Handfeeding

While I do not normally hand feed any of my birds, sometimes if the parents do not feed for some reason and no fosters can be found, I will take over care.  For grasskeets, occasionally a very late hatching egg can lead to a baby being much smaller than the rest of its siblings.  It may not be able to get enough food at feeding time.  I found such a baby and had to take over.  While it was getting some feeding from its parents for a few days, it became dehydrated and weaker since its siblings are now 5 times its size.  So far it's looking a lot less dehydrated, so hopefully it will make it.

Downsizing some

Some of my birds have been very prolific - especially the societies, and due to space reasons, I must downsize some.  For anyone interesting in purchasing some, please see my ads (click on the links) on societies and gouldians.  I will also be sorting through my  shaft tails as well as scarlet chested parakeets, and ads for them should be up soon as well. 
Hoobly ad for societies
Hoobly ad for gouldians
Hoobly ad for star finches

normal shaft tail male

various gouldians

variety of societies

Sorting through last season's babies and new babies

I have been sorting through last season's society babies to see which ones to keep and which to sell.  Quite a few nice mutations, but can't keep them all.  A few new scarlet and bourk babies are still weaning.

marked white chocolate and ultra dilute fawn crested society

red brown society

black brown society chicks

par blue scarlet chested parakeet chicks

normal scarlet chested parakeet chick

cinnamon scarlet chested parakeet mother with her chicks

Gouldian youngsters

orange head lavender breast double factor yellow male gouldian (fawn shaft tail on the left)

 Young gouldians are coloring up with the warm weather.

black headed white breasted blue hen

black headed white breasted yellow hen enjoying swing time

black headed white breasted green back hen with black headed purple breasted single factor yellow & blue (pastel) male

black headed white breasted double factor yellow & blue (silver) male

red headed purple breasted green back male

New fledglings



par blue scarlet chested parakeet baby

Newly fledged young keets!

lutino elegant baby

opaline aka rosy bourke baby

Changes...

Some changes are occuring in my aviary.  Due to the enormous amount of time required for the upkeep of my birds, I've decided to downsize some to make caring for them more manageable.  I am decreasing in the number of species as well as the number of birds I will be keeping.  The lovely purple grenadiers and strawberries went to a friend who has been concentrating on trying to increase their domestic bred numbers.  Most of my owls went to another friend who is working with them.  I've also sold my cordon blues to someone interested in breeding them, though I may consider getting another pair as pets.  Now the task is to sort through the significant number of societies I've accumulated and bred over the past couple of years and letting a lot of them go.  Some gouldians and stars as well as some number of grasskeets will also have to be sold as well.  This way, I hope the bird keeping will become more enjoyable and less of a chore again.

That being said, I'm certainly not done with breeding :)

extra fat baby gouldian I had to handfeed - he is fully weaned and molting out to be a beautiful red headed normal male

nestful of baby gouldians - from left to right: normal, yellow, normal x 2, and dilute

another nestful of parent raised gouldian babies - from left to right: normal, blue on top, and 3 silvers

Breeding news...

My society finches have gone into full breeding mode.  Some of the gouldians have finally gotten going.  The javas have hatched out a couple of babies.  Hoping more of the keets and parrot finches will be more successful as well.

baby forbes parrot finch - parent raised

pied fawn society

chocolate self society

crested pied chocolate society

grey society juvenile

group of gouldians



red headed white breasted double factor yellow male gouldians



creamino and isabel shaft tails

baby scarlet chested grasskeet

baby scarlet chested grasskeet