# Baby Budgies hatched



## AlyciaTesta

Good evening, 
So we have two babies hatched from yesterday and now today. Should I removed the empty shells?
I’m completely new to this.


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## FaeryBee

*You may remove the egg shells when the hen is out of the nest box to eat or eliminate waste. Make sure you wash your hands VERY well before putting them in the nest box and avoid bothering the hatched chicks.
Are there more eggs in the nest that have not yet hatched?
How much research have you done prior to allowing your budgie pair to breed?
If you have not done so, I highly recommend you read all of the stickies at the top of the Budgie Breeding section of the forum.*


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## AlyciaTesta

FaeryBee said:


> *You may remove the egg shells when the hen is out of the nest box to eat or eliminate waste. Make sure you wash your hands VERY well before putting them in the nest box and avoid bothering the hatched chicks.
> Are there more eggs in the nest that have not yet hatched?
> How much research have you done prior to allowing your budgie pair to breed?
> If you have not done so, I highly recommend you read all of the stickies at the top of the Budgie Breeding section of the forum.*


still 5 eggs left to hatch.
truthfully I was told “Just put Mom and dad together, they do it all.” This is obviously not the case the more I look into it. And I will be diving head first into research tonight.



FaeryBee said:


> *How much research have you done prior to allowing your budgie pair to breed?
> If you have not done so, I highly recommend you read all of the stickies at the top of the Budgie Breeding section of the forum.*


Truthfully as I dive more into this I realize I should have done much more research prior to allowing this. But what’s done is done and I can only do better from here so I will be utilizing those stickies as soon as I get off work.

Appreciate it! I did want to ask a few quick questions before I head to work.

How often do you recommend checking nest for hatched chicks and health of them?

do I clean the next box at all? Or wait till chicks are out?

also am I able to handle the chicks at all at a certain age or do I just leave them alone ?


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## FaeryBee

*Whoever told you to "just put Mom and Dad together" needs a swift kick. 

There is SO much misinformation out on-line about how "easy" it is to breed budgies.
However, to do it ethically and responsibly, one should do a great deal of research, preferably have an ethical and responsible budgie breeder as a mentor and have an Avian Vet they know well who is ready, willing and able to step in to help when necessary.

The hen may throw the egg shells out herself before you get to them. If not, you can carefully remove them.
Check the nest box twice a day but only when the hen is out of the box.

The nest box you are using should be one with a concave bottom to help prevent splayed legs in the chicks.
Yes, when the chicks get older they can be handled. 

Please read the stickies and budgie articles. 
Fortunately, one of our moderators who is an experienced breeder is willing to answer your questions.*


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## PoukieBear

I'm sorry you are learning the hard way that breeding budgies is not as easy as "just put mom and dad together".

I've been breeding budgies for a very long time (and have just decided to retire) so I'll be happy to walk you through all your questions, and even more questions you'll have along the way.

Like Faery has already mentioned, you can remove the egg shells when the hen pops out of the nest box.

You will need to check the nest box twice a day as the eggs are hatching. Check in the morning and afternoon to make sure all is well.

Once all the eggs have hatched, you'll need to start cleaning the nest box. When the chicks are small, you can do this every few days, then as they grow you'll need to clean it every day, and then likely twice a day once they get really big. (2.5-3 weeks old). You want to make sure that you are keeping the nest clean and dry so that no bacteria can grow and harm the chicks.
Use a safe bedding like pine shavings or aspen shavings. You can find these at any pet store. I've also seen people use dry oats as bedding (although I personally have never tried this) if you can't find wood shavings.

You can start handling the chicks for short periods of time once they are around 2-2.5 weeks old. Make sure you wash your hands, and that your hands are not cold. You can hold each one for about 15 minutes at a time, and as they grow and feather up, you can extend this time little by little. Your chicks will then be used to you and your hands and will be hand tame.


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