I go into the shed to feed them and the other birds the parrots screech like mad and knock their beaks against the cage. Instead of hearing aids I'll need to buy a pair of ear plugs If you manage the sale I'll probably see you there. Emmy

Well it is now the 25th May 2016 and Shadow and Co. are all doing well. I still have them in the house - nothing wrong with them - It's ME I'm finding it difficult to put them outside in the aviary. Saying that I have been trying not to handle them so often and I have taken the nest box away that they always slept in at night. (I'm being cruel-am I not?) 25th April 2016 Shadow and one of the Bengalese chicks 25th April 2016 The four hand reared chicks. Shadow 5th May 2016 15th May 2016 Shadow eating seed. Here are two video clips of Shadow at the end of the hand rearing. 1. Shadow lasts time being fed 2. Shadow eating seed no more hand feeding https://youtu.be/yGAVN-xN9nM (seems that video No.2 is coming up as the talking parrot ?? if you go into you tube and type (16th May 2016 Shadow eating seed no more hand feeding from now on) No 2 should come up) I think the problem is I downloaded the two video clips at the same time.) Hope you enjoyed reading about Shadow and the three Bengalese chicks. Emmy

Thanks Sarah So far both are still OK - the 1st one that hatched got fed at midnight and didn't get fed again until 5.30a.m. Both of them got fed- just a few drops of the electrolyte solution with a teeny bit formula added. Using the plastic part on the cotton bud is working out fine the part I have shaped just fits into their beaks and the chicks are actually 'sucking' the contents (that's what it looks like to me) What is good just now they are a healthy pink colour and I moved them out from the incubator this morning and they are now in the 'Lionheart napkin warmer' this is a photo of the warmer that I already had-- wont let me post another showing the inside but I'm sure I've posted some before on a 'Blog' Now off to feed the cockatiel chicks their 2nd feed of the day -, then check : Bobby the Parrot; the hens, (who are wandering all the place and demolishing my parsley), feed the new chicks then hopefully I'll be able to feed ME! Emmy

Just an update: The other owl finch egg has just hatched and the chick looks OK. Hope they survive, I always think its easier to have two or more to feed rather than one on its own, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the first one survives the night. Emmy

This is the beginning of another nightmare for me. I knew one pair of my owl finches had eggs in their nest and they had been incubating them. The previous time they had reached this stage they tossed all the young out and when I found them the chicks were dead it looked as though they had been disposed of whenever they had hatched. When I was in the shed tonight I noticed both birds were off the nest so I decided to check the nest-- one chick dead- I wont describe it but it had been killed, another one not long hatched, looked dead but when I removed it from the nest I thought I saw a slight movement so I put it into the incubator, I removed the other two eggs from the nest and checked them one looks fertile about ready to hatch? but the other egg wasn't fertile. The egg that looks to be fertile is in the incubator. This tiny wee thing is moving now and I gave it one drop of water with the electrolyte in it -later I gave it the same again and at 8pm I gave it another drop of the electrolyte but this time included a very tiny drop of watered down formula. It's actually opening its beak but instead of using a cocktail stick I'm using a cotton bud (ones that have a blue plastic tube I cut off one end and cut it diagonally it looks like a beak shape and it takes up only 1 to 2 drops of liquid at a time. As I have just finished hand rearing Shadow and the 3 Bengalese chicks and I'm still hand rearing 5 cockatiel chicks (it wont be long 'till they are feeding on their own) I really don't want to start all over again with such a tiny chick - much smaller than a zebra finch chick. but I don't have any Bengalese I can foster it too (my other pair of Bengalese I have are rearing the 5 gouldian chicks) This is my nightmare: When I look at Shadow and the 3 other chicks and see how they have survived I know I just can't let this wee one die without trying to save it. So as long as it survives I guess that will be me on night shift once more. (I'm sorry I can't post photos of it - I have taken some but since upgrading to windows 10 I'm having problems and can't get photos from my camera into the computer) Emmy

