Beginner Tips

[Bea]

I've noticed that the breeding forum has not been used much so i thought i'd post a few tips that will help new breeders on their way.

- your breeding pair should be a cock and a hen both over 12 months old and both 100% unrelated

- both birds should be in top physical condition and already fed on a balanced diet containing a good quality seed mix, pellets, egg food, fresh veggies, cuttlebone and a source of iodine

- the hen should not be over 3 - 4 years old and the cock should not be over about 5 years old. After these ages complications are more likely to occur and fertility rate in the eggs can be reduced

- the selected breeding pair should be placed in a breeding cabinet with a wooden nesting box, nesting materials are not required and most budgies will reject anything offered

- during the whole period of time from being placed in the breeding cage to the chicks leaving the nest box it is especially important to supply fresh foods and sources of calcium and iodine as well as protien

- eggs will be laid 8 - 10 days after mating. The pair will continue mating until the whole clutch is laid and the hen will start incubating the eggs usually sometime after the second egg is laid

- eggs are laid every second day

- the eggs will hatch 18 - 20 days after being laid depending on when the hen started incubating

- it is important not to disturb the hen and chicks too often as this may cause the hen un-necessary stress and could possibly end in her abandoning the chicks

- the cock will usually not start feeding the chicks until they are 3 weeks old, he will however feed the hen

- at about 3 weeks old you should begin handling the chicks carefully for about 5 - 10 mins a day to socialize them, this should result in friendly and tame baby budgies

- the chicks will begin to explore outside the nest box after about 4 weeks of age

- at approx. 6 weeks of age the chicks will be fully feathered and eating on their own so they are ready to be separated from their parents

I hope this is helpful to some people.:) If anyone has any questions about anything to do with breeding, colour mutations and telling gender in baby budgies just ask and i'll try to help. :D

[Dave]

Those are some great tips, Bea! Thanks for sharing. I'm going to make this thread a sticky because I find it very helpful for people who might want to consider breeding. Good work. :D

[Amy]

DO I STILL CLEAN OUT THEIR CAGE AS USUAL WHEN THE HEN IS INCUBATING THE EGGS???????:budgie:

[Bea]

Well the nest box should be raised off the ground so changing the paper at the bottom shouldn't be a problem. :) Once the chicks hatch you'll probably find that you need to clean the nest box out occasionally as well, more often as they get older.

[Amy]

Thanks! I wasnt sure what to do!:budgie:

[Amy]

When will my Budgies start to lay? They are both a little over 1yr old and 100% unrelated and I have provided then with oyster shell and a nesting box but nothing has happened yet. They are definately male and female so what should I do?:confused: :budgie:

[Bea]

Take away the oyster shell, things like charcoal, oyster shell and grit are all unnecessary (despite what some sources say) and can actually do more harm than good. Instead of oyster shell you should offer them a cuttlebone, mineral block and iodine block as well as plenty of daily vegetables (even if they've never liked them before i find breeding birds will dig right into them), they should also have approx. 10 hrs natural light if possible and if not then just 10 hrs light and it should be fairly warm. The females cere should be rough and dark chocolate brown and neither bird should be moulting as it adds even more stress to an already straining and stressful situation. If all these things are done and they still don't want to breed then maybe they are not mentally mature enough to breed just yet or maybe they don't like each other enough to breed. Either way you should take the nest box out for a few weeks and then try again once they've had a break.:)

[Amy]

Thanks, they have a cuttlebone and a mineral block which they love and Lily's cere is a very faint brown rough colour shes albino so they dont have much colour at all and it is rougher looking than usual. They have 7hrs natural light and around 3hrs warm artificial light. Lily has been in the box but no eggs are in there yet. You can definatly tell they like each other enough they love each other i guess i just have to be patient.

[Bea]

She's not in the peak of her breeding cycle. Even albino hens will get the dark chocolate coloured cere when they're ready to breed. They can breed when they're not in breeding condition but it's not as likely that they'll get fertile eggs (especially if they are first time breeders) which in the end could have her sitting on a clutch of eggs for a fortnight with no results, an extremely tiring and stressful thing for her to go through. I think you'd be better to remove the nest box for a week or two and then try again.

[ETAHoffman]

Bea brought up a good thing when she mentioned NATURAL light. If you have the birds in a room with windows, be sure you open the windows a little to allow ultra violet rays in. Glass filters it out and ultra-violet is essential for fertile eggs.

