Bluegrass Bird Breeders - Specialty Show

    I was so exited to learn about The Bluegrass Bird Breeders hosting a Cockatiel exhibition show in Elizabethtown, KY. Ever since I adopted my two girls, I have been very interested in Cockatiel shows, but they are normally held somewhere in Florida, which is too far for me to drive at the moment. So when I heard that there will be a show in Kentucky, only a couple hours from me, I began to make plans immediately. And it couldn't be any more perfect, as my birthday is also in September.
    I have never been to an exhibition, but I look forward to attending and learning all about the process. And maybe one day, I will enter the competition as well. There will also be some of the best and sought after breeders from around the country in attendance. I am hoping to find a beautiful male to add to my family.
    For anyone who may be interested in attending or entering the exhibition, more information can be found at http://www.cockatiels.org/main/cockatiel-exhibition/shows/ncs-events-calendar/. The show is September 1 -2.

Bird Bread Recipe 1

    Here is a recipe that I have made for my girls on a couple of occasions with much success. They are very picky and it has proven difficult to get them to try any new food that they aren't used to. Their previous owner only fed them a basic cockatiel seed mix, which has no nutritional value what-so-ever. By baking a bread and "hiding" fruits and vegetables inside, I feel better knowing they are eating better.

INGREDIENTS

1 Box Corn Muffin Mix

3 Tbsp. Corn Meal

1 Tbsp. Peanut Butter

1 small jar sweet potato baby food

3 eggs

1/2 cu. apple juice

2 eggshells, ground into powder

DIRECTIONS

Prepare muffin mix as directed on package, using one of the listed eggs to do so. Add all remaining ingredients, including 2 remaining eggs. Mix well until peanut butter is well blended into batter. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan. Bake at 325 for 25-30 mins. or until fully baked. Cut into squares and wrap into plastic wrap. Then, put into zip-loc or freezer bags, and freeze until ready to serve. Squares can be defrosted in microwave if needed in a hurry.

REVISIONS

Finely cut or grated carrots, peas, or other fresh vegetables can be added into batter.

The Names Have Been Chosen!

Yesterday, after much deliberation, I have finally decided on names for my two girls! I have had them for almost a month now, and have yet to decide on a name for them. Until now.

So meet JayJay....

 And Luna..



To Clip Or Not To Clip….

    Yesterday I came to a very difficult decision. I’ve had my cockatiels for over three weeks now, and I have deeply thought about whether or not I should clip their wings. It was a subject that I had mixed feelings about, and it was a hard decision to make. Their wings are now clipped.

    I always felt like birds were special and were given the gift of flight for a reason, and I hate to take that away from any bird, even if it is temporary. But I also love my tiels’ and I want them to be safe, no matter the cost. I talked to many people who had more experience than I, and almost everyone agreed that a domesticated pet bird should have their wings clipped.

    In my house, the dangers to my birds are minimum, but they do exist. They have their own room, and whenever they were allowed out of the cage, which was almost all day, the door was closed to prevent them from flying into another room where it isn’t as safe. And I have no other pets in the house. I have also read that having their wings clipped will help with the bonding stage because they are more dependent on me.

    It was a fairly easy process, and took only a minute. I talked with my vet before hand and also asked for some tips from my friends at talkcockatiels.com. I used a small white t-shirt to cover them and keep them calm, and with a pair of sharp scissors, I cut their first 10 flight feathers. From the look of their flight feathers, I am pretty sure that they have been clipped before, most likely by their previous owner before she was sick. Once I clipped both of their wings, I spent a little time talking to them and playing with them, to make sure they weren’t too mad at me! They figured out pretty fast that they couldn’t fly anymore.

    I felt a little sad for them, but also a little relieved. They are my family, and I would be destroyed if something happened to them that could have been prevented. I can now open the two windows in their room without the fear of them busting through the screen and flying away outside. And when they are out of the cage, I don’t have to close their door and worry about them flying into another room where we will likely have a ceiling fan on.

    If you are someone struggling with the decision on whether or not to clip your birds wings, I understand your hesitation. But think about their safety and weigh your options. If they spend all their time indoors, and there are no other pets that they may possibly need to fly away from, the benefit of clipped wings out-weigh the risks in my opinion. But I feel that it is a personal decision for every bird owner, and whatever decision one comes to, it should be respected. No one should be told how to raise their pets, and what may be right for one, doesn’t mean its right for all.

