Sunday, September 12, 2010

Quick update...

Looks like Red and Scarlet's (splendid pair) clutch of 5 eggs are all fertile.  Scarlet is sitting extra tight this round.  Good for the babies, but hard on me to catch her out of the nextbox in order to take a peek.  Coral and Blush have 3 eggs so far.  Usually the splendids lay eggs every day, but Blush has been laying very sporadicaly this round, sometimes laying as far apart as 2-3 days.  They are still mating, so hopefully a full clutch will be laid soon with most if not all being fertile.  Blush has at least started to sit majority of the time.  I'm not sure if the nest box being hung outside of the cage rather than in has anything to do with Blush's change in laying pattern, but with the configuration of the cages currently, it's going to have to be the way it is done.

Two eggs survive so far in the clutch of gouldian eggs that's been fostered to the societies.  The parents have started to lay again, hopefully will sit tighter this round.  I have another pair of goulds who appear quite bounded, but laid 2-3 rounds of clear eggs last year.  This year, they laid 6 eggs, so far not looking good - all still clear, but I'll give them a few more days as it has not been a full week since they started sitting tight.  If this clutch is still clear, I'm going to try to split the pair.  One of my best pairs from last year has 4 eggs in the nest so far.  Hopefully they'll do even better this year than last year.  I'm playing a bit of musical chairs with everyone else currently, trying to put together pairs that will give me the desired offspring can be difficult sometimes since the goulds themselves may not agree with my choices ^_^

Shaft tails look so adorable together, but once I put a loving pair into the breeding cage, not much happens.  Perhaps I need to wait a bit longer?  Since this is my first year with shaft tails, I am not as familiar with their behavior as with my other birds.

The 2 linnie eggs in the incubator is officially DIS now.  Cream Puff and Captain Turq have laid 3 more eggs - 1 fertile still, the last one laid looking like it'll be fertile, but the 3rd egg looking to be DIS.  Not sure if there is an issue with the egg not being sat on properly or genetics factors, so we'll have to see how this clutch proceed.  Indy (the colbalt male) and Blondie (the lutino hen) appear satisfied with just hanging out and eating daily - no indication that the nest box I've put up for them even registered as something to explore.  All well.  Somethings can't be forced.  I finally got to see the linnie's bat-like position when enjoying a "rain shower".  Apparently, I have to get the droplet size just right on my sprayer for them to enjoy it like a tropical downpour. 

I just received my white chested blue split to lutino male splendid and albino hen.  They look quite healthy.  Big hopes for them once they get old enough to breed.  I am also getting a pair of rubino bourkes - received my male so far, the hen will hopefully soon follow.  I will try to get pictures of my birds up soon, but check out a fabulous example from http://www.piknersparrots.com/large_image/neofema/90.jpg -

2 comments:

  1. I look forward to seeing some pictures. I think the white breasted blue splendid is the best colour mutation, although now with the violet factor it's even more amazing.

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  2. I know!! I wish I get get some violet factors in the U.S.

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