What would be good name for a budgie

[chooks4life]

Yeah, midget budgies would no doubt have a market... Especially ones that can't bite like him. He's 10 in that pic, took it recently. But he's only the way he is because he's got beak and feather disease, unfortunately; no female will have the poor bugger.

Have seen a wild female king parrot with the same beak. She had a mate but her father in law would attack her, and when she breeds her saliva will infect her babies with beak and feather disease and any that survive will pass it on to their own... Sadly it is best to cull, to save the wild populations.

My uncle once caught a bird he is sure was a budgie, but I don't think it could have been, because it had red and yellow and purple on it. Now that'd be a valuable budgie genetically if it was indeed a budgie!

 

[Reformed]

Yeah, midget budgies would no doubt have a market

Maybe through selective breeding there could be midget budgies.
You never know

 

[chooks4life]

If he was just a healthy genetic midget I'd try it, but he's a midget because he has beak and feather disease and was rejected from the nest, and he'd give that to his offspring and it could be fatal or crippling --- for instance he can't fly --- so it would unfortunately be a quality of life issue, and irresponsible breeding at best.

If he was a midget because of genes I'd see how true it bred. But no girl will have the poor old fella.

 

[Reformed]

Yeah that is to bad

So what causes the beak and feather disease?
And it can be spread through other birds?

 

[ladybirdb12]

Do research on beak and feathers sickness I BELIEVE IT SPREADS its a really bad sickness.
birdchannel.com
that's a site that can give you infor on this sickness.
keep all your birds, don't give them away, or sell.
Before you handle any bird wash your hands really good and change clothes.
when I get new birds (someone gives them to me) they have to be away from all of mine untill three months, yes its going over board but safe,plus they get a vet check blood work done, due to this beak and feather sickness or any other sickness that can harm my birds.
your little bird is so cute,but please don't give him a friend, they will get this sickness. Put a mirror up if you want, that can be his buddy but he might get bonded with it and will not be as nice to you.
please, don't get anymore birds, and keep the birds you have because that sickness is really nasty and you would be speading it around getting other parrots sick.
take care sherry

 

[chooks4life]

@ladybirdb12: I'm the one with the budgie with beak and feather disease, not sherry.

I know it's contagious. Some people say adults can't contract it, others say only before the age of 4 weeks or so, others say any age can contract it and the real worry is the spread of the disease into the wild populations, which could be decimated by it. I've seen it in wild parrots, in a female king parrot who had a mate and would be infecting her offspring for sure as it is spread via saliva. Some people say it's spread by other means too, I don't know for sure.

Strangely enough, Scuttlebutt was bred in an aviary filled with at least 50 other breeding budgies, and none of them had it. His siblings were normal. Only he got it. I'm only assuming it's beak/feather disease but that history would seem to point to other factors.

Scuttles is in love with his swing. He tries to mate with it and regurgitates feed onto it. He doesn't give a fig about his mirror. We only wanted another reject rescue budgie for company for him but all our damaged birds failed in one way or another to be that friend. Not that any of them would have been bred either. If any of his friends did get his sickness it didn't show at all. Not that they couldn't possibly give it to any offspring they have if it incubates like a virus usually does.

 

[Poultrybonkers]

@ladybirdb12: I'm the one with the budgie with beak and feather disease, not sherry.

I know it's contagious. Some people say adults can't contract it, others say only before the age of 4 weeks or so, others say any age can contract it and the real worry is the spread of the disease into the wild populations, which could be decimated by it. I've seen it in wild parrots, in a female king parrot who had a mate and would be infecting her offspring for sure as it is spread via saliva. Some people say it's spread by other means too, I don't know for sure.

Strangely enough, Scuttlebutt was bred in an aviary filled with at least 50 other breeding budgies, and none of them had it. His siblings were normal. Only he got it. I'm only assuming it's beak/feather disease but that history would seem to point to other factors.

Scuttles is in love with his swing. He tries to mate with it and regurgitates feed onto it. He doesn't give a fig about his mirror. We only wanted another reject rescue budgie for company for him but all our damaged birds failed in one way or another to be that friend. Not that any of them would have been bred either. If any of his friends did get his sickness it didn't show at all. Not that they couldn't possibly give it to any offspring they have if it incubates like a virus usually does. 

I dont think its beak and feather disease he looks like he was attacked either by other hens in the avairy or his own mother its common in colony bred birds. They fight to get the boxes and will attack or kill lther chicks or eggs in the nest.

 

[ladybirdb12]

Lol I am sherry

 

[Reformed]

Sorry I replied so late.
So is beak and feather disease genetic?
Because I was thinking after I got my bird and a year after he or she had settled in and was friendly, that for fun I might get another budgie and breed for fun, because the cage is huge and it would be a cool experience.

I am kind of amazed at the number of posts people have put!

So please continue and feel free to give advice on certain things because I am ready to learn!

 

[chooks4life]

@sherry/ladybird12: Sorry, lol.

@reformed: beak and feather disease is viral as far as I know, and babies get it through saliva as their parents feed them. But I don't know that much about it at all. Definitely get a partner for your budgie, I reckon, they're flock and pair-birds, not solitary by inclination.

@pandapaws23: If he was attacked, wouldn't his beak have grown back? We got him as a fledged bird, he's 10 years old now! His beak was that way when we got him, with no signs of injury. It's paper-thin, almost, not thick like a normal budgie's beak. When the sun'd behind him you can see light through his lower jaw, too. He can't fly either. His feathers are normal but he holds his wings askew. Can't even fly downwards.

It's not actually true that chooks' beaks can't grow back even if they're cut off after 12 months of age --- as long as they are on a diet that includes kelp. Most aren't, so most never grow their beaks back. The debeaked birds I've bought grew theirs back but it took up to a year; I would have expected the budgie to grow his beak back by now if it had been torn off.