IndianRingNeck.com

Skyes_crew wrote:Shey what are your percentages?

as in cock to hen ratio? my predictions were, 1 boy to two girls (1 edged, 2 normals) and I said 2 green, one blue (series).

Kappa wrote:Hi Shey,
Congrats on the new brood. They are looking good. I'm afraid the anticipation of waiting to find out what the babies are doesn't get any better with future breeding seasons. After many years of breeding its still like my first season, every year. It's an addiction and you just need your daily fix to see if they have spontaneously grown feathers overnight.

I currently have 16 babies on the go so you can imagine what I'm going through. The suspense is killing me, and patience is in short supply.

In regards to the alpha male theory, I think it's more of the case that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. So the loudest chick gets fed more. I have had just as many large chicks turnout to be hens as they do males.
Keep up the good work.

Thankyou yes, very addictive- so much so that I've decided to give my two one year old's a shot.. can't hurt to try- may even assist with a successful breeding next year if unsuccessful this.
(well at least prep the hen cock is showing great interest- her not so much)

The alpha male theory (of Ben's) is just that- a theory.
Would be interesting to see results say over a 5 yr period- you never know, the percentages may lean more favorably toward one more than the other.

Ring0Neck wrote:Kappa,
I believe Shey mentions hen or male becuase she thinks in terms of:
males to be edged
hens to be normal

is that so Shey?


PS: Shey, yes it does seem to be a hen, i can see black feathers popping, right?

spot on- only chicks that are SL Edged, will be male- the others (normals) female.
--not sure about 'black' feathers popping- I think what you're seeing is actually the blood in the calamus. I do think hen for that one though as I see no dilution.

so, there you go Ben, looks like I have 3 girls.. remember this?

- knowing my luck, I would have gotten both normals.

27 days


all comparable (normal) green


wing of the largest


will weigh them tomorrow (@ 4wks) then decide if I should send them for handraising.

Ring0Neck wrote:Shey,

Enjoying the breeding fever?

I won't say anything, but i stand by what i said when you got the birds, time will tell
Patience if there is such a thing when breeding ringx.

The time you got your hen, i was saying she is only cinnamon green and also said i hope i'm wrong.
I don't have edged cinnamon in green to be certain but 3 normal chicks would certainly tip the balance towards non edged.

Ring0Neck wrote:

Ring0Neck wrote:Shey,

Enjoying the breeding fever?

I won't say anything, but i stand by what i said when you got the birds, time will tell
Patience if there is such a thing when breeding ringx.

The time you got your hen, i was saying she is only cinnamon green and also said i hope i'm wrong.
I don't have edged cinnamon in green to be certain but 3 normal chicks would certainly tip the balance towards non edged.

I think you're thinking of the wrong bird.. This is her- she is definitely edged
http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... 26&t=17319

http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... 26&t=17086

Oh shey...are you absolutely positive??? Maybe it's as Ben said and your hen wasn't cinnamon after all. Either way, in the end, you have three awesome looking birds. I'd keep one to combine with a d violet down the road

Ben, I also have some birds that needs sexing! Esp. from my opalines. Any bets with me?

Perhaps I'll give them some more time- I do think all are females though. As someone once said: think it was Johan- "you win some, you lose some". I think I lost some

I will dna the biggest, just to satisfy yours and my curiosity- I'd hate to giveaway a hidden gem (if so be the case) and I will pay- no need to offer.

Melissa- I don't like to say Cinnamon as a definate for her (even though I'm pretty sure she is), until she's proven- that's why I say 'SL Edged Green Cinnamon?". Cinnamon being SL means that none of her sons will display it- they will all be splits. So unless the WT cock was carrying Cinnamon, none of the chicks would show it.

If all are female I won't be keeping any- I wanted to replace my young Green Cinnamon? SL Edged cock that my lovely toddler set free back in July

sheyd wrote:As someone once said: think it was Johan- "you win some, you lose some". I think I lost some

That sounds like me, yes... Esp. last year when I had my fair share of losing some too. Coincidently, I also bred 3 hens. From an opaline hen...

Sorry shey...misunderstood something Ben said about edged not being too diluted without the cinnamon. I think I got my self confused lol.

