APRIL 2003 JOURNAL

Easter  Bunny  Month

Dot here folks.  Yes thats me in the Hospital Cage next door here.  I've been having a real rough day and Jo tells me I'm probably not going to get better.  Jo decided to let me talk this week so I could tell you about my bad accident.  Dash and I were out in the Breeding Hut sittin on 5 nice round eggs, due to start hatching today, April 3, 2003.  Jo comes out first thing this morning to do her rounds, jumps up, opens my nestbox to not only find me not there, but an EXTRA egg.  Means I got a little over anxious and started laying again which is highly unlike me.  But anyways Jo touches the eggs and finds them ice cold.  Then she goes lookin fo rme.  Me, I'm sitting on the floor just pushing myself around.  Jo scoops me up and is shocked to find I have no leg or foot movement WHATSOEVER.  I'm alert, active, my pupils are diluted a bit, but my eyes are still nice and bright.  Jo is just beside herself.  She takes me in the house up to the Hospital Cage, gets me nice and warm, and calls the Doc.  Jo at this point and time figured I was on my last breaths.  An hour goes by before she can get the Doc and I'm still nice, bright and alert.  Jo is amazed and flabbergasted as to what could have happened to me.  Doc's diagnosis .........I pinched a nerve at the lower part of my back and paralyzed my lower back and legs. Jo always leaves a nightlight on in all our Bird Rooms, so she could not see us falling.  Jo could literally take and pinch as hard as she could to my toes and I never flinched a move.  Jo is heartbroken.    She had already given me some nice warm formula of the babies with a shringe when she first bought me in as she was afraid I had not eaten.  I just gulped that right down for her.  She held me for awhile and I ate some millet.  I've been eating some corn and some CeDe and seeds that Jo spread in front of me.  All day I never had any feces and Jo was getting a whole lot concerned that I was paralyzed in the whole lower half of my body.  She took a Qtip (on the advice of her vet) used a dab of olive oil and lubed me up, if you know what I mean! She took her finger and massaged me a bit then laid me back down.  Took me an hour and a half and Jo was bout ready to give up, but finally I had a good movement and then quite a few thereafter.  Come bedtime and I am sitting going strong.  I don't know how much longer I will be here with Tiny Rascals but at least I get a turn to do the Journal!   Means my eggs were all ice cold Jo pretty confident there will be none of my chicks to hatch.  Jo figured I must have got up during the night for a drink or a bit and for some unforseen reason fell or twisted or something.  Doc told her it could have been something as simple as turning around too sharply or quickly and losing balance, and snap.  Told Jo to think of it as a freak accident but I tell you I have been getting the royal treatment all day.

Now on a brighter note, we have our very first baby CREAMINO linnie here.  Proud parents are Tilly and Tidbet.  They had a baby hatched first thing this morning, Jo saw this.  But then she got busy with Dash and her back and feeding all the babies breakfast.  So when all is quiet again Jo comes back out to ensure Tilly's baby was doing great.  What does she find but for some reason Tilly has got the baby pushed way to the back of the egg pile.  Jo gets a little concerned and goes to move him back into the center area.  What does her eyes see, but nice WHITE eyes, which tells Jo till baby is a creamino, but a very, very empty creamino.  Took Jo all of two seconds to get that baby out, up to the Babies Room and a very careful feeding.  You guessed it, Jo's in for another couple long nights!  So Jo goes at suppertime to do her rounds again and low and behold we have another hatched.  Dark eyes, but Jo is just praying we will feed it.  She already has two very tiny babies of Opal and Archie's that she's feeding as well so it's been some long days around here with lots more to come.  But Jo says her very first creamino linnie is well worth this.  This one is going to be a keeper to live happily ever after at Tiny Rascals, so Jo has already named her Cream Puff after a friend of hers that has a creamino linnie named none other than Cream Puff.  Jo just loved the name!  And you don't think Jo would not like to see another of those eggs hatch out another little creamino!  

