Bourke Parakeet Babies, Parent and Hand Fed For Sale on Oregon's South Coast

 

HELLO ALL!

 

These lovely Rosy Bourke babies are for sale.
All are hand fed and banded.

I've been so busy with my novel, "Cast Me Not Away," that is to be published soon, that I've not been able to do my favorite past time: blogging here.

 

Another time consumer: I agreed to hand feed baby Bourkes for two people. When I do this, I don't normally ask for a deposit. Feeding baby Bourkes is an act of love, but time consuming and more expensive than with parent fed babies, so I should take a deposit.

I removed two of Fuchsia's offspring and two of Rosie's to hand feed. They are ready, but the buyers are not. As has happened before, one said, "Oh, I thought North Bend was near Bend." Bend is in Eastern Oregon far from the south coast of Oregon where I live, near Coos Bay. No matter how often I emphasize where I am, there are still mistakes. The other buyer had a family emergency. Does happen.

 

So, I have four pretty babies waiting for new homes. Also have some parent fed Bourkes that I'll let go for $75 each or the very tame, hand fed youngsters are $125 each. Also, have two adult bachelors, both red-eyed opaline fallow Rosies that I'll consider selling. Both were hand fed and very tame. Kept them for a Lutino hen, but she's now paired with a Normal brown fellow.

I cannot ship. It's too far to PDX. I will meet people south of us in Coquille or Bandon, Oregon, or north of us to Reedsport or possibly Florence. We will be making a trip to Eugene in August if I still have birds at that time. More are coming, but they will be parent fed. I band all birds with closed bands giving hatch number, year of hatch and our initials: EGL.

If interested, write to me at:  rosie.birds@gmail.com

Peace & Blessings!

 



Lutino Bourke Hen and Potential Rubino Mate

Life has been pretty hectic for us lately, so I've not posted as often as I'd like to. The photo below is of our lovely new Lutino Bourke hen. She's destined (I hope) to become a mate for our tame Rubino, called Sweetheart. He is a sweetheart too, shown in lower right. He has a bit of pale yellow on wings and tail. Both have red eyes.

It will be fun to see what they produce. Although Sweetheart was hatched in 2011, this hen only hatched last July. So, it will be another year before we provide them with a nest box. We don't want to encourage breeding while she's too young and risk egg binding.

Aren't they a pretty couple?

Peace & Blessings.

 

Bourke Baths or Those Wet Birds...

A video of "Peaches," a Rosy Bourke hen who resides with "Bandit," a male canary. Shared by owner, Pam May, who lives in Washington state. Peaches is out of Flame and Fuchsia.

Sisters, Fuchsia and Rosebud. We still have Fuchsia who has
mothered many birds, including Peaches in video above.
 Rosebud went to live with a family in Portland,
 joining a male Normal Bourke.

 

Link to:  An earlier post of Rosebud bathing. 

Link to:  Birds Bathing in the Kitchen Sink

Peace and Blessings.

When To Put Up Nest Boxes and Playing With Tame Bourkes

My tame Rosies would rather be with
me than anywhere else. Love it!

None of our birds have nest boxes available to them yet. Having a nestbox present usually stimulates them to mate. However, my lovelies are eager now. Apparently, a few sunny days triggered breeding behavior that I'd prefer they put off for at least another couple of months.

My Bourkes always seem interested when February rolls aroung, but I try to discourage them until spring by not giving them a nest box until the weather is nice. Indoors as they are, however, it's always warm and they see no reason to wait. Too many clutches a year is a physical drain, so I want them to wait and remain healthy. Also, it's a good idea to have a market for their offspring. Smile.

Bathing in the sink is always fun.

My young handfed Rosy Bourke hen, Sugar, (who only hatched last summer) is already breeding with our mature handfed Normal cock, Spicy. I confess that last year I sold Spicy's first hen, along with another male. The purpose was to keep a handfed hen. Spicy is tame and I wanted a tame hen for him. Also, he and his first hen never hatched any of their fertile eggs, although they did successfully foster two from another bird. I'm eager to find out if he will be a successful father with this new hen.

