Ollie just laid her very first egg!!

[maxollie]

Hi, girls! Today I left early and went grocery shopping because my cupboard literally was almost like Mother Hubbards". So I left the radio playing for Ollie and Max. Went I got home, I could hear both of them just a cheeping away and flock calling me because they also know the sound of my car and the kitchen window was open. So when I opened the door Max as usual started his loud pitch calling, and Ollie started to "cluck"! (lol) I purchased them a different seed today, because the last couple of times I purchased seed for them, all of the bigger seeds have now been replaced with nothing but some red millet and white millet, and a little canary grass seed and quite a few black sunflower seeds. The seed was so fine it would roll all over everywhere inside and outside of the cage. Honestly, here in America it is getting really aggravating trying to buy merchandise. After our economic downturn, the retailers (including Wal-Mart, who I thought used to be the best) have all made all the containers smaller, the lettuce heads and parsley sprigs are smaller, and even this bird seed company has cheapened their seed. The company is 8 in 1, and I always have liked their products because they don't have the spirilina , and other stuff in it that I speak about. I have about 1/2 sack left of the seed they were eating so mixed some of new and old and offered it to them. Both Ollie and Maxi really liked the change.

Aww! Jaspa needs to come back home to her "paronts" for sure! You have a wonderful mom, Karen, who will take care of your tiels for you any time. It really is a Godsend to have a friend or relative to help out if you need it. I'm sure my son and wife would take my fids if need be for a short while, but I don't think my daughter-in-law is into birds, so I doubt it would be for the long term. I also don't have any friends who would care to take care of them either. Can't wait to hear how Jaspa and Olli are going to bond with each other?!!! Have a blessed evening!

[maxollie]

Good Evening, Carolyn, Well I suppose your week is going way, way to fast. Here it is Wednesday evening already. How's that Butch doing today? I hope I didn't chase you away with my proposal to do some private communication on occasion. I thought for the winter it would be fun for we three girls to do some private along with our regular thread talks. For me it will be interesting to see how yours (Carolyn) and my winters are going, and then we shall have to compare them with Karen, who is just beginning her summer season. She will have lots of opportunity to most probably have Jaspa and Olli outside, or at the very least close to the windows to see all of the outside action. It is really neat for me to know someone who lives far, far away. To think that our precious tiels brought all of us together. I hope to hear from you both again very soon.

So tonight my Ollie is already asleep. I got her and Maxi up too early this morning but I wanted to get my shopping done early before there were too many people at the Wal-Mart store. It is about a 30 minute drive away from me. The weather was beautiful here today, and the trees are showing lots of colors already. It seems impossible to me that summer is over. I kept my commitment to myself to take a walk every morning since April 1st. I only missed 3 days out of all of those months. I have to use my walker, because of the health challenges I have with my back, hips, knees and legs, but I'm a very determined person, and the walking helps to keep me going. The winter months are taxing for me when I don't get any exercise. Dr. Art (arthritis) makes a visit almost every day in the winter months, and also when the weather is hot, humid, or cold and damp.

I was checking the seed sack that the new bird food came in and it is also an 8 in 1 product. It has a better quality seed than the other one I spoke of, is a little more expensive, but doesn't have the spirulina in it, which is a plus for me. I like to mix my seed with Zupreem keet pellets because the tiel pellets are too big and Ollie just throws most of them through the bars and out on the floor. Other than welcoming me home after shopping with a cluck or too, Ollie hasn't been pecking on the bottom of her cage today. Fall is upon us, so hopefully she will get it all out of her mind one of these days! Have a nice evening, Carolyn! And enjoy Butch!

[maxollie]

Hi Girls! I hope my "private messages" are being forwarded to you. Nothing like suggesting something, and not knowing for sure if it is working! (lol) Today, Ollie is having a wonderful day. I have to wonder if it is the new seed that I picked up for her. After reading the information on the package label, it is the same company 8 in 1 that makes this seed combination. Just a different sack and a few different ingredients, but there is no spirulina in it. She is a great eater, and is loving the new seed. I mixed the old with the new for awhile until she gets used to it. I'll be posting over on private also, so you can keep track of the notifications you get. I have received each of yours! Thanks so much for your comments and your conversations! I love them! Have a blessed day!

