Getting Started: The First Post

Well, I know I said I was starting at the beginning.  I lied.  I'm actually starting my story a few weeks into my budgie breeding venture.  If I ever get time (and if anyone is actually reading this and is interested), I'll go back and tell the beginning of the story, but if I tried to go back now I'd start behind and never catch up!  So I'll start with today.

My name is Vicki, and yes, I'm probably nuts.  In the past couple of weeks, I've gone from having no budgies at all to having (as of this afternoon) 27 budgies and five eggs (one of the hens was on eggs when I bought her). If you're interested, I also have a Yellow Sided Green Cheek Conure and a Bronze Wing Pionus as well, but those two are pets.  The majority of the birds I acquired off of Craig's List but I have bought a few from the PetBox stores when I've seen that they had a color I was particularly interested in.

Yesterday was a big day in budgie land.  For the last 10 days or so, I've had all of the birds in one large flight, kind-of a "get-to-know-you" session.  Yesterday I pulled the three hens who looked most mature and ready to breed and set them up with the cocks I'd like to see them with.  Two of the three pairs I put together seemed to be instant love matches.  The couples immediately fluffed up and started feeding each other, and one of the three pairs have already started mating.  The two happy couples I've already set up with a nest box, so with luck I should start seeing eggs within the next week to 10 days.  The third couple might take a bit longer.  The male is quite interested!  He's fluffing and bobbing his head, chirping and doing his best to impress the little dilute cinnamon hen he's with but she's not having anything to do with him.  He's quite the Romeo, so I think he'll manage to woo her before too long!

I also made the purchase of a young albino yesterday.  Due to the young age of this baby, I don't know if it's a cock or a hen.  If I had to guess today I'd say it was a cock but only time will tell.  I suppose I hope it's a cock because it's easier to spot an albino hen than it is to spot a cock that might be split to the 'ino' gene.  If you're not familiar with budgie genetics, try The Budgie Place.  Their colors and mutations link has done wonders to help me.  I'll try to do a post on genetics at a later date, but start with that link - the pictures and descriptions are better than anything I could ever do!

And finally, I ordered my breeder cages yesterday - or rather, I tried.  I sent an email to the folks at LL Cages, but I've not heard back from them yet.  If everything goes the way I hope it does, I'll get six of these with two stands:

Each cage is 36"x18"x18"h and has a removable divider in the middle so the cages can be divided into two 18" square cages.  There are four dishes with openings (two on each end) and openings for nest boxes on each end as well.   I had hoped to find them in white as opposed to galvanized since the white is so much easier to clean, but at $55/cage the price just can't be beat.  Plus, LL Cages is a family business and any small business that has managed to remain open these past few years surely gets my patronage.  (Would you believe they answered the phone by just saying, "Hello?" That's how family they are!)

I think I've about got all the birds started I can start for now and am at the wait and see point, so I suppose I'll just wait and see.  I'll be sure to keep you updated!

Well, that wraps up the first edition of A Bunch of Budgies, so until nest time, keep on chirpin'!