28 days (4 weeks)
weighed them all, with the biggest putting on just over 20gms, while the other two- 10gms each since last weigh day one week ago.
Being a tad concerned about the lack of gain and vigor in the smallest two, I monitored the size of their crops over the course of the day- to which it looked as though they were missing out on most of the food as the largest was getting the most.
I let them be thinking that the hen may be feeding the other two at different times as she was to the largest she was regularly in and out of the box- but still after checking on them they never seemed to have much stored away at all.
This morning, first thing after giving all the adults their morning fruit and veg, I checked on the chicks- no food in the crops of any- which is normal after a night of not eating, and would check a bit later as I was too early- but rang up a breeder for some guidance/advise on hand-feeding just in case if I so needed it..
Turns out I did-
2 hrs later, when I checked there was nothing in the crops of the smallest two- but plenty in the largest. I knew then and there that the two smallest had to be pulled

From the advice of the breeder, I got them eating h/r mix with gusto from a bent h/f spoon- they seemed so much happier and active after having a good feed- I'm so glad that I saw something going wrong when it did- I know this is early days- but thankgod I have good support!

29 days (this will be the last photo of them altogether, at least in the box)


wing of the largest


Largest will be blood dna'd in about 2 weeks time, when another breeder is doing his birds.

Wow...good catch shey! Glad the chicks are in capable hands now

Are we taking bets on the largest chick?

Wow, my h/r chicks normally put on almost 10 grams a day! As of last night they are around 120grams at 27 days old.

I keep a dairy of my feeds and generally weigh each night to keep track on which birds are growing and how often, its good now with a couple of years of records i can go back and see when i introduced what and at what times.

JonoH wrote:Wow, my h/r chicks normally put on almost 10 grams a day! As of last night they are around 120grams at 27 days old.

I keep a dairy of my feeds and generally weigh each night to keep track on which birds are growing and how often, its good now with a couple of years of records i can go back and see when i introduced what and at what times.

Jono, a detailed write up of your data and findings would be priceless!

Johan S wrote:

JonoH wrote:Wow, my h/r chicks normally put on almost 10 grams a day! As of last night they are around 120grams at 27 days old.

I keep a dairy of my feeds and generally weigh each night to keep track on which birds are growing and how often, its good now with a couple of years of records i can go back and see when i introduced what and at what times.

Jono, a detailed write up of your data and findings would be priceless!

After this weekend i will look at it, its all handwritten stuff so will take a while to get it all down. I find it great for a reference as to what weights they should be at relative to age etc. The babies were really fat this year as i think my Hen was eating too many sunflower seeds! (the greedy pig! )

Shey, I believe you have an edged boy there

Skyes_crew wrote:Wow...good catch shey! Glad the chicks are in capable hands now

Thanks Melissa- it has been a stressful last few days--and it's not over for a long time yet- and the moment, I'm taking it one day at a time.
It is disappointing that the parents ended up not feeding them enough but I guess that's life sometimes- makes me wonder if her previous babies (if any) had been pulled at around 4 weeks? I'll never know. Luckily she's feeding the remaining chick, though I'm keeping a very close eye on it.

Are we taking bets on the largest chick?

Yesterday I would have said hen for sure- but now I'm not so sure..lol (lol especially after reading Carmen's post..

JonoH wrote:Wow, my h/r chicks normally put on almost 10 grams a day! As of last night they are around 120grams at 27 days old.

The largest chick was around 120gms at 28 days old- I will weigh him again on Wednesday when he'll be 5 weeks old.
Since pulling the two, they're gaining weight rapidly- I'm weighing them after the first feed in the morning, as well as the last feed at night. I will update their details once we're onto week 5.

I keep a dairy of my feeds and generally weigh each night to keep track on which birds are growing and how often, its good now with a couple of years of records i can go back and see when i introduced what and at what times.

that sure would be awsome to see- there is hardly any info (that I could find) regarding normal weight gain in IRN's.

McmillanBirds wrote:Shey, I believe you have an edged boy there

Maybe..