And about those long nights, theres been a couple more this week other than because of us babies you know.  We had us another Big Big Big Ice Storm here this week and knocked us right smack out of power for 26 hours.  Jo was just flippin.  She gots a little brooder, put in a thermometer and a dish of water for humidity moisture, and pulled us in front of the wood stove.  Then came the trick of keeping that inside air temperature nice and evenly controlled for a long night to come.  At that point in time she has three of Misty and Noah's whiteface silvers, three of Sundance and Cassidy's whitefaces (one of those being either a cinnamon or another little silver by the way) and one of Alley and Benji's that she has to keep nice and warm.  Now keeping the Resting Room temp was not bad, thanks to the good old wood stove and means the Babies Room is upstairs and heat rises, that room was O.K. as well.  But the dilemina was the Breeding Hut. The power had been going on and off quickly all day so Jo cranked the heat up in the Breeding Hut just in case the power did go off.  When the time came that it went, the temp was good and high out there so Jo knew she extra degrees to go before she had to really start worrying.  That Hut holds the temp really well, so Jo just prayed the power would not be out too long.  Well midnight comes and goes and Jo's getting concerned.  She has all kinds of extra cages in the event this did happen, but really did not want to stress the birds out with eggs, until the very last minute.  Well low and behold the neighbors get power back at 5 a.m. (we didn't ........different circuits they tell me).  Lou goes out with a long extension cord, taps into their outside power bar and takes heat to the Breeding Hut.  We were back in business and Jo got the best hours sleep she had all night!  It was 4:30 p.m. before they got their power back.  

We are far from done, but Jo wants to take a snooze.  Back in the morning.  

I'ts two days later and we are just getting back to you's.  Sorry   Kumbuko here folks.   The little violet masked  Days like yesterday Jo says she wishes she didn't have to tell all in our Journal.  Normally you would not hear these sad stories that sometimes happen in Breeding Aviaries, but Jo says she has to tell all, the Good and the Bad. So here goes.  Poor Dot was not getting any better.  She was eating and all was just fine from the neck up, but below she was not moving.  Finally at 3:30 the next day, Jo took Dot to the Doc and had her put to her final resting place.  Says it was just not humane the quality of life she was living.  After talking with other breeders of linnies today and with the Doc Jo is now wondering if maybe Dot's last egg was pinching a nerve, rendering her paralyzed.  Usually once the egg is passed, the nerve is fine, but there is the odd case that it's not fine.  Jo just can't figure out how she ever got out of the nestbox and onto the floor of her home, way at the other end.    Jo now has her in the freezer so she can give her a proper burial come spring.  

But again on a brighter note, Tilly has three babies hatched so far and all are fine.  Jo, as you know, has Creme Puff in the Babies Room feeding her every two hours but Tilly is feeding the other two just fine.  Jo's wondering if the white eyed baby scared Tilly as she is so used to black eyed babeis and maybe that's why she pushed it to the back.  TIme will tell if she hatches another white eyed baby and does the same thing.

Did we tell you that Nigel got himself a new wife.  He's the slate linnie ,who wife üsed"to be Nana, another slate linnie.  Well they had no  interest in being parents together whatsoever.  Absolutely none.  Really two slates should not be paired together anyway so Jo got Nigel a new wife.  They are all part and parcel right away and gave Jo a real good laugh yesterday, which she really needed.  They have only been together a week and Jo figured for sure he would spend the whole week calling across the room for his ex wife Nana.  Nope, he was just as content as could be with his new wife.  So content in fact Jo watched yesterday as he tried to "get it on with his new wife".  Trouble was, he was making up with the perch and missing her completely!!  Inpressed, I don't think so, was she ever getting mad at him!  Oh it was so funny to watch them.  Jo put them to the Breeding Hut today, so let's see what happens there. Oh her name you ask, NadiPacale.  Member her, last year Jo supposely thought she was getting herself a new boy and got a girl.  

Jo has to do so many changes to make on the Lineage page.  Pairs that have gone to new homes and no longer reside at Tiny Rascals,  lost relationships and new ones.  Maybe she's get Lou working on that.

Lucy and Linus, come Monday their babies should be  hatching as well.  Then another week after that there will be Tula and Grady to hatch.  And if you don't think Jo's isn't hoping for a lutino from them!  

