16 beats me by four! How do you manage, Tielfan? Going from 15 to 12 has made a massive difference, and I am refusing to give Trilly and Frank the nest only because I would go back to over 15...

I manage by selling the chicks lol. I had 21 birds a few weeks ago but five of the chicks have already been sold. The fall bird mart is two weeks from today and the remaining three will probably sell then. I love the chicks but it's also kind of a relief when they're gone. When I had all 8 fledglings, I couldn't walk into the bird room without having several chicks fly at me. It actually did feel like that Hitchcock movie lol. I'm glad that they liked me, but it happened so often that it started to feel like an assault.

Mind you, it's all going in the basement. Jaiden won't quit laughing? Please, he's in the basement. We have all of them in our TV room. We're used to sounds from them. And having an aviary will allow them to flutter to their hearts content. They'll still come out of the aviary of course.

If I do go the budgie path, I plan to try a hen again. I haven't been brave enough since the Mackenzie incident. I'm looking at a yellow girl.

hey, why don't you get a pretty cockatiel mate for Beaker? Than you can raise cockatiel babies in the flock. Your future aviary will be pretty big so you will have plenty of room. It truly is a magical experience.

I know Beaker would not be a good father. I gave him a little bird egg I found. He pushed it off the counter and laughed at it when it broke. (It was frozen outside when I found it... the undeveloped embryo never even started forming).

But I may try my cards at budgie breeding. That's why I'm getting a mixed sex flock. But until then I have time to decide if it's something I want to deal with.