Smoothy
05-31-2006, 09:03 AM
Signs of being ready to breed include: ripping-up newspaper, birds mutually feeding each other, males trying to click their beaks to the females, or tapping their beaks on the perches. The male's cere--the band above the beak--will be a bright blue. The female's cere will be a dark brown. These colors are hard to distinguish in some color mutations. The birds will be extremely active and the female will call to her mate. Both birds, male and female, must be in breeding condition for any action to take place.
By the way, you are unlikely to actually see them mate. Maybe they are just shy, but they usually mate very early in the morning.
Birds should be at least 10 months old, preferably one year old, before they are considered for breeding.
Usually, if the birds are breeding, the female will start to show great interst in the nest box. She will spend hours looking at it, placing her head in it and generally examining it. Often the male will excitedly encourage her and try to gently push her towards the box. Eventually, she will enter the box and take up residence.
Have a regular routine when you feed the birds and change their water so that you will not startle them. Only change the cage once a week so that you will not disturb them too much.
On about the 18th day, the first egg should hatch. The other eggs will hatch out about every other day, in the order that they were laid. Newborn chicks are totally blind and helpless. The female budgie will feed them on their backs. You can tell if they are being fed properly if you can see their tiny crops full of whitish crop milk.
Do not separate the chicks from the parents until you are sure they are eating on their own. Once they are separated from the parents, continue to watch them closely. Make sure they can find their water--make sure that it is accessible and not too big as they are very clumsy and they can fall in and get wet, and cold! Also, make sure the perches in the baby cage are low and spread food and lots of spray millet around the cage floor, so the young birds can get to it.
By the way, you are unlikely to actually see them mate. Maybe they are just shy, but they usually mate very early in the morning.
Birds should be at least 10 months old, preferably one year old, before they are considered for breeding.
Usually, if the birds are breeding, the female will start to show great interst in the nest box. She will spend hours looking at it, placing her head in it and generally examining it. Often the male will excitedly encourage her and try to gently push her towards the box. Eventually, she will enter the box and take up residence.
Have a regular routine when you feed the birds and change their water so that you will not startle them. Only change the cage once a week so that you will not disturb them too much.
On about the 18th day, the first egg should hatch. The other eggs will hatch out about every other day, in the order that they were laid. Newborn chicks are totally blind and helpless. The female budgie will feed them on their backs. You can tell if they are being fed properly if you can see their tiny crops full of whitish crop milk.
Do not separate the chicks from the parents until you are sure they are eating on their own. Once they are separated from the parents, continue to watch them closely. Make sure they can find their water--make sure that it is accessible and not too big as they are very clumsy and they can fall in and get wet, and cold! Also, make sure the perches in the baby cage are low and spread food and lots of spray millet around the cage floor, so the young birds can get to it.