We got three of Flo and Foxy's babies here in the pictures, an absolutely beautiful olive cinnamon pied, I think Lou called her, another cinnamon and another pied.  Then we have two of Little Pearl's, a cobalt and a slate seagreen.  Reason for these small clutches  is cause they were not even supposed to be laying eggs so soon as they started laying Jo gave them a bunch of dud eggs so they would stop laying.  It works.  Lovebirds are sure not like linnies, they would breed anywhere, anytime, anyhow.  Makes no matter Jo keeps moving their toys, cages, decreases the light, decreases the heat, does that stop those lovebirds?  Not in this Aviary!  Used to be just Queen Betty given her a hard time, now it's about 3 pairs.  

Pig Pen and Petey, it's by far their turn anywaysk  are out nesting now.  This is a whole new excitement for Jo as this is Pig Pen's first clutch with her new mauve (slate) whiteface hubbie.  

Then out there there is also Cookie and Coby another pair that produce the most beautiful seagreens Jo has seen.  

Sunset and Buster, oh well Jo's about ready to give up on them.  Jo was told Sunset was a female, but she has never actually been DNA sexed.  Well Jo is wondering now.  Granted she did make this beautiful nest but Jo's started to wonder if she just made herself and Buster a nice "bedroom"for sleeping purposes only or if SHE is actually a HE!  Another week or two .... after all it did take Candy and Mango, a pair of fischers a good long while to get their act together the first time as well.  Speaking of Candy and Mango, those two are the only pair here that I think actually listen to Jo!  Jo has caught them at it more times than enough lately and is constantly breaking them up.  And their listening to her.  NO babies.  They have a roosted box hanging from the ceiling of their home.  Mango gets sitting up there in her box and shreds paper so much, she ends up with a big mound that almost reaches the base of the Roosting Box.  Jo, being the meanie she is, topples it over and away they start, all over again.  But NO eggs.  Another couple weeks, Jo says she will give them a turn in the Breeding Hut.  

Well I know there is still lots of news Jo has not told me to tell you yet, like where I am going when I grow up and whats the scoop with my name, but gotta run and feed that little Creme Puff.   Later................ I'll be back to tell you.  

April 13th and  I'm here.  Guess my name is not going to be Kumbuko after all. Poor Tracey, she feels just so bad as she wanted me so much NOW.  Guess she's going to have to wait a while though as it looks like they have a little too much CO in their home so have to get some things changed toot swit.  Means one of  the babies out of their clutch down the road is gonna have a nice good home waiting for them.  So one more week I get to have my say.  

All you folks keeping tabs on your linnie babies you are waiting for, well their doing just great.  We got four of Tilly's, four of Lucy's, 3 of Opal's and then we got poor poor Tula's to start hatching tomorrow. Why poor poor Tula you ask .......  Jo discovered there seemed to be a lot of feathers appearing in her nest box and she darn near died when she saw why.  Tula has herself plucked and plucked good!!  Never, Never has Jo had this happen before with any of her parents.  It's not good old Grady plucking her either, it's Tula doing all the work herself.  Jo is some kinda glad those eggs are due now, her says she's gonna be bare soon.  Now isn't she just gonna be awful embarrased when she has to go back to the Resting Room looking bare as her babies!  Jo says she's going to have to make sure a coat, so as she dosen't catch cold!  

Now Jo has three more new pairs of linnies to nest and looks like some of them may be getting the action on already.  

None of the little linnie babies have actually started feathering yet, so Jo still has no idea how many cobalts, slates or what she has yet.  

So how do you like the little silver whiteface beauties next door here.  Jo and Lou think they are just the cutest rascals with those big eyes.   Especially the little one laying on his back gazing up at the sky.  Jo checked the brooder and saw this one, got scared and poked him with her finger to make sure he was O.K.  He just glanced over at her and stared up again for awhile... then rolled over and got up to play with Jo's fingers!!   Reminded Jo of when she sees the linnie babies laying on their back, playing with their feet.  This was a first for seeing a lovebird baby do it!    They are really starting to feather in nice now and are looking nicer everyday.  One of them got spoken for today along with the little cinnamon whiteface in the middle of  the two of them.  Jo has three all together but of course they are keeping one.  

O.K. everyone.  Listen up.  It's now  the night before the Easter Bunny comes and ain't none of  them downstairs too happy I hear.  Why, well cause they would all just love to be out in the Breeding Hut making those eggs.  Gee Whiz their eggs are just the same size as easter eggs so why won't Jo let them all make some.  Well cause Jo says thems not "eating" eggs like the Easter bunny eggs are!  