I found my birds LOVE celery tops. If you can get the cut off tops from your grocery store, do so. The bushier, the better. I soak the stalk(s) in warmish water to remove the chill and clean the celery. Then I hang the entire stalk in my aviary. The birds go wild for it.

DO NOT E-V-E-R feed them iceberg lettuce. It will cause them to have extreme diarrhea (sp) and probably die.

When you have chicks, you might also want to supliment feed the parents. I use my blender and grind up a high quality dry dog food and mix it with peanut oil and boiled egg. Sometimes I add wheat germ. They also love plain grits with boiled egg mixed in. Sometimes I just give them scrambled eggs that have been scrambled using just a little peanut oil.

You'll find your own stride when the babies start coming. I handle my babies from the moment they hatch and, as a result, have super-tame babies. That makes it a lot easier to sell them when I' m ready to cull. Then, I let the ones I keep revert to wild so I can use them to breed later. It is amazing to have 20 or 30 babies sitting on your fingers, arms, shoulders, head, etc. all at one time. I've found the parents have no objection to the babies being handled. They squawk a lot but calm down as soon as you return the babies to the box.

Once, I picked up an egg to check it and my timing was perfect. It hatched as I was holding it. The little critter plopped out into my palm. A real thrill for me.

[Bea]

Celery is actually about as useless (nutritionally) as iceberg lettuce, they're both really watery. When i have parents with babies i supply them with moist egg and biscuit mix to help them make nice smooth crop milk.

[Dave]

Bea brought up a good thing when she mentioned NATURAL light. If you have the birds in a room with windows, be sure you open the windows a little to allow ultra violet rays in. Glass filters it out and ultra-violet is essential for fertile eggs.

I found my birds LOVE celery tops. If you can get the cut off tops from your grocery store, do so. The bushier, the better. I soak the stalk(s) in warmish water to remove the chill and clean the celery. Then I hang the entire stalk in my aviary. The birds go wild for it.

DO NOT E-V-E-R feed them iceberg lettuce. It will cause them to have extreme diarrhea (sp) and probably die.

When you have chicks, you might also want to supliment feed the parents. I use my blender and grind up a high quality dry dog food and mix it with peanut oil and boiled egg. Sometimes I add wheat germ. They also love plain grits with boiled egg mixed in. Sometimes I just give them scrambled eggs that have been scrambled using just a little peanut oil.

You'll find your own stride when the babies start coming. I handle my babies from the moment they hatch and, as a result, have super-tame babies. That makes it a lot easier to sell them when I' m ready to cull. Then, I let the ones I keep revert to wild so I can use them to breed later. It is amazing to have 20 or 30 babies sitting on your fingers, arms, shoulders, head, etc. all at one time. I've found the parents have no objection to the babies being handled. They squawk a lot but calm down as soon as you return the babies to the box.

Once, I picked up an egg to check it and my timing was perfect. It hatched as I was holding it. The little critter plopped out into my palm. A real thrill for me.
My budgies love celery leaves as well. And yes, you're correct with that tip about iceburg lettuce. Big no-no.

[breeder]

charcoal, oyster shell and grit are all unnecessary
i would provide at least oyster shell i believe the hen uses this to help provide the right texture for the different aged chicks
The females cere should be rough and dark chocolate brown
if you wait till the cere is dark brown you have missed the most fertile time when it is dark brown she is over half way through her cycle just as her cere has turning light brown is when she is at her most fertile

[Amy]

Lily's cere is light brown!

I feed oyster shell, crushed up egg shells and egg-food.

[cherokee]

I have a question, let's say the hen lays 5 egss and only 3 hatch, when is a good time to remove the other 2?

[Smoothy]

19 days after the incubation period. She will abandon them in a few weeks when she realizes they won't hatch. Just dont take them out when she is still attending to them or she will lay one for each one that has been taken out or correct the number.

[cherokee]

19 days after the incubation period. She will abandon them in a few weeks when she realizes they won't hatch. Just dont take them out when she is still attending to them or she will lay one for each one that has been taken out or correct the number.

So 19 days after the last egg is due to hatch?

[Dinky]

It must be incredible to have it hatch in your hands!!! I can only imagine the thrill. I love my baby budgie, and have raised cockatiel and finch babies in the past. It's quite a ride.

[abel]

Pardon my ignorance, but what does the term,"cull", mean?

[ETAHoffman]

When you separate the babies into the different groups. The ones you keep and the ones you sell, etc.