In most instances, you can swap Bourke mates. Most will accept another companion, especially if they've been scolding/fussing at one another. I've only had one exception to this. One male refused a new mate and chased any other hen all over their cage.

Everybody wants a chance at the running water.
Tapping one another on the back means,
"Move over!" Males will step aside for their
mates, but hens don't usually move for anyone.

Eventually, I returned his original mate to him and then sold the pair. They were both good breeders and produced healthy offspring. But, as I've written before, my goal is to have mostly tame birds. The exception to this will be my earliest, and oldest Bourkes, although they are very friendly, but not finger tame. I love all the birds, but since I can't keep them all, my preference is for those eager to spend time on my shoulders or hands.

My tame Flame and Fuchsia have been mating too. They had four clutches last year...that's one too many. They'd have had a fifth if allowed. They shouldn't be in such a hurry. I want them fully rested and recovered before they start over again. They produced 45 offspring last year! They hold the record.

Young Lady Gouldian Finches. My first and only pair.

My new young pair of Lady Gouldians also seem to want a nest box. He is tearing up paper and carrying it to a corner. I haven't seen any breeding, but he's doing his "song and dance" in front of the hen. They seem to like each other. Neither is fully colored yet, so I'm resisting putting up a nest box. Wondering how soon I should... 

We are waiting for them to become fully colored before
adding a nest box, but they seem to want one now. 

Any input on when you allow your birds to reproduce and/or give them nest boxes, gourds or baskets, is welcomed. Please don't hesitate to comment. 

Peace & Blessings.

Young Rosy Bourkes, 2011

Two 2011 youngsters.

Baby in front is from Flame & Fuchsia's first clutch. Pale, pink-eyed bird in back is from Rosie & Pretty Boy's first clutch.

Another view of Rosie's pale baby
from her first clutch.

Currently, Rosie is raising three more in her second clutch. One has pink eyes.

Fuchsia laid five eggs and two have hatched so far. The first has dark eyes. Haven't seen the second one yet, but an egg shell tells me the second in the clutch has hatched. Last time, in her very first clutch, all five survived and are thriving. Only one has pink eyes.

Bird on right is from Bonnie and Clyde. I've dubbed him,
"Sir Grayhead." Notice how the gray feathers go down into
his chest. They circle his head and back too. I've never had
one that looked like this. His father is a very deep rose and
some of his sons have also been (Pretty Boy, for one).
I think this bird is rather unusual and unique.

Aging Rhett and Cherry raised two clutches this year. They wanted a third, but I removed their nestbox. Also removed Bonnie and Clyde's nest box after one clutch. Both pairs would like to continue. However, we now have over 20 baby birds and will need to find buyers for most of them. So much for down-sizing. Smile.

All six who are hand fed are adorable. The two white-faced, pink-eyed babies have paired off and stay together all the time. They are not from the same clutch. One is out of Rhett and Cherry, the other from Flame and Fuchsia. I'm very tempted to allow them to be a pair, since they seem to want to be. However, they are closely related. One is an aunt (or uncle?) of the other.

My favorite hand fed babies from this year, 2011, above. These are a darker pink than Rosie's offspring. I'm tempted to keep these two who seem so fond of each other. Any name suggestions? I'm thinking about Primrose. We sold Rosebud, so we could use that pretty name again for one of these. Any thoughts?

Peace & Blessings!

ROSY BOURKE FLEDGED BABIES AND FEEDING TIME

Rhett and Cherry's three youngsters at upper left. Rosie and Pretty Boy's
two babies, one at far right and pink-eyed youngster at lower left.

Five young Rosie Bourkes are ready to leave home. Haven't offered them to pet shops yet, but will soon. They are from two clutches. Makes Flame and Fuchsia's five babies a bit more remarkable. Those five are all growing and doing well. Imagine seven birds in the cage though. Perhaps tomorrow, I'll remove some to hand feed, along with Cherry and Rhett's second clutch. Those parents are getting on in years and can use the extra help.