[maxollie]

Just an update on the new seed I purchased for Ollie! SHE LOVES IT!! She has been a happy camper all day today, only took a short nap this afternoon, was down on the bottom of the cage floor beaking, and eating, but didn't cluck much today. Quite a character she is . . . AND her little friend Maxi . . . he is quite a BIG character! Maxi just loves to make those tiel sounds and then waits for me to make some sort of comment about it. (lol). They are both in bed now. Tomorrow is another "fid" day at my house! This seed is an 8 in 1, and is called Wild Harvest Universal Blend, nutrient rich food for mediam and large birds. The package says ideal for cockatiels, parrots, lovebirds and other hookbills. Among other ingredients it has yellow split peas and green split peas, and wheat germ oil. Wheat germ oil is wonderful for their skin and feathers, it keeps them from being dry. One of my keets I used to have had "scruffy" looking feathers because he had a skin disease that made his skin so dry and the feathers looked dull and lifeless. So I would put some wheat germ oil in an eye dropper and sprinkle it over the keets food. It made a big difference in all of their feathering. And it really helped the dry skin. The crude fat is only 7%. That is excellent. I don't like to feed my fids high fat content seed. It also has lots of good vitamins and minerals in it. So, it appears this seed has made a hit here in my household. This seed was new to my Wal-Mart store that I visit. I have a couple of choices when I'm going Wal-Mart shopping, and a couple of weeks ago the other store had the seed I was feeding them but not this new one. One store is much bigger than the other so carries more choices. I will use this one for awhile before I order from Dr. Foster and Smith.

Happy to hear that all is well with Olli, Jaspa, and Butch! Time goes by too fast when you are having fun with your fids!!

[Birdmanca]

When she is through laying eggs, why not let us know how many eggs she laid, and ,if possible, post a picture of the whole scene.

[maxollie]

Hi! Bill, thanks for your post. Ollie is through with the first clutch. I am hopeful this will be the only one until Spring. We shall see how it goes! She is quite the little Miss Clucky at times. lol I will definitely take your suggestion at heart, and the next time I'll definitely try to get some pictures posted. Right now I don't have a digital camera. I have been shopping for one. Am thinking I just might consider getting a tablet that has a camera too. Don't you just love all of the new technology??? I do! The only problem is buying a product now will be a new model, but most likely by next year there will be another better one. Technology moves fast in the 21st Century! I never expected Ollie to be an egg layer, especially as young as she is, and I only have a parakeet in another cage, no other tiels in my household. From what I've read, on occasion a female will begin laying without a male around. I am hopeful she won't turn into a chronic layer because of her health. She laid 5 eggs for her first clutch. Being as young as she is (my estimate being 7-12 months), she did a great job at laying them, but never really paid much attention to or sat on them for any length of time. I left them in the cage for about 2 weeks and then one by one I discarded them. Again, thanks for your suggestion! I wll take you up on it!

[Birdmanca]

Keep a close watch on her with the eg laying. Be vigalian in case egg binding occurs. If it does, that is an emergency to deal with. I once had a bird alone laying eggs, I thought it was cute. One day when I came home, she was dead of egg binding.

[maxollie]

Yes, I definitely keep a watch over her, Bill. I have homed tiels for several years, and have done quite abit of research on them. It is good that I am retired and home each day so I can observe her behavior. That first egg, however, was a complete surprise and shock to me. Thankfully, I had been monitoring her behavior and had been checking on her in the bedroom every few minutes because I knew she just wasn't her regular self that day. I was fortunate to be able to come to this fine community and post my concerns. As you can see I had many responses and suggestions as to her welfare. And also, it is wonderful that I have made some world-wide friends in the process. I can only imagine how sad it was for you to come home and find your little tiel dead. That had to be positively terrible. I'll be posting my progress with Ollie here on this thread, so you are welcome to join the conversation. I also was lucky I had been feeding her fresh veggies, including kale, which I have found is one of the best veggies you can feed tiels because it is loaded with calcium. And it was so ironic I picked up that package of kale the day I was shopping, because usually I buy leaf lettuce, but the store didn't have any that day so I saw the kale and picked it up instead. I must say the shells of the eggs were very solid and after the first egg, she did a great job with the other four. The last one she laid in her food cup in the nighttime. I do keep her in my bedroom, but didn't hear her that night. Thank God it was the last egg, and not the first.