[echosaisis]

Hey Bea, I breed and show bettas. I noticed you have two pictures of veiltail bettas (the blue one is dark color iridescent and the red one is cambodian marble in case you ever wondered).

I was wondering a question to anyone: How do you sex adult budgies? Do you do it by the nose the same as you would a younger budgie?

[victor52]

- the selected breeding pair should be placed in a breeding cabinet with a wooden nesting box, nesting materials are not required and most budgies will reject anything offered

-

hello i have a queston... my mom got me a breeding next box so i but it in, they layed eggs, but the only problem is that its not realy a nest box its more like a nest log and i was wondering if after they hacth if i can change the babies the a next box so i can clean and handle the babies.... but will the mom abandan them
:S

[pipp4]

thx bea!! those tips do help!!!

[Seattle Rain]

can anyone tell me where I can get the necessary equipment to breed my budgies with? I've checked a few places but have never seen a nest box. The closest I've gotten was an egg cup.

[wytewlf]

Hi! I have a 8 1/2 yr old blue budgie, who got a mate 3 yrs ago. Have had a nesting box on side of cage for 6 months, and now see one egg on floor of cage. The female had torn paper in the box to be ready, but laid the first egg on floor. Everyone told me not to move it...to leave it there. She was sitting on it every couple of minutes. But I see info on different sites stating that the eggs should be in the nesting box to stay warmer and safe. Also, not good for the egg to be on a hard, flat, slick surface when the female sits on the egg. So....I washed my hands, took a paper towel, and gently rolled the egg on the towel...then transfered it into the nesting box. Counting on the motherly instincts, I hope she will go looking inside the box for the egg. Was this a good plan, or should I have left it on the bare floor of the cage? PS: I knew this was comming when my husband showed up from a trip to the bank with a beautiful yellow/turquoise female parakeet he captured outside of the bank! :budge:

[peace]

Blanka and Plantain are the proud parents of 4 new babies! first one hatched last wednesday and the last just yesterday.

I do want to clean out the box however nervous about Blanka abandoning them. What should I use to clean out the nest box?

[X Inplosion X]

I have a question for the cage set up. What if im not using a cabinet just my normal cage with nesting box in it I was wondering if i should leave all the toys in the cage.

[Meghanxx4]

Those are some good Real Basic tips :)

[Haruka]

Is there a certain way to attach the nesting box?

[Whistle&Steve]

Where do you get a breeding cabinet? If I don't want to breed do I separate my pair when she is in condition?

[x_zipped_x]

thank you Bea that will come in handy someday

[jonathan]

does anyone know how to get the hand feeding food for the chicks?

[Bethany]

great tips!!

[TweetiePie]

I have a question....

OK when you have bred some budgies , do you have separate them from the parents cant you put them all in an aviary together?

[BUUZBEE]

Yes they can all join the flock in the aviary. Just make sure there isn't an over population in the aviary, as fights will arise if there are too many birds!

[Soadilias]

I've noticed that the breeding forum has not been used much so i thought i'd post a few tips that will help new breeders on their way.

- your breeding pair should be a cock and a hen both over 12 months old and both 100% unrelated

- both birds should be in top physical condition and already fed on a balanced diet containing a good quality seed mix, pellets, egg food, fresh veggies, cuttlebone and a source of iodine

- the hen should not be over 3 - 4 years old and the cock should not be over about 5 years old. After these ages complications are more likely to occur and fertility rate in the eggs can be reduced

- the selected breeding pair should be placed in a breeding cabinet with a wooden nesting box, nesting materials are not required and most budgies will reject anything offered

- during the whole period of time from being placed in the breeding cage to the chicks leaving the nest box it is especially important to supply fresh foods and sources of calcium and iodine as well as protien

- eggs will be laid 8 - 10 days after mating. The pair will continue mating until the whole clutch is laid and the hen will start incubating the eggs usually sometime after the second egg is laid

- eggs are laid every second day

- the eggs will hatch 18 - 20 days after being laid depending on when the hen started incubating

- it is important not to disturb the hen and chicks too often as this may cause the hen un-necessary stress and could possibly end in her abandoning the chicks

- the cock will usually not start feeding the chicks until they are 3 weeks old, he will however feed the hen

- at about 3 weeks old you should begin handling the chicks carefully for about 5 - 10 mins a day to socialize them, this should result in friendly and tame baby budgies

- the chicks will begin to explore outside the nest box after about 4 weeks of age

- at approx. 6 weeks of age the chicks will be fully feathered and eating on their own so they are ready to be separated from their parents

I hope this is helpful to some people.:) If anyone has any questions about anything to do with breeding, colour mutations and telling gender in baby budgies just ask and i'll try to help. :D

Thanks,
Very helpful!!!!!