Thank You Clare for that good advice- I can only but try Bobby

As the title says "Well I'd Never have believed this!!" I really mean that 100%. Just take a look at this: https://youtu.be/vTWs3BN0_NA I think this says it all! I'm really trying my hardest to improve my speech and 'Mum' seemed to be very pleased with me. Now she has she remembered she had a 'parrot' that talked - didn't need a cage, didn't need to be fed and didn't need to be cleaned ! Now please tell me how can I compete with that!!! Mum doesn't say very much about the other two in front of me but I heard her telling a neighbour she thought the female (Piper) would soon be getting charged with 'domestic abuse' It seemed that Darcy the male was wanting to feed Piper and she was having none of it -she lifted her leg stretched out her 'foot' and hit him in the stomach, guess she caught him off balance because it seems he fell off the perch. Mum was annoyed that she didn't have her camera with her when that happened. I am saying a lot more things now and I had a laugh yesterday - 'mum' had never heard me saying 'Hiya!' before. She always says this to my pals (her grandchildren) when the come and they shout that to her - but 'mum' always says 'Hallo' to me. So I tried out saying 'Hiya' as loud as I could and Mum answered, " I'll be there in a minute I'm getting the keys, the doors locked" -you should have seen her face when she opened the door and there was nobody there!!! So I did it again and she thought they were playing 'hide&seek' with her. By then I think she was thinking it must have been her imagination then when she came in to see me later I greeted her with a loud, 'Hiya' No I didn't get a telling off she just looked at me and said, "What a clever boy you are" I was really 'chuffed' because she gave e a tiny bit of a crisp The she let me out from my cage and played with me for a while and I also got my favourite biscuit - a custard cream! While 'mum' is busy hand feeding the five cockatiel chicks I'm going to do some more work on increasing my vocabulary to give her some more surprises. Bye for now Bobby

Happy 21st Birthday Sarah Hope you have had a lovely day celebrating Emmy

Happy Birthday Wishes Allan, hope you have a nice time Emmy

we might need a bigger one before we move in I did warn you Penny re the finches multiplying (re the quote above I'd change the words 'might need' to MUST GET I'm talking from experience here This is what is likely to happen when you buy a pair of zebra finches. Progress sheet: Things in order of buying: 1. cage 2. larger cage 3. more cages 4. bird shed 5. aviary/with inside flight 6. LOTS of feeders and drinkers and bird baths 7. More birds /need more space 8. 2nd Bird shed larger than the previous one It NEVER stops!!

Sorry to hear that Trevor it was such a bonny wee thing. Emmy

Hope you have had a very nice day on your special birthday. Emmy

That's great news Clare and a lovely photo -please keep taking photos of them growing up Emmy

Are you going to hand feed it if it's not getting fed? Or is it starting to eat by itself? Emmy

It is an unusual colour Trevor but that makes it all the more precious. Is its crop full? be a shame to lose it if it wasn't being fed. What colour was the parents? Emmy

Hi Derek some of the recent cages I have bought can be fixed together to make a flight (that's when I can work out how to do this 'simple' thing) but I don't need it meantime as I'm using the cages for breeding -gouldians, owl finches and of course a variety of zebra finches. Last year was the first time I entered a pair of BC finches into our local show and they got a 3rd place. My 2 canaries both got a 1st and one went on to get best novice in that section. But I'm not really into breeding for show type birds just like seeing all the different unexpected colours that sometimes get thrown up with birds that must have been split for another colour. The two pairs of my birds I'd really like to see the breeding soon are my Madagascar Love Bird Parrots and my red winged amazon parrots - just got the nest box for the amazons tonight so I'm hoping they like their new 'bedroom' So far this year I've not had any canary chicks although a pair have made a nest in the outside flight and have two eggs in it -just have to keep an eye on that one and keep fingers crossed they incubate the eggs. Hope everything works out for you please keep us posted re the birds you get. Emmy

Welcome to the forum Graham. What birds do you have in your aviary? Be nice to know what you have. Looking forward to reading your posts. Emmy