# Egg hatched. What next?



## Birb1O1 (10 mo ago)

Hello. 
My budgies laid an egg exactly 18 days ago and today it has hatched. The hen laid total 4 eggs so there are still 3 in the next box. The parents are in a cage with 4 other birds. None of them have caused any trouble to the eggs till now. I am thinking of moving the parents and all the chicks (when they come out) to another cage with the next box so they can care for them in peace. That way I will also be able to observe the chicks
more carefully. Will that be ok? Also what should I feed the parents. A guy in a YouTube video was saying to only feed millets the first week. Others said to give eggs every other day. What do you say? 

Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*The purpose of this forum is to promote the BEST PRACTICES in the care of budgies