** FINALLY GOT MY GOULDIANS**

[ac12]

Nice

I like the RH-WB-YB
But that is my current favorite color combo.

Did you and Misty plan out who would mate with whom?

[annague]

We did talk about that and I will pair the dilute bh male with the blue back hen and the RH, WB, YB male with the Silver hen.

Misty told me that there is a 50/50 chance that the BH dilute male will be split to blue so if that happens ( ) the second generation breedings should really produce some rainbow clutches -- hopefully as nice as the one that Renee had recently!

I really love the pastels and blues and they are hard to find around here, so any extras I get should be very marketable. If I can bear to part with any of them that is...

I will be constantly on this forum (of course) for advice and imparting news on the Dream Team and their antics (along with the rest of my feathered family)!

[MLaRue]

I don't know if you can tell in the picture but the BH dilute male has those blue feathers coming in So you will join the others working with the males with blue in their mask

[annague]

You are KIDDING me! That is so exciting!

I was thinking about the other BH dilutes and remembered the ones with blue on their mask but I never thought I'd be lucky enough to own one!

I owe you big time for letting this one, go, Misty! You'll have to put in on my tab.

[ac12]

Anna
You need to start thinking about and planning for cages for breeding them and for the offspring. Or you will be like me and run out of cage space

[monotwine]

Ah you are so very fortunate to be able to get some of Misty's offspring. They are beautiful!!!!
Drool drool

[CandoAviary]

I don't know if you can tell in the picture but the BH dilute male has those blue feathers coming in So you will join the others working with the males with blue in their mask

It will be interesting to see the color that comes once he has finished molting and those quills are gone. My dark head dilutes never show much blue but the dark charcoal is my favorite color anyway on the dilutes... very rich looking The blue tends to come out on the more washed out grey heads..... if it wasn't for the blue I don't think the light grey would be nearly as attractive. At least this is what I am finding in my guys. Though I haven't gotten another one like dear old Dad that passed this past summer..... just some light washed out grey heads with a splash of blue

[annague]

I will keep everyone informed and be sure to take some pictures of the BH dilute as he matures.

Gary, I appreciate you giving me a heads up on the cages. Please tell me what you feel I should have -- others can chime in too if you have an opinion -- I've already gotten some gouldian nests with the privacy porch and I already had several Abba half-open nests. I need to know what else I must have for gouldians. (I am planning on having just one pair of gouldians each in my 2 largest flight cages.) But... they would have to share them with some of my other breeds of birds (CB's, owls, stars, fires) -- or, is that a really bad idea?

Speak to me, gouldian people... I want to hear your opinions.

[Finchman1]

WOW!!!So pretty gouldians you have there. Nice choice!!! Wishing you all the luck there Anna...

[MLaRue]

If you are going to use cages it is always best to have three. One for males, one for females and one for the babies. This of course during molting and resting. Then when ready to breed you can put each pair back together and the babies can stay where they are in the "grow up" cage. I always keep my babies together once weaned and I always keep males from females now. I didn't way back in the beginning and wondered why they bonded with the bird I didn't want them to bond with and just various other things like maybe they won't all molt at the same time... and males would molt and be right back to breeding mode and the girls wouldn't be ready. So many variables.

These babies are young Anna - they are from the Spring breeding of this year. I would skip this years breeding and set them up in the Spring to breed because they are so young still.

[annague]

Misty, I have a total of 4 flight cages (Two very large and two medium large) and one is just for juveniles already plus my aviary cage (which is walk-in) -- so the baby gouldians should be able to color-up in the Juvy flight cage with the other juvies (not like I have tons of birds).

All my birds are in resting mode right now and all males are separated from females (even my PF's from my large aviary). I am not planning on breeding any birds until the Spring. I won't breed the gouldians until Spring or when you tell me it's ok -- next Spring (2011) should be ok, right?

So, if I keep the males and females separated until they indicate (next Spring) that they are ready to breed -- beak color change, singing and etc. I should then be able to pair them up and put them in separate mixed flight cages and they should be ok, right?

Or do you think I should buy specific cages just for breeding the gouldians?

[MLaRue]

No I think you should try using the flights especially since you will have only one pair per flight

[MLaRue]

Here are your guys ready for their travels

[annague]

Awww.... they look so sweet and serene (not too freaked out like some of my birds would be!)

[MLaRue]

Awww.... they look so sweet and serene (not too freaked out like some of my birds would be!)

I'm always in my birds spaces so they should be pretty good about not being flighty but it might take a few days once in their new home...

Your husband was so cute like "Ok ok ok I got it" - he probably told you I was just a talking about what to do and not to do Cage, water bottle, towel and all!