[LadyHavoc]

Peaches, one of my females, has now layed two eggs!! the people who i get the birds from said that she had layed two previous clutches but they had to throw them out after two weeks as they wernt hatching.:(
when i got them she was so stressed (Ithink) that she dropped one egg while she was sitting on the top perch in quiet a high cage.:eek: I did put the egg in her nestbox and she seems to be sitting on them......how long do i leave her to sit on the eggs? and how d I know if they are fertile or not?
I dont know much about them other than one of the females (not sure if it is peaches) is over 8 years old.
thanx for the thread it is a huge help!:D

[nadimis]

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to say that the wealth of information is great!

My pair of budgies decided to breed even though we tried to stop them as them breeding was never in our plans.
The female had a bump under her vent, we brougth her to the vet and she confirned that it was an egg without a hard shell. She tried to extract it but the procedure was unsuccessful. To make a long story short, we were advised to put a nesting box to encourage her to lay her egg and supplement her diet and give her antibiotics as a precaution.

Three weeks later and 7 eggs later (!!!), two eggs have hatched yesterday. So far she seems to be a great mom...the babies' crops seem to be full, she faithfully sits on them and the remaing eggs and the male feeds her. She does not like it when we check on her so we try to be scarce.

We will let them raise their clutch but we definitely do not want them to start laying again, which I have read that they might because they are now in breeding mode.

Has anybody have experience in stopping breeding after clutch laying? So far I read that we should take away the mother after the youngest chick is 10 days old and that the father should automatically take over the feeding. Any comments???

I also have another question, this one concerning splayed legs. We used the typical nesting box for budgies sold in pet shops...black plasting box by Hagen with the concave floor. So far, the mom throws out any nesting material so the little ones are directly on the floor. How can I tell if she sits too hard on them?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thank you!!

[izzy69]

hi bea ,
i got a pair of pure lutino show budgies and they have a new cage and breeding box withh saw dust on the floor and on the box. they are male and female and are 100% unrelated but nothing has yet happened but a couple of times the female goes in the box in a week so wat couldbe the problem.

[TeamJacob]

How do you help a hen that has been egg bound? If there are no vets around, what could I do?

[birdlover912]

TeamJacob--I have never had an egg-bound bird, but this is some information that I have read. It is always good to be prepared!

Keep her in a warm, draft free room with high humidity. The bathroom is ideal because you can turn the shower on hot to raise the humidity. You can cover most of her cage to hold the heat in and to keep it dark. Place a towel on the bottom of her cage so she doesn't have to sit on the grate. Sometimes it helps to rub a tiny bit of olive oil on her vent to help the egg slide through. It really is best to see an avian vetrinarian because the egg can still get stuck even with the procedure described above.

[yadub_32]

She's not in the peak of her breeding cycle. Even albino hens will get the dark chocolate coloured cere when they're ready to breed. They can breed when they're not in breeding condition but it's not as likely that they'll get fertile eggs (especially if they are first time breeders) which in the end could have her sitting on a clutch of eggs for a fortnight with no results, an extremely tiring and stressful thing for her to go through. I think you'd be better to remove the nest box for a week or two and then try again.

Hi there,

I have a pair of budgie that laid eggs (4) Dec 30th. The hen started incubating it a few days after laying the last egg. Today its January 26 but not even 1 egg has been hatched. The hen still sits on the eggs, but I'm afraid it is already an exercise in futility on her part. Should I remove the eggs??? Please advise....thanks

Dan

[flojosar]

Hi Bea
My two little budgies are about to breed, I think. We have had a nesting box on the side of the cage for about 4 months now and she has shown no interest before. In the last week or so, Tweets (teal and black) has been going in and out of the box most of the day. There was a perch in there, but she has chewed through this and thrown it out of the nesting box. When she is in there, Smurf (blue and white) feeds her and grooms her from the perch outside. It is so sweet just watching them. Also when we let them fly around the room, she has started landing on different surfaces. When she is in the cage she is playing with the mirror, where as it was Smurf who used to thrash this about. I have also noticed that is waxy dots on the mirror, when Smurf has been playing with it.
They are both about a year old, not moulting and absolutly gorgeous !!! :budgie::budge:

[Schnapperxx]

great post!
this has all the tips you need.
Thank you so much!