Flame and Fuchsia accept some Exact handfeeding formula.
With five babies to feed, they can use this help. The bird in the
center is Pipsqueek, who still requires handfeeding over a year
after fledging. She isn't able to feed herself due to some
physical handicap.

Dad, Flame, is on my hand. Mom, Fuchsia, has her head in the bowl
Pipsqueek (or Pip) is eating from the eyedropper.

These birds bring me such JOY!

Peace and Blessings!

SEXING LUTINO BOURKES ... Malcolm's Question

Malcolm, your server in the UK won’t accept my email replies to you.

Malcolm wrote with a question about his pair of Lutino Bourkes who don’t appear to be interested in each other and he wonders if there is a way to sex them without putting them through a vet exam.

This Lutino Bourke is not one of my birds. Wish it was.

I've previously written about sexing Bourkes, and particularly about their behavior as a way to sex them. The dates to reference on this blog are May 25, 2010 and June 17, 2010.

If you enter "Sexing Bourkes" in the search feature above, you will get those posts and others that reference sexing. There are also "Labels" at the end of each post. Click on a topic and it will bring up all related posts.

As you may know, adult normal Bourkes are easier to sex because the males have a tiny blue line of feathers over their cere (nostrils).

In Lutino's, like Rosa’s, look for the male to stand up straight, throw his shoulders back and flair his wings slightly. He may only do this when he's mature and interested in breeding because there's a hen present, although I've had youngsters in mixed cages tell me what sex they are this way (and it always proved true). When mature hens flair their wings, it's typically downward as they lean forward, as if to sweep the ground. They also put their tails up and cheep to attract a male.

The odd thing about that female behavior is that I've seen males do that when their own mate is no longer willing to breed. Are they showing her what they want her to do, maybe? Or, is it because of a hormone change in older birds? That's something I've been considering writing about.

Here's a link to one of my posts on sexing. Click here >  More on Sexing Bourkes

Best of luck.

Peace & Blessings.

Budgerigar Personalities vs. Splendids or Bourkes

A safe way to hold baby Budgies and not have them fall off
 a child's lap. These four pale blue babies haven't fledged yet.

I love Budgies and have owned many of them in my lifetime. My grandfather raised and sold them before Bourkes or Splendids were even heard of in the USA. As everyone who loves birds knows, each individual bird has its very own personality, just like every other animal and person.

That said, there are some similarities among related species. Budgies tend to be active, fun and intelligent little birds. They come in almost every color of the rainbow, excluding red, pink or solid black ... although I'd expect to see a solid black Budgerigar parakeet someday if anyone sets out to give it a shot (something I once considered, but never attempted).

Budgies like to chew on anything interesting, and will sample crumbs off your table, or nibble the page edges off a book, newspaper or magazine. Houseplants need to be a safe variety that won't hurt them, and you may want to keep an eye on your Budgie if he or she lands on a curtain rod holding expensive curtains. There's no guarantee they won't chew holes in them too, or the molding around windows, or picture frames. That said, they won't all do that.

Male Rosy Bourke.

Bourkes usually aren't chewers, but they also aren't the playful little clowns that Budgies are. They are less active, but develop an attachment to their owners too. Most tame Bourkes will kiss, sing and climb all over you, just as a Budgie does. Like Budgies, they are curious birds, but typically they take fewer risks than a Budgie will. They tend to be more cautious. Bourkes sleep a lot during the day and become very active at daybreak and dusk. Budgies are happy to be active any time the sun is shining.

Male Splendid or Scarlet-chested
Parakeet.

Splendids chew almost as much as a Budgie. They have active personalities like Budgies, and spend more time awake during the day. They aren't a morning and evening bird like a Bourke. They love water and will put anything and everything into their drinking water, requiring that it be cleaned frequently. Like Budgies, Splendids love swings and other toys. They are clever birds and I've seen them learn to open cage doors.


Albino Budgerigar Parakeet.


Budgies are good mimics and will try to copy what you say to them. Bourkes and Splendids won't. However, Bourkes do wolf whistle naturally and have a pretty song. Budgies chatter and talk more than the other parakeets, and some of them can become noisy... particularly during breeding season.

