June 2012 Pairings

Paired 14 birds today. And another 12 birds to pair over the week. That will make a total of 20 pairs. Very early this year because I am going away in September. No UBC's for the unbroken cap shield held in October this year. The birds seem to be in good condition so I will let them go. I haven't bred my birds since October-December last year, so they have had a long rest and should be raring to go! I will have to do a major cull before I go away, so my mum has minimal birds to look after. It was so hard pairing this year. I probably got it all wrong but lets see how I go.

Pair 1: Grey opaline (hen)- Yellow face grey opaline (cock)1st egg lay 13-6-12 (1) First hatched 11-7-12  Second chick hatched on the 13-7-12 but died, yellow belly. I moved the other chick, which I probably shouldn't have done because the hen abandoned the nest with 2 eggs left to hatch. I have transfered the remaining eggs, I don't give them much hope but you never know. Nestbox has now been removed.

Pair 2: Cinnamon GreyGreen Opaline (hen)- Cinnamon Grey (cock)1st egg lay 10-6-12 Hen got sick. So I removed the nestbox and have transfer the fertile eggs.

Pair 3: Dark green opaline (hen)- Dark green (cock)1st egg lay 12-6-12 No fertile eggs of their own but have transfered fertile eggs and two chicks to their nestbox.

Pair 4: Cinnamon cobalt (hen)- Cinnamon Dark green (cock)1st egg lay 8-6-12  Hen lay 9 eggs 5 fertile but all were dead in shell. I removed nestbox 15-7-12

Pair 5: Blue Fallow (hen)- Grey Green/ fallow (cock)No eggs. Nest box removed 22-6-12

Pair 6: Grey green Opaline (hen)- Sky spangle (cock)1st egg lay 8-6-12 All 8 eggs infertile but this pair now have 3 foster chicks.

Pair 7: Cinnamon light green Opaline spangle (hen)- Dark green Opaline spangle (cock) 
1st egg lay 12-6-12 Nestbox closed 14-7-12. All 10 eggs infertile.

Update: 10-6-2012, I now have a total of 18 pairs, 6 of which have started laying. Will update photo's shortly.
Pair 8: Yellow lacewing (hen)- Green (cock)1st egg lay 11-6-12 First chick hatched 30-6-12(2)
First chick is green hen and second chick is blue, white down so more than likely Opaline and a hen.

Pair 9: Yellow lacewing (hen)- Green (cock)1st egg lay 11-6-12 First chick hatched 2-7-12 (3)
Chick one is green, second and third chicks too young to tell but are both plum eye, so therefore cinnamon.

Pair 10: Sky/fallow (hen)- Cobalt (cock)1st egg lay 14-6-12 First chick hatched 10-7-12 (1)
 This pair had three fertile eggs from seven, one dead in shell and I died at 1 day old, it had an open belly (never seen that before). The remaining chick is doing well. The cobalt cock is a very devoted dad and never leaves the nestbox when I open the door. He tries to hide the chick under his belly. I think most of the time he kicks the hen out of the box because she is hardly in there when he is.

Pair 11: Cinnamon Green Opaline (hen)- Sky/cinnamon (cock)1st egg lay 16-6-12 First chick hatched 12-7-12 (4) 3 chicks have plum eyes so therefore are cinnamon.

Pair 12: Yellow face Grey Opaline (hen)- Cinnamon Grey/ Lacewing (cock)1st egg lay 19-6-12 First chick hatched 11-7-12 (1) One fertile egg from 6 and it hatched so I am very happy. Hatched with black eyes so has to be a cock. The only chick is sky blue!!

Pair 13: Light Green (hen)- Light Green (cock)1st egg lay 17-6-12 First chick hatched 17-7-2012 (2)

Pair 14: Yellow face sky clearwing (hen)- Golden face recessive pied (cock) Pet type On 2nd round of eggs All eggs dead in shell for a second round.

Pair 15: Grey Green (hen)- Blue Fallow (cock) 1st egg lay 10-6-12 All eggs addled or dead in shell.

Pair 16: Golden face Cobalt Violet/ clearwing (hen)- Cobalt Violet greywing/clearwing (cock)Pet type 1st egg lay 10-6-12 (2nd round)  1x baby from 1st round- Cobalt violet (cock) All second round eggs dead in shell.

Pair 17: Cinnamon Sky Dominant Pied Opaline Spangle (hen)- Golden face Cobalt Greywing (cock)Pet type On 2nd round of eggs First chick hatched 22-6-12 (4) A welcome surprise in this nest. I just discovered this hen is split greywing!!! That is the fun thing with breeding pet budgies finding little genentic surprises in the nestbox. So in this box; chick 1- sky violet greywing, chick 2- goldenface dominant pied, chick 3- sky blue spangle greywing and chick 4- is goldenface dominant pied greywing  spangle. Photos below of Mother and Father.

Pair 18: Cinnamon Light green (hen)- Yellow Opaline Lacewing (cock) 1st egg lay 4-6-12 (2nd round) 1x baby from 1st round- Yellow Opaline lacewing (hen) This hen lay a whopping 13 eggs, 8 of which fertile. Unfortunately all dead in shell.


Update 4-7-12: I've had so many egg eaters this season. I keep a bag of 100 white marbles in my breeding room in case this happens. Cheep marbles from the $2 shop. A fraction of the price compared to dummy eggs. I just pop a couple in the nest and once the hen lays 3 of her own eggs without eating them, then I remove the marbles. 100% success with this method.