Shey, definitely edged I am on holiday now so a bit difficult for me to upload pics of my edged babies. What's your e-mail and I will send them to you? Working off of my cell phone so a little tedious to upload pics now.

Take Care look forward to reading more

That is why I was asking if we were taking bets lol. Leaning toward edged also

Yesterday marked the first full day of handfeeding the smallest two chicks- my nerves were such a wreck! Luckily they seem to be accepting of the new way of feeding- though they're not too keen on me

31 days (the two handfed chicks)


the remaining sibling in the nest- feathers are coming in fast and strong now

haha- look at that- we all posted at the same time/s

Carmen- that would be fantastic!
My email address is cannonboy (at) bigpond.com

can I ask what made you think edged in the first pic you commented on? - I see it today, but 2 days ago I would have still said hen. The/his colour overall is changing- which I didn't think was possible as it looked so 'normal' (Wildtype) up until now.
....

Skyes_crew wrote:That is why I was asking if we were taking bets lol. Leaning toward edged also

Hey, you and me both Melissa!

Hey this might provide some data for bens alpha theory

what can I say- we're onto the 4th day, but it feels like an eternity! I guess it'll become more rewarding when they stop looking at me like I'm a threat and more like 'oh look, here comes our food!' They certainly get you to (re-learn) how to manage your time effectively.

Almost through the 250gm packet- will change brands as soon as they finish that as they don't really seem to be as interested in it as much as they first were- well that and the fact the instructions are pretty vague

Looks like there's another boy..not sure on the other chick with the dark nails yet.

33 days (handfed babies-note the light and dark nails)


(the remaining parent raised chick)

Carmen- thankyou for taking the time to send me pics of your Blue edged babies- very helpful!

Skyes_crew wrote:You're only on next year?! Lol. I've got the next 8 breeding seasons planned out

Ok..to keep with the results that you're looking for....I change my guess to all green series. But I remain at two edged and one normal

I believe my results are spot on thank you very much

Skyes_crew wrote:

Skyes_crew wrote:You're only on next year?! Lol. I've got the next 8 breeding seasons planned out

Ok..to keep with the results that you're looking for....I change my guess to all green series. But I remain at two edged and one normal

I believe my results are spot on thank you very much

haha smarty pants!!! it certainly looks that way!!!

the smallest two are still behind, but I feel have made good progress with their weight- both were 112gms after weighing them after their first morning feed today.

If my scales are to be believed then here are the results since the 19th: (weighed after first and last feed of the day-apart from the first recording on the 19th which is the day I pulled them)

for the non edged handfed female:
67 (19th sept)
84(20th
92(20th
92(21st
102(21st
99(22nd
109(22nd
100(23rd
109(23rd
114(24th
111(24th
112(25th

for the edged handfed male:
62 (19th sept)
82 (20th
89(20th
85(21st
95(21st
91(22nd
104(22nd
92(23rd
104(23rd
100(24th
105(24th
112(25th

the parent raised chick is now at 145gm he is doing really well!

35 days (5 weeks old)

(parent raised)


(parent raised)
interesting colours coming through on his head


(parent raised)


(handfed sibling)


(handfed sibling)


(Handfed siblings)


from now on, I'll be doing weekly photo updates, instead of every 2 days

Ring0Neck wrote:Pretty good result Shey.
2 males n a norm hen

yes! had us fooled for awhile!

Thanks Ben

amazing!!! I just saw the parent raised chick poking it's head out of the box! It has learnt to climb the ladder already! unfortunately when I went to get my camera, it had gone back down.

changed their formula yesterday- had a breeder come to show me how to use a syringe (I'm terrible at it! ) they seem to like the new mix which is good. Saw the female flapping her wings in practice for the first time last night- won't be long and they'll be off!
They're grooming each other as well as themselves now, and eating bits of solid food in between their regular meals.
They no longer make the 'zombie' sounds they once made- they've changed it to the ringneck 'mewing' and definitely aren't so scared anymore.