Blood Feathers!

  

  Today I had a little scare with my gray cockatiel. I opened their cage door so they could come out to play, the same as I do every day! My pearl teil' was the first one out of the cage as always, and my gray was working her way over to the door. I was startled by a VERY LOUD screaming like I have never heard from her before! When I looked over, she had her right wing stuck in between the bars of the cage! I quickly ran over to help her, but she managed to break free before I could reach her. But in doing so, she damaged a feather at the base of the wing. It was sticking straight out. She would occasionally try to fix it and smooth her feathers out, but would then cry in pain every time she touched it. And of course she didn't want me near it! It was breaking my heart to see her in pain, and being a new bird owner, I didn't really know what to do.

    I quickly went to "talkcockatiels.com", an online forum, and asked everyone there! I received several responses on how to handle the situation. Trusting the people and the information there, I quickly went to work gathering the things I would need. An old white t-shirt, a small pair of clean needle nose pliers, a couple Q-Tips, and some dry corn starch. I gently placed the shirt over her and picked her up in my hand, using the shirt to cover her head but exposing the injured wing and feather. I spread out her wing, all the while speaking gently to her which really seemed to help keep her calm. She didn't fight or resist me hardly at all while I reached in with the pliers and pulled the blood feather out, pulling in the same direction as the feather grows. Once it was out, I used the Q-Tip to apply a little corn starch and pressure to the wound for about a minute until I was sure the bleeding had stopped.

    Once the "procedure" was finished, I had never seen her so calm or trusting towards me. I removed the shirt and cradled her in my hands. She allowed me to rub her right behind her head, and she began to make small grinding noises with her beak. I do believe she was grateful, as the injured feather was obviously painful to her. I was relieved to have helped her, and also proud of myself for handling the situation like I did.

    Being a new bird owner has been a learning process, and with every day I feel even more close to my cockatiels. I care for them like my babies and I will do anything to keep the safe, healthy and happy. Now if I could only decide on their names!!

The removed blood feather!

A Diet Is In Order!

    I just arrived back home last night from Paris, TN for my aunts funeral! It was a very sad weekend, but as soon as I arrived home, seeing my babies and how exited they were to see me, made me feel so much better! I really missed them, and by the way they were acting, they missed me too!
    As you may already know, my tiels' are approximately two years old. Their previous owner informed me that they have never been fed anything but seeds. I have read so many books and online articles, and even the vet has said that they should really be fed a pellet food which contains a more rounded diet. I also was advised of a good brand of cockatiel food and a brand of dried veggies and fruit for them. I went out and bought the new food immediately, but that was the easy part. I have been trying for almost three weeks now to get them to eat the new food. I started out by mixing the new food with their seeds and slowly introducing it into their breakfast. But they just picked through the food and only ate the seeds, the pellets all ended up in the bottom of the cage. I would even see them throw the pellets out of the cage! After a couple of weeks of that, I then tried to take away the seeds completely and only give them the pellets. I was thinking that if they were truly hungry, then they would try the new food. But they wouldn't have it! They screamed for almost two days until I gave them their seeds! My pearl (still yet to be named) would sit on my shoulder and purposely scream in my ear. She was obviously ticked off that I took away their favorite food! So of course, I gave in, and gave them their seeds back.
   I still mix the pellets into their seeds, but they still won't try it! I am all out of ideas, and am at a loss of what to do! Do any of you have any ideas? I love them so much and I want them to be happy, but I also want them to be as healthy as they can and eat right! What should I do?

This is the dry veggies. I add a couple peicesinto their breakfast, but they won't even try it!

This is the new pellet food recomended by my vet!

My baby! She is the one who will purposely throw the pellets out of the cage!

Death In The Family

This weekend I am in Paris, TN with family to mourn the passing of my Aunt Diane. Its more of a celebration of her life than a mourning. Unfortunately my babies have to stay home in Nashville with their other daddy. I have only been gone for two days, and I already miss them like crazy. I cant help but wonder if they miss me the same.
The memorial service is today, I will be sure to post pictures of the family.
R.I.P Aunt Fanny!