how to tell if a males in breeding condition?

[bud07]

I have 5 males one is a recessive pied so has a pink cere, and all my other four male have a purple cere, that all look the same colour, so how can I know if there in breeding condition? Both my females I think are coming or are in condition, il upload pics in a min.

[bud07]

Well I can not take pics tonight, as the lightning isnt right, tomorrow I will give pics! But most males have blue ceres? Is it the mutations of my birds/babies or the condition?

[bud07]

lokie and sparky


bob


joey

[bud07]

Doras the green one.



archie


angel

[skysmum]

With males the cere becomes very vivid blue as yours appear to be, their behaviour is the biggest give away though, they become very vocal, lots of head bobbing and beak tapping, mine tap the perches and stomp up and down

Yes your hens looks to be coming into condition too . How old are they all?

[bud07]

All my males seem to act like that all of the time, I can never hear the telly, and always dancing and regurgitating food and the pics they do look more blue than purple lol, and the2 girl's are spose to be at least 11 months but im questioning this as they dont have the white iris rings yet more grey, iv had them since February, and loki is around 1 and a half, bob is one and joeys is 1ish and archie 11 months ish but again I think the lady I got them off was guessing as he doesn't have his white iris rings either any ideas how I can know they are over 1?

[skysmum]

Typical male behaviour then, any place, any time . A rough guide is dark grey iris rings 4-8 months, light grey iris over 8 months.

[bud07]

They are over eight months but does the white iris ring come after 12? They were spose to be4/5 months back in feb, but I think they may have been younger, il wait til late November and see if they change before I start breeding, I cant wait to start breeding, but I want to make sure they are defiantly over 1.

[skysmum]

It should be white around 10 months onward. I have a couple of doubters too, one of mine carries the recessive pied gene so will always have baby black eyes so im counting them as a year from when i got them, not that im going to breed them at the moment though.

[bud07]

I thought they were maybe 3 months when I got them as they were both molting, and around 3 months is the first molt isn't it, so now im confused, as they dont have the white iris ring, so by my working out they should be around 11 months now, so I should wait a little while longer than I was going too do you know the earliest they can leave the parent's?

[skysmum]

Usually around 8 weeks but some let them go at 6 which is too early really.

[bud07]

Oh dear! well looks like il have to wait a while longer, hopefully all be worth it in the end, thanks for all the info