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Emmy

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Blog Entries posted by Emmy

  1. Emmy
    Last year I had an article published in Cage and Aviary explaining how I came to candle eggs taking a photograph of the eggs in the nest (no flash used) then using a programme on the computer I was able to see which egg were fertile.

    There is a post already on the forum explaining how I did this. This is a link to it Cage&aviarybirds 24Th July Issue

    I have now tried out a different sequence in the candling and this produced new images which has made me want to search for further information re what the images represent. (This is in process at the moment)

    I'll share the new images with you and would be grateful for your comments -positive or negative both welcome (lol)

    The eggs I candled were from my Gouldian's nest. I was almost 100% certain that the eggs would be not be fertile as the hen is young and not fully coloured up yet but they have been incubating the eggs both taking turns on the nest. I was surprised to find that two look to be fertile.

    The eggs were photographed on the 25th November 2014
    I 'candled' the photograph to show both methods showing the two fertile eggs. I have cropped some of the images to make them larger.

    The final 6 photographs: 5 of them were from the Owl Finches (Bicheno ) nest, this shows the order in which they were laid The first image shows all the eggs in the nest then I cropped each egg to show it on its own. The final image is a budgie's egg just to compare with the others.
  2. Emmy
    Well tonight its another Misadventure story!
    (Yes Andy you were correct when you suggested that Title(lol))

    My intentions were to clean out the inside flight after I had rearranged things in the shed.

    First I emptied the new large bags of seed into the proper tubs - then I moved things around and got the shed into such a mess you would have thought a bomb had gone off -(couldn't put things outside the shed because it was raining 'cats and dogs')

    Then I noticed my owl finches had two eggs in their nest pan . rushed into the house to grab my camera to get a photograph while they were off the nest. (didn't get photos of the owl finch eggs they were back on the nest)

    Then I had a thought -which would have been better to have stayed inside my head and not acted upon.

    Before doing anything else I decided I would give the 5 BC chicks a clean nest box and then take some photos of them to post them on the forum
    .
    Great! I removed the 5 chicks into a plastic tub with some kitchen roll on the bottom to stop them slipping- they looked so nice and were really warm and cosy snuggled up together.

    As I got my camera poised my thoughts were 'that will be a lovely photograph for my records' - but what I saw in the viewfinder of my camera made those 'thoughts' very quickly disappear to be replaced with a feeling of panic --one of the chicks was escaping! In the few seconds it took me to put the camera down the chick was nowhere to be seen.

    It was experiencing first hand what it would be like to 'try to find a needle in a haystack' !!
    OK when the adult birds escape you can see them and hear the noise of their wings etc but this wee chick would never be heard even if it did cheep - the other birds in the inside flight were making too much noise.

    All I could think of - it must be on the floor somewhere because it couldn't fly, it had never been out from the nest before.
    I had put the other chicks back into the clean nest box before 'hunt the chick' started.

    If I hadn't started moving things about it may have been easier, but after 20 minutes searching I was relieved to find it sitting behind a tub and it didn't move while I picked it up.

    I popped it back into the nest box and thought now it will be easy to take a photograph of them but when I looked into the nest box there were only THREE chicks and that was including the one I had just put back in.

    I checked the cage but they were not in the cage with the adults.

    Two more chicks were on the loose! and I didn't know how or when they escaped.
    Everything now had to be moved to find if they had hopped behind any of the large tubs of seed.
    No luck but as I was moving everything I was sweeping up too- that would be a little help later on.

    It was then I thought I saw a movement near the door of the shed and YES!! it was one of the chicks BUT there was a whole lot of things that had to be moved before I could get to it. I just kept telling myself not to panic because if it went behind the 4 units I had the other cages on it would be a nightmare to get it out from there.
    ' Lady Luck' was with me and I caught it and popped it back into the nest box.
    There was still no sign of chick number 5.
    Even after all that trouble I was determined to get a photo even if it was only the four chicks! (the photo posted at the beginning)

    At that point I was very tempted just to go back into the house and leave it all but I knew I couldn't do that with still one chick to be found.
    Yes I did finally find it -where?- it was behind the 4 units!!!! another BIG job - but I did get it
    No!! I didn't tempt fate and take a photo of the 5 of them in the nest - That photo will have to wait until they have fledged!

    The inside flight hasn't been cleaned and the shed still has to be tidied.

    Well that will be jobs for tomorrow and the camera will definitely be left in the house!

    Emmy

    edited to add photo of two of the chicks when all 5 had fledged.
  3. Emmy
    Guess we have all read about the bother we have when fireworks go off -- not only the birds but with our other pets too.

    Well lucky for me my birds were OK (I left a radio on) but my wee Chihuahua- Rabelou was terrified and instead of hiding he had started running about the living room barking every time he heard a firework go off.

    Last night about 10pm - it had all quietened down . Rabelou was in his bed and seemed settled so I decided I'd have an early night too.

    I was no sooner in my bed when-- listening to the noise Rabelou was creating, you would have thought the fireworks were going off in my kitchen. My thoughts of an early night were quickly disappearing

    I found Rabelou in a frenzy - he was not only barking but jumping all over the place - seemed the higher he could get the louder the barking.