Male Splendid on left and Normal-colored Bourke male on right.

The uncommon coloration in Splendids and Bourkes makes them a uniquely beautiful pet.  Budgies are inexpensive birds with great personalities and, when tame, they make wonderful, affectionate pets ... especially for kids! Every parakeet variety has its advantages, and it's fun to learn as much as you can about each of them before selecting the right one for you.

BIRD BRAINS? No, COMPACT INTELLIGENCE.

Rosie, my favorite Rosy Bourke Parakeet.

Did you ever stop to think about the amount of information wired into the brain of a tiny bird or any other living thing, for that matter? Our brains and spinal columns are so intricate that there isn’t a computer chip made that can begin to hold all the information required to keep a living creature fully functioning. Life really is miraculous.

So, when did the term “bird brain” take on such a negative meaning? An incident today with one of my tame birds, Rosie, made me acutely aware of how very intelligent she is.

I thoroughly cleaned four Bourke cages today, and one was hers. The cages were moved so that the area under and behind them could be thoroughly cleaned. The windows around those cages now sparkle, and the window blind is clean and shiny too.

Rosie’s cage is the only one that still has a nest box on it. It’s one that was never used, so I didn’t bother to remove and clean it. I simply found a plastic medicine bottle the same size as the hole and stuck it in so the lid closed off the opening. Rosie’s a year old now and has never reproduced. But she wants to…Oh does she want to.

Normally, I can’t see the lid that covers the round opening into the box. Today, while the cage sat on the table, I could look down at it. Rosie noticed and flew to the perch outside the box. Then she looked up at me and started pecking at the lid of the medicine bottle that prevented her from going in. She cheeped until I looked at her, then gave the lid a peck or two, and looked up at me again to see if I got the message.

Bars removed to allow entrance to nest
box on outside of cage. Short dowel perch
below also goes inside for hen to stand on
as her mate feeds her from outside.



It was obvious she was trying to tell me to uncover the opening, even though she’d never seen it uncovered before. Somehow, she knows that’s a box for laying eggs. She’s recognized where the opening is and that it’s covered up. She clearly communicated to me what she wants and obviously expected me to understand her.

Is she a “bird brain?” Well, she has a very small, compact brain, and she’s a bird, but it’s amazing what that little brain of hers knows and can do.

Later, when I reached through the small opening designed for a water cup, Rosie hopped on my arm. I looked in at her and said, “Rosie, I can’t take my arm out while you’re on it and I don’t want to hurt you.” She immediately jumped off. Does she speak English? Perhaps, or maybe she intuitively understood what I was trying to communicate to her without having to understand the words.

Are birds smart or stupid? I vote for very, very smart.

Taming Bourke Parakeets

Hidden under my hand is a baby Bourke being fed,.

I spoke with a woman recently who wanted a hand fed Bourke so that it would already be tame. The two Bourkes on my arm at the left are equally as tame. Yet, the one closest to my shoulder was hand fed and the one by my elbow was not.

In fact, Pretty Boy, as I've started calling him was several months old before I decided to work to tame him. Generally, the younger they are, the easier to tame any bird. In spite of the fact that he wasn't newly weaned, he tamed down easily for me. There are exceptions, of course, but most Bourkes are gentle and sweet, so also easy to tame.  Success, however, largely depends on the person who is doing the handling.

Pretty Boy was in a cage with other Bourkes and Splendids scheduled to be sold. I looked at his deep rose color one day and decided he'd make a nice mate for one of my favorite young hens. So, he stayed and I started talking to him.

"Sweet" talking to Bourkes encourages them.

Talking softly to any bird frequently throughout the day is important. They are alert little ones and will listen to you. Honest. You can say almost anything, but I think they sense your intent. So, it's wise to tell them how much you care for them and want them to trust you. "Sweet" talk is as important to a bird you want to tame, as it would be to a newborn child. Talk to them as if they are a baby and they'll respond best.

