Pink-eyed Baby Rosy Bourke Parakeets

Fuchsia with her brood of five. Wouldn't you know that the bird
with the largest clutch is the one with the smallest nestbox?

When Rosie and Pretty Boy hatched pink-eyed offspring recently, I was excited.  Then, Rosie’s aunt, Fuchsia, and her mate, Flame, hatched five eggs … one with pink eyes.

Now, Fuchsia’s parents, Cherry and Rhett, who are also the grandparents of Rosie, have hatched at least one pink-eyed baby in their clutch of four eggs. Two have hatched so far, one with pink eyes and one with dark eyes. Wondering what the 3^rd and 4^th will look like.

Granted, these three hens are all related to one another. They all carry a gene for pink eyes, yet it’s still unexpected and exciting. I’ve never had a white-faced, pink-eyed Bourke parakeet before.

Fuchsia's five babies with smallest, pink-eyed one at top.

Slightly older here, taken 8/17/11.
Pink-eyed youngster is covered up by her siblings.

Fuchsia & Flame's five on 8/17/11. Tiniest baby rests her head
on a sibling near top. Pink eyes are visible, but not open.

This is great grandmother, Cherry, hiding her latest brood.
As of 8/17/11 she's had two of her four eggs hatch.

Cherry's two babies with two more to hatch.
Photo taken 8/16/2011.

Rosie's pink-eyed youngster. She has a dark-eyed sibling. She is not only
lighter in color with pink eyes, she is also smaller than her sibling or her parents.
Ads on back are to keep the males from bickering with each other. Newsprint
hides them from each other. The other three sides of their cages are open.