    Just what was he trying to catch? At first I thought it may have been a butterfly as I have had a few recently in the kitchen. No butterfly to be seen.

    By now I was losing my patience and was about to catch Rabelou and lock him in his crate when I noticed him becoming very still and staring up at the curtains!!

    There sitting on my curtain rail was a BIRD.

    Now how on earth did a wild bird get into my kitchen at this time of night??
    The birds I had in the house were all in their cages and this bird was definitely not a cockatiel or a canary!

    Then the 'penny dropped' the only other birds I had in the house were the gouldians in the utility room. The bird that was on the curtain rail was the young gouldian that was just starting to colour up.
    How did it get there!!??

    Now the 'fireworks ' really did start - but I was the 'firework' -- First to catch the dog- and no way was he going to let me do this -- he didn't want to miss the chance of catching the bird before me!!
    I eventually won that battle

    Now to catch the bird-- big problem-- now I couldn't find it it had disappeared!

    I checked the gouldian's cage - the older gouldian was sitting quietly on a perch -- now there was another surprise all the doors were closed- so how did that one escape? I had only recently bought that new breeding cage for them!

    I'll not go into detail of how and when I did catch it because it was a nightmare I wouldn't want to repeat! My thoughts now were - "Guess this wee bird will not survive after all she's been through".

    Once I got her back into the cage I checked the cage again and I finally discovered how she had got out. There was a larger space at one end of the cage front I was surprised she managed to get through that.

    That space has now been covered with a bit of cardboard until I can figure out a way to fix it properly.

    I think I've learned a lesson - next time I buy anything - I'll make sure that a bird with a nice slim body wont be able to escape.
  4. Emmy

    Finding A Vet For Bimbo

    By Emmy,

    In the previous post, I mentioned the 'vets' I am registered with but sadly because they are not Avian vets they couldn't do anything to help Bimbo. They did recommend an avian vet but it was too far away for me to get there
    .
    The pervious photo I posted of Bimbo was taken on the 26th July this year and you can see quite clearly then that the Bimbo's beak needed to be sorted. Now its beak was much, much worse.
    I kept on trying to find an avian vet and was told by friends of a few other vets (not avian vets) that do treat birds. I made appointments but when they examined Bimbo non of them was prepared to trim Bimbo's beak.

    By September Bimbo's beak was much worse and I had to make sure I cleaned inside its beak to make sure there was no food stuck there. Bimbo soon realised that if it came onto my hand what was going to happen next--fast learner!! and scooted to the other side of the aviary to avoid me. Before this Bimbo was always the first one to come to my hand.

    Then in the middle of September another person I knew who has a parrot said she was taking her parrot to an avian vet (the same avian vet my own vet had recommended) to get its claws done and agreed to take Bimbo too, only problem was she wasn't sure when she would be going.

    So once again I tried the internet and by chance someone recommended a vet ---wait for this---whose practice was only 10 minutes drive from my house who had done marvellous work with some of her birds. (never knew about this vet because after we had moved house I had still kept going to my own vet )

    I immediately phoned and made an appointment for Monday the 3rd November and was so pleased that Bill Wooton the vet agreed to trim Bimbo's beak. I have to take Bimbo back again in 2 weeks to have a check up and the beak may need more work done to it but I don't really mind how often I have to go back with Bimbo.

    I don't know how Bimbo feels after the 'makeover' but I definitely feel better
    (Maybe I should have made an appointment for a 'makeover' for myself too )

    Bimbo is eating well and preening itself. Hope you notice a difference between the before photo (first post) and after photo(this post) of Bimbo.
  5. Emmy
    6th October 2014

    As I am just starting this 'BLOG' and haven't done anything like this before please excuse all the mistakes I will be making.

    To begin with I'm going to use some of the posts I have already posted on the main forum (to practise )

    I think you may already have read this earlier post about Bimbo my hand reared cockatiel with the overshot beak. (already having problems tried to download a picture of Bimbo but Bimbo seems to have 'flown away' )

    Well I had spoken to my vet about the problem with Bimbo's beak and what could be done, but he is not an avian vet and asked me to send him some photos of Bimbo's beak and he would contact an avian vet to find out what could be done.

    Great!! So I emailed 4 photo's of Bimbo showing the deformed beak at various stages of Bimbo's growth.

    I know the vet wont be able to deal with this for a week because he is off on holiday.

    That night I posted the email I was having a good look at Bimbo's beak when I had him out for his feed and I was shocked to find that its bottom beak wasn't fully attached to its neck and I could see its throat through the back of its beak .

    Panic stations!!

    Another quick email to the vet to let him know about my latest discovery.

    Because of finding this I decided to examine ALL my cockatiels and discovered they all had this 'deformity' (my conclusion )

    Then suddenly it dawned: the cockatiels weren't related so this must be how cockatiels beaks are meant to be!

    To make sure I asked a friend who has parrots and she informed me all parrot type birds have this hole at the back of their beak and you can see their throat through it. OHHH!!

    Another quick email to the vet to own up to my ignorance --

    Well after all is said and done where cockatiels are concerned I've still got my 'L' plates on

    This is the reason I wished I could delete a sent email

    Now to discover where I've sent Bimbo to on the web! Just maybe when I click 'publish' Bimbo may decide to come back (lol)