Dasher moves on!

Dasher has gone off to the great world beyond the nest box!  I took him to the store yesterday to be handfed for the rest of his budgie-childhood and be weaned onto pellets just like the big-birds.  To be sure, he was scared (and MAD!) being taken from his family and thrust into an aquarium with several other little birds, but he's growing into such a pretty bird I'm hoping that someone will snap him up soon.

Dasher shortly before moving to the store.

Ricky and Lucy have now hatched not three, not four, but FIVE babies!  That's quite a clutch for any birdie, much less a first time mom, and she's got one possibly fertile egg that could still hatch.  There's over a weeks difference in age between the oldest and youngest in the clutch which is requiring me to keep a close watch on the chicks.  From what I've read and heard the youngest are subject to several perils which include:  1) Overfeeding which stretches out their crop, causes atonia and results in the baby starving to death with a full crop; and 2) Dehydration from being fed food meant for the older chicks.  (New chicks are fed a more liquid food than older chicks.)  It's amazing how tiny the newest chicks are when they hatch.

                        

            Oldest on left, youngest on bottom.

This is the smallest chick from the photo
to the left. (My hands are the size of the
average 10 year old's.)

And in other news... Mr. and Mrs. Closet Finch (so named because they're living in what used to be a closet) currently have three eggs in one of their three nests.  I hesitate to get too very excited about this because at no time when I've been in the bird room have I seen either Mr. or Mrs. Finch anywhere near said eggs!  But the news is significant because while they have laid single eggs before, they've never laid more than one before they've eaten it.  This is the first time I've seen more than one egg in the nest. I've been feeding them crushed egg shells and egg food so perhaps that is making a difference.  We'll see, wont we?

That's all for tonight!  

Until nest time just do like the birds do - shake your tail feathers and keep on chirpin'!

Hatch Announcement

Ricky and Lucy Budgy 

are pleased to announce the hatching 

of their first two chicks!

Jan 16 and Jan 17

2012

Both babies are bald and beautiful.

Mommy and Daddy couldn't be more proud. 

Lucy is spending most of her time tending to her babies and her remaining eggs, so it's rare that she is seen outside of the nesting box.  When I've peeked in however, I've been able to see the two new chicks as well as the egg that is next to hatch (the chick inside is already pipping).  When I check the box later this evening I'll try and get a picture if I can.

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On another note, when I went in to feed this morning I found young Dasher out of the nestbox strolling around the cage!  That was quite a surprise!  Not sure if that was acceptable behavior, I picked him up and plopped him back in with his sibling.  He seemed happy to be back.