Pretty Boy isn't hand fed, but he's tame.

Chasing a bird around in a cage will do more to frighten it then tame it. If you have a safe room, free of mirrors or uncovered windows, use it. Allow the bird to fly, and walk to it again and again until it's willing to get onto your hand or finger. It will tire. You may have to pick it up and put it on your hand, or open your hand and let it stand there. Once it sees it's not in danger, it will gradually begin to allow itself to sit on your finger. It can't hurt to offer it a treat that it likes. If the bird is panting (I hope it didn't get that tired), offer it a cup of cold water. A familiar container like it is used to in its cage is good. I like to offer the Bourkes spray millet...it's something they love.

Remember, all the time you work at taming any bird, never, never lose your temper or speak loudly at it. If your patience is wearing thin, give it up until another day. A soft, kind voice is the only way to tame a bird. Children are often good at taming birds ... but, only if they are sympathetic and kind to animals already. 



Pretty Boy would fly around the room until tired,
then would get on my hand or finger.
Gradually, he learned I was friend, not foe.

 


Another view of Pretty Boy ...
hand tamed, not hand fed.




Not all Bourkes like to be kissed, but some allow it.

Pretty Boy is fine with it, even though he's not hand fed.

Here he's more concerned about the photographer than me.

An important note: Never let your birds' beaks get into

your lips or mouth. Human saliva is full of germs that are

bad for birds!

 


Bourkes love to bathe and what's more fun than
 sharing it with an owner they love?

 



They keep me giggling with their cute antics.

 




Flame decided it was more fun to pick at my hair
while the others were elsewhere.

 



Flame is curious though.

 



Okay, I'm prejudiced in favor of Rosy Bourkes! Smile.

 

I find such pleasure in these small jewels. Better than any TV show!

If you let them, these are treasures that will give back,
not only entertainment, but also love.

Hope you had a wonderful, blessed Christmas
and will have a fabulous, safe New Year!

God Bless All of You!

Bourke Parakeets as Pets – Taming Parakeets

Young Bourkes tame down as easily as young Budgerigars. I’ve read accounts that even if they’ve been living in an aviary for a year, they will still tame down if handled properly. This is less likely with budgies. No matter what bird you get, the younger they are, the easier they will be to tame.

Each individual bird has a personality all its own, however, and variances in ability to tame them exists.

If your young Bourke was parent fed and weaned, it won’t be as immediately friendly as a bird that was hand fed by a person. Don’t let that stop you from attempting to tame the bird. When it first comes into your home, give it a few days to calm down and adapt. Speak softly to it through the cage. Allow it to get used to you and your voice. Spend only about 15 minutes working with it the first time you take it out. The timeframe can get gradually longer as the bird seems less frightened of you.

When you first attempt to tame the bird, you need to be in a safe, enclosed area. No window glass or mirrors should be present that the bird will assuredly fly into, possibly injuring itself. Read my earlier post on safety and preventing injuries. If the room can be darkened, that may help you, but what works best for budgies isn’t as effective with Bourkes that are used to being active in the evening when the light is dim.

The bird will be stressed and need rest after your attempts to tame it. Remember to keep the first sessions short. When the bird flies from you, retrieve it, but don’t grab it and get bitten. The best way is to put the back of your flat hand in front of the bird’s chest and slowly push upward forcing the bird to step up. Always talk softly in a friendly voice to the bird. Keep attempting this until the bird is tired and stops flying away from you. It is best not to let it rest between your attempts. It is necessary to follow it all around the room, retrieving it from curtain rods, chair backs, etc. It won’t step up at first, but eventually it will. When it does, continue talking softly to it, telling it what a good bird it is for standing on your hand. Over time you can use a single finger in this same way, but a flat hand at first is probably less frightening to the bird. When it’s on your hand, lift it up a few inches from your face, look it in the eyes, and speak with a smile in your voice. Birds are visual creatures and looking the bird in the eyes is something they relate to and expect when being communicated with.