And now it's Easter Day and Happy Easter to EVERYONE!!  I guess Opal gots her wish.  Jo's been watching her for a couple days now and sort of suspected her belly was rising.  None too happy is Jo, let me tell you!  Sure enough Jo had to put her out  in the Breeding Hut as she's a gonna lay more babies any day.  What makes Jo even less impressed is that her and Arch need their toes clipped but Jo's sure not doing her with a big belly.  Jo never had her in the Breeding Hut with her nice new nest box but she was in it.  

Tula and Grady, well their another story.  Out of all her eggs all Jo's managed to save was two babies.  One of them she has a good feeling about, but the other one she feels is weak and is just praying it picks up.   Jo's giving Tula points cause she said it's her first clutch and all, and also cause Jo feels her problem is the babies getting lost in all her feathers she has in there.  The first baby to hatch, Jo had to give a helping hand.  She noticed one of the eggs was all smacked up on one side.  She figured that egg was a goner, picks it up and near dies when she hears the egg peeping like crazy.  Immediately Jo gives a helping hand and helps the baby out of the shell.  Well that was fine, she gives it back to Tula who immediately starts preening and preening it.  Jo goes back and checks a while later, baby is still empty, NO food.  Jo leaves it, and goes back another hour later.  Still empty and not only that but was way at the back of the nest box, ice cold.  So Jo pulls the baby and handfeeds.  Jo could tell it was really weak, who knows how long that poor thing was trying to bust out of that shell.  It survived the rest of the day and the night, but died the next morning.  Next day another hatches, Jo watches again.  Tula preens the baby,  and Jo's praying she feeds it.  No dice, 6 hours later, baby is still empty.  Jo pulls for handfeeding.  That was two days ago and all is well.  This morning we got two surprises.  She had hatched two during the night.  One had already died and Jo pulled the other right away.  So far, so good, but Jo's still holding her breath for this little one.  Tula had herself  near plucked herself bare!  This is an all time first for Jo to see one of her precious linnies bare.  Whats really  amazing is how fast the feathers grow back it.  Seems like one day there was none and the next day she's full of peach fuzz.  So next time we hope she does better with her clutch. 

Pig Pen and Petey, they are due to start hatching their babies tomorrow.  So far, so good, Pig Pen is famous for getting a little over anxious and peeling her eggs but as of this morning all was well.  She could be in for a little surprise as Jo's also plopped one of Matties eggs under her.  Jo found the egg cold in the morning, but she's hoping it is good.   Yes, Mattie was laying again and as usual Matt would not let her in the nest box.  Jo's about at her wits end with these two, so what does she do but give them a separation.  That way Mattie will stop laying eggs for awhile and then Jo's gonna have to decide what to do with them.  Linnies are so wonderful, as Jo put Mattie in with another female and right away it's like they have been best of buddies all their life.  

The little silvers are feathering in real, real nice and are just beauties.  So Jo's little slate masked.  Both the slate and the violet masked are going to Ontario to live when they grow up.   

Our green linnie friend is leaving this week and going to her new home.  She is saying Hello, over and over and over and over, and Jo almost wishes she'd hurry  up and learn a new word as she has that one wore out!  She is still living with the little violet masked and come bed time, those two are just too cute snuggling in that happy hut together.  Jo has more pictures to get posted of the green linnie, so she had best get it done.  

Mork and Mindy, another violet and slate masked are going to nest this week.  Jo's got the willow branches soaking now for them to make their nest.  As for Sunset and Buster, Jo just does not know what to make of those two.  She was all set to go and get Sunset DNA sexed and then she's watching and sees that Buster is trying to do the good deed.  Jo has no idea what to make of these two.  She does remember it took Candy and Mango a good 5-6 months to get it together the first time, so is thinking maybe Sunset and Buster are going to be the same way.  If only we could read these little minds huh!!

Well gotta run for now folks.  Between Easter supper, raking outside, babies, adults, Jo's been staying pretty busy this weekend. 

Well now isn't life great.  Spring, in our areas anyway, we think is finally here!  Jo is now sitting out on her back deck on the swing updating our website.   How do we know, cause it's Betsy here talking and she's sitting right smack in my face!  Dosen't she know we'd love to be out there with her?  Here I was going great guns, building this nice nest in my Happy Hut I used to have, and then Bang, Jo takes it away!  Not nice of her at all I don't think!  

