Ring number 4 was at the vet last week. He has had antibiotics and is making a recovery. It was really tricky getting the medication into him but we seem to have managed. He was really quite ill, fitting and looking pretty bad so it's a huge improvement. He's in isolation for now until I am sure he can't infect anyone else.

The singleton's parents have just hatched their first chick of their nest. I had tried to rest her but she was going frantic looking for a nest so I let them try this last time for this year. We are definitely stopping after this nest. They are tired and so am I!

And the nest of four new babies, 2 weeks old this week and really too many and too large for the nest. They will probably be out of the nest this weekend.

And here are the other three at 8 weeks of age. Now they are fully weaned they are not interested in egg food. All growing up!

Coming up to a week old - eyes opening. 2 greens and 2 yellow.

And the older ones now approaching 7 weeks.

This one was always the weakest and has been poorly this weekend. I hope he will recover. One of the downsides of the weaning method I am using is that the youngsters feed can get caked in food and that food goes stale but they try to bite it off their feet. I've bathed him tonight so hope that helps - and he's has a wee brandy!

Two photos of the nest of 4 Scotch Fancy chicks - taken this evening as a new Roller hatched too.

Some photos of the babies at 6 weeks. Their mother now has 3 chicks one of which hatched tonight.

The baby on the millet spray is the singleton. The one on the perch is the variegated with some white feathering. He is a lovely shape.

Millet sprays will help the babies to start to eat more hard seeds - this moves their diet on.

The cage bars rather got in the way of this one but all four are sitting in a row and the yellow bird keeps developing her shape.

Not her best photo but lovely nonetheless.

These are the first 3 of 4 eggs to hatch in round 2 of the pair who produced 3 chicks in their first nest. One has just hatched this evening.

First chick hatched on time and a first egg laid in the singleton's mother's new nest which I gave her, with her mate, when she was going crazy because she had no nest!

This Scotch Fancy number 3 - he's variegated but white not yellow. Lovely position though he was reluctant to show off for the camera.

Here is the nest of 4 eggs due to start hatching on Monday. These are the eggs of the parents of the three chicks.

The deep yellow hen and the singelton's father did not get on. Fighting all the time. Basically the yellow hen is not yet in breeding condition so I have reverted to my original plan and am trying her with my first green male bird. They seem to get on but he is not really fully in condition either. Maybe I'll be lucky and they'll come into condition together.

The singleton's parents are back together in a new cage - the hen was desperate to keep breeding so I'll see how she gets on.

The singleton's mother was sitting on 4 eggs until this morning when, for some reason, she threw them all out of the nest, killing two fertile eggs. So her breeding season is over for this year. Although disappointing, we have at least one baby from that pairing and given I hadn't expected any success at all, I can't be too down.

I had kept another clear, deep yellow hen back from breeding so she is now paired with the singleton's father and I have high hopes this may produce young. She is a lovely deep yellow and has a beautiful shape so fingers crossed. Here she is this evening in her new abode with her new mate.

And the babies continue to develop. All are now trying to crack hard seed so the weaning is well and truly settling in.

I still have another nest of 4 Scotch Fancy eggs with the pair who produced the three youngsters and they are due to start hatching on 14 May.

This is what makes the effort and work - constant feeding and cleaning - worth it. Is she not just lovely?

She has her mother's shape and is only 4 weeks old. Her mother is already sitting on another four eggs.

Here is a second picture. I have tried to photograph the others but they are rather more shy.

She has a lovely tall stance.

Weaning is going well and the babies are growing.

Both Scotch hens are now sitting on 4 eggs each so in two weeks time we will be on to Round 2!

I really like the yellow bird. Clear colour and no dark markings at all which is surprising given that her father is green.