Stock For The 2016 breeding Seasom

[$bill]

Best I clock in Still all good and most still breeding with more young out of the best boxes. A couple of young Blues flying about with several green back and 3 nest with just hatched young. Maybe 5 nests only with hens setting on eggs.
Best about those 5 pairs in question is 2 of the pairs setting now are the ones which produced good young Grey-Lime Blue Greenbacks etc. Only real problem i won't be here in "Cold Central" to see what happens in the hatching department or what hatches and flies as we will be leaving for the Northern Territory in a matter of days. Sure i will miss the -2 to -4 overnights and the 6 degree days but that's life!
Anyway with a bit of luck i may still have the 200 young I've breed this year still sitting on the perches OR I might not Well its under that as i sold 70 birds but by the time i return -target hit again
I have had a couple of offers from mates to look after the birds for me. Well that's not going to happen with birds as rare as these If any-one is going to knock off my birds I'd rather its not be by some-one i put in charge of feeding them So i have some-one with no interest in birds...correction mutation birds!
Anyway it's been a very good season for me so i can't complain. I've heard stories from some breeders who have not bred a bird this whole season. That's no big deal as I've had plenty of those myself. Just goes to show you how breeding seasons differ from one locality to another.
But I will say one thing. This is the coldest and wettest season so far i can remember for years. Local news channels agree too. If i wasn't running heat in the aviaries at night I would certainly be picking birds up off the floor. It wouldn't matter how good you think your birds are - bring them here and i will test them and after a coupe days I will post them back! in a box!
I think I will go back to the Devil's Marbles and see if i can find any Painted finches in the wild or maybe a bit further down. Maybe give the car a run too. I missed seeing painted last year but i will give it another go and see what happens

[branchez]

Happy travels Bill
Jack

[$bill]

Thank you Jack for the kind words.......plus the other 65 who looked at the thread anyway sometimes its hard to handle success and others handle it better than some
Speaking of success I though I'd better post the updated photo -taken today of my new light blue gouldian mutation from the lime blue cross. It's looking very positive now that the lime breeders will be popular with any of the blue breeders if they want to breed this new mutation
Unlike others I don't hold back stock and am always available for the odd consultation...although conditions apply.
So here's the latest couple of photos of the lighter powdered blue bird. After all when one goes on safari and leaves the stock where there's livestock there's always the chance of deadstock. Probably best I show it now.
I suppose I could cancel the trip and look after them and see it through........or I could say stuff 'em It's the trip for me!

[Reubenvg]

Great photos Bill,

Been following thread with interest! I've been struggling just trying to breed blues for last couple years glad to see someone is having some success!

Nice work

[finchbreeder]

Looks a very pretty shade of blue. I read every 3 or 4 posts. And comment every 3 or 4 views. And I rekon good luck to you. I am one who has had a bad year. But then on other occassions I have had good years. Kay serah serah.
LML

[$bill]

The parents of those 2 blue birds above plus their 4 green back sibling have done nothing since the young left the nest. All 6 still alive and doing Ok. That particular nest box has been vacant up until a couple of weeks back when I opened the box and saw one lone egg.

I checked a couple of days ago and the cock bird flew out and was setting on 11 eggs. That is the exact number the hen laid on her very first nest. I'd say these are the parents to the above and are back into it again for another hit.

[$bill]

I checked the nest with 11 eggs out late today and it appears most of the eggs are fertile and starting to go a darker colour. Unfortunately that will be it for me and the daughter takes over from here. Plan to leave Monday as we have been delayed by floodwater problems in qld.
That's no longer a drama so all good to go once we commit to a pre booked business function over the weekend and a quick $$$ to help one through some difficult stages

[$bill]

Well it's been a while and I'm back from my trip! Welcome back Bill!

This time it was pretty wet in the centre of Australia and unlike last year from Alice Springs to Tennent Creek -Not a zebra finch in sight.

Birds have bred well and in actual fact still breeding well and I have easily cracked the 200 young mark. What makes it far more interesting is the fact I have bred more Limes this year with my Possible/Possibles than when I purchased the original LIme bird stock about 4 years ago.

Not only that I now have Lime/blues and blue/limes plus I still have the 2 new mutation birds from the cross colouring up.

Well you might ask -How many Limes did you breed Bill! I think roughly 15 birds plus the Blues and the odd two mutation birds. No I don't plan to sell any but I think I will get rid of their green back nest mates.

Not too many say 100 to 150 of them So when they go I am sure there are normal but also splits and double splits amongst them too. Some may find it hard to believe I am now 4 years away from my original Lime purchased birds but this year young Limes showed up in 8 different nest boxes in 3 different aviaries and all from a possible/possible Lime blue strain. Plus got the new colour tossed in too. Lots of these young are also carrying the white breasted gene

Another bonus two of the blue hens that I bred last year both threw a Lime young each in their very first nest. One blue e is again on eggs now. MY old girly in the aviary -the white face blue back hen -their great great grandmother failed to breed.

Looking at the 3 photos you can see the grey bird as a purple coloured young......when it left the nest box and the last shot yesterday how it has lightened up in its colour. Other couple of photos are just young Limes

[$bill]

You can see the variation in the colour of the blue. Photos now of the Limes

[matt71]

looking great $bill , keep up the great work !!!!