The boy in the box is doing great- he looks mostly fully feathered now- and of course I think he's the most beautiful thing ever

"The boy in the box"....sounds like a tragic lifetime movie

Skyes_crew wrote:"The boy in the box"....sounds like a tragic lifetime movie

little edged boy is now able to perch on a branch raised about a cm above the day cage floor- the girl is yet to co-ordinate herself to do it. She is the better feeder- eats a lot- the boy not so much- his crop I was told is about half the size (it should be)- but will get bigger as he takes in more food.

here is a pic I managed to get of T-Rex aptly named by my otherhalf
(image quality is poor as it was taken through a screen window and almost on full zoom)

42 days (6 weeks)

handfed normal chick is now @ 148gms (a gain of 30gms in a week)
handfed edged chick is now @ 130gms (a gain of 18gms in a week)
parent raised chick is now @ 128gms (a loss of 18gms in a week)- he'll be fledging soon I think.


handfed chicks

normal hen


edged cock


light and dark barring along the tail (edged cock)



parent raised edged cock




no evidence of barring on tail yet (parent raised edged cock)

Ring0Neck wrote:They are looking good Shey,

I use paper cups to handfeed, i find it cleaner and less work involved as opposed to spoon.

haha- I took down that pic- wasn't the best lol- here are some better 'cleaner' ones








have heard of cup feeding.. thought it would be just as messy- probably for me anyhow

Hi there - I'm new here and new to the ringneck baby scene - this year my hen is fostering an egg from a breeder and I have a question that I hope you 2 can answer as I love reading through your threads x tomorrow- Friday 3/10 the egg is 28 days , we picked it up and Bella has been sitting on it for 26 days shows fertile and is now quite dark - as we've never had an egg before I'm starting to worry as to why it hasn't hatched yet the first 2 eggs in the laying hens clutch hatched over a week ago so I'm wondering how long to leave it in their before I declare it gone thank you for any help x

Bellasmumma wrote:Hi there - I'm new here and new to the ringneck baby scene - this year my hen is fostering an egg from a breeder and I have a question that I hope you 2 can answer as I love reading through your threads x tomorrow- Friday 3/10 the egg is 28 days , we picked it up and Bella has been sitting on it for 26 days shows fertile and is now quite dark - as we've never had an egg before I'm starting to worry as to why it hasn't hatched yet the first 2 eggs in the laying hens clutch hatched over a week ago so I'm wondering how long to leave it in their before I declare it gone thank you for any help x

23 days is the average incubation period from the last egg laid-and from the hen begins to sit.
When did you candle the egg?, did you notice any movement or pipping coming up to the 23 day?- the other eggs that hatched, were they in the same clutch?

There are many reasons why the eggs don't hatch unfortunately.

Little edged boy has graduated to a slightly higher perch and is now hopping around while flapping his wings- the girl will perch, but is more comfortable on the shavings. She is still the better eater of formula- whereas the boy prefers his solid food. Both are looking less 'scrawny' and are starting to fill out nicely.

Their personalities are very different from each other- the boy is a sooky lala- the girl not so much.

When weaned, the little edged boy will be going to my nephew, which I'm stoked about as it mean I will get to see him grow up

7 weeks (49 days old)

Giving the birds their morning fruit and veg I hear a commotion over at the remaining chick's aviary- look who's out of the nesting box, and flying around!

parent raised chick (52 days old)

family shot

Yep, keep the windows inside covered when you have your 2 others out now as you don't want any broken wings or necks from their first flight, my 2 took off for the first time today and both crashed straight into a glass door (almost had a heart attach - thankfully both were fine!)

Mines are pretty much rejecting all hand feeds and eating pellets and fruit and veg themselves - still ask for a feed sometimes but hardly take anything.

Hi Jono- yes I am mindful! I knew they'd be flying soon- just today the hen chick flew from her cage to my chest- scared the bejesus out of me! other than that there's been no other action.

both handraised babies have fledged now- the hen took her first proper flight yesterday, the cock today. The hen will fly to you- very cool. Both are eating well and formula is down to 2 feedings, with the cock only really interested in the last and then not all of it. The hen will eat all of hers and then some..

The baby in the aviary is becoming less afraid- though that maybe because his parents don't care to much about my presence.

56 days old (8 weeks)

Parent Raised




Handraised





cute shot..c'mon- you all knew it was gonna happen..lol