So what do you think of our new pictures of the little silver whiteface?  Jo and Lou think they are some kinda special.  Then how about the picture next door here of their little cinnamon silver whiteface.  Now that was a surprise and a nice one at that.  I know one lady out in B.C. is pretty happy about it.  Next week Jo is putting Jodie and Jesse, the other silver whiteface and the female offspring of Sundance and Cassidy, the little pied/silver whiteface to nest and see what that throws them.  

Then we got Tyler and Taylor sitting on three eggs so far here as well.  Gotta tell you though, one more time, Jo's none too happy.  Where are they, sitting pretty,  way back in their upper apartment on the floor!!  Jo's sure hoping no one else sees them up there.  Then don't forget we got Cookie and Coby's eggs due to start hatching this week as well.  They usually throw Jo some real, real nice babies.  

What else, Mork and Mindy got to go to the Breeding Hut last week.  Those two are not wasting any time.  They have gone thru three bundles of willow branches already.  Sunset and Buster, well they got brought back into the Resting Room this morning.  Jo's giving up on them for now.  Really she's waiting for more DNA cards to come this week, as she says she may have been told Sunset is a female and she may have made a whooping nest but Jo's not convinced.  She's gonna get her sexed so she knows one way or the other.  Back to the nest, garbage pit is what Jo called it this morning when she ripped it apart.  By gosh they had everything in there.  Stock piling pellets, they had drug their big pieces of kale in there, they had paper, they had willow branches, they had seeds, oh what a mess!!  

So now Jo has six pairs of linnies nesting. Lets just see what happens there.  Opal and Archie, who of course Jo did not want there, but had no choice,  already have two eggs.  Then Nadine and Nigel have three eggs so far.  This is their first clutch so Jo's sure hopin everything goes fine there. She's not impressed about the fact that they refuse to use any bedding, they want those eggs right on the bare floor of the nestbox.    This morning Pascal and Azul got to go out there to the Breeding place.  Pascal is a cobalt linnie and Azul is one of the new green guys that came a couple weeks ago.  Not probably a  match Jo or Lou would have made, but they just sorta picked each other, so Jo's gonna see what happens. 

It's true what they say though.  Linnies are not like lovebirds.  Lovebirds form very strong bonds with each other and Jo and Lou never break them up.  Linnies HA.!!  Jo separated Matt and Mattie two weeks ago, remember he's the one who would never let her in the nestbox.. Jo's just waiting to see if their two eggs are going to hatch.  Pig Pen is sitting on one and Cookie is sitting on the other, means Matt wouldn't let her sit on them.    Jo took Mattie and put her in with another female for now as she wanted her to take a break and stop laying eggs.  She put Matt in a large flight with some other guys and gals.  Took Matt all of two days to find himself a new girlfriend and today Jo sees him feeding her like crazy.  Jo's stewed and stewed, should she put them to nest and see if he lets this new female in the nestbox to lay her eggs or what to do.  She finally decided to hold off a couple weeks and just watch the two of them for awhile longer. Could be a hard chore keeping the Lineage Page current on these guys!  

And how do you like little Miss Creme Puff next door here?  Shy, oh my golly she is shy.  Jo has slates, cobalts, sky blues and her in one large brooder and the rest are all over the place.  Creme Puff she just snuggles in and stay put in her little corner.  They are all about three weeks old now and so cute.  Jo puts her hand in and immediately they follow that hand whereever it goes!  They know the hand that feeds them!!  Another couple days and most of them will have their own little apartment.  

Oh and I guess we may as well also tell you now Jo up and sold Candy and Mango as well.  They are going out to Sask. to a real nice guy that Jo and Lou have already some of their adults to his brother.  They have kept one of their offspring and have a baby coming from Ontario to pair it with and are hoping for some dilute babies.  Now they have one more pair they are selling and THAT'S IT, they say.  All their new pairs are made.  Jo sent the sexing away on their little Punky, the silver whiteface they have held back, and now providing when she sends the sexing away on these new little silver whitefaces, one comes back the opposite sex of Punky, they will have their last new pair for awhile.  All you folks must be having a hard time keeping up with us here lately!!  

TINY RASCALS AVIARY