Some people prefer to clip a bird’s wings so that it cannot fly away. You can do this and it won’t hurt the bird. The feathers eventually grow back. However, I don’t find it necessary to cut wing feathers. Even with their wings clipped, birds are still able to do some flying and often flop onto the floor…hopefully on a carpet and not tile. Also, it seems to me that birds whose wings are clipped will resent that treatment and not soon forget it. I want a tame bird that will honestly feel affection for me, so I avoid clipping wings.

Once your young Bourke is sitting on your finger, continue talking “sweetly” to it. Slowly walk it back to its cage and put your hand and the bird inside. It helps if you are fortunate to have a large cage door. Gently, press the bird’s perch against its chest until it steps off your hand and onto the perch.

With enough daily attention, you may one day have a Bourke who will fly to you when called and possibly even bathe on your hand as you hold it next to a small stream of water from your faucet. Be sure to frequently repeat its name so that it learns to recognize it.

Be certain there is always fresh, cool water available, especially after your Bourke has been flying around outside its cage. After your first few training sessions, your bird will be hot, tired and stressed.

Feed me, Feed me ... & More on Breeding

In this first photo, all the birds want out to be fed at once. Sometimes I let them all out together, but it's easier to feed them one at a time (and less messy).

The three babies I'm feeding right now are almost weaned. They're scratching around and appear to be trying to eat seed. Hopefully, they are. Spray millet is the easiest, and I've given them nestling formula, as well as typical adult parakeet seed mix.

Once they are eating on their own, they will still want to be fed occasionally. Maybe it's only comfort food, or maybe it's needed to augment what they are eating on their own. No matter. I don't want them to go without, so I'll feed them until I'm certain they no longer need it or want it.

The three photos above are of three different babies. Although similar, I can easily tell them apart.

The picture in the lower right is of Rosie crowding into the box with the babies. See her long tail sticking out? The babies' tails are shorter. Rosie has been asking her brother, Flame, to breed so maybe she thinks she's ready for a nest box. She's not! Only three months old, she won't be ready until a minimum of 10-12 months of age ... best at two years old.  In a week or less, the tissue box will be history and the babies will be ready to sell.

As beautiful as Flame is (that's why I kept him), I may go ahead and sell him. Rosie needs a mate, and it shouldn't be him. I already have enough pairs, so keeping Flame and getting a mate for him simply adds more birds. I had considered keeping him because of his color and selling Rosie, but have decided I like Rosie too much, even if she's not as dark pink as Flame. 

Although distantly related, one of these babies may stay instead. However, at this point it's a guess which one is male. I hope to choose correctly. One looks just like Rhett, his father, and I think that might be the one to keep. He flies to my finger like Rosie does ... a good quality. The fact that I can call Rosie, hold up my finger and have her fly to it from anywhere in the room, is the main reason she's my favorite. Smile.

More on Breeding:

Three of my hens have had their three clutches in the last few months and deserve a rest to maintain good health. In the past, I've only allowed my hens to breed once a year. I put up nest boxes in Feb. or March and took them down after two or three clutches per hen. All came down in the Fall irregardless. Last year, however - because of noisy disruptions - we didn't have successful clutches in Spring or Summer. When things quieted down, the hens decided to go back to their nests in the Fall before the boxes came off, so I let them. Indoors with lights on in the evening, the day length didn't affect them much. Now, they want to continue to breed since the weather's sunny & warm.  

In discussing this with bird expert, Bob Nelson, he said that a two or three month rest period should be adequate. His recommendation? Close off the boxes until the Fourth of July and reopen them then. Sounds like a plan!

For us, this year has already proven to be a bountiful one for baby Bourkes, and may get better. Two other young hens have laid fertile eggs that didn't hatch. Maybe they will succeed next time, so their boxes will stay up. We have seven pairs of Bourkes altogether (not counting babies or Rosie or Flame).

Splendids, as mentioned in another post, haven't done well for the past two years. All eggs have been infertile. I moved males around recently, and am hopeful a change will create success ... even if only with one of the pairs! I have two extra males and it would be nice to have hens for them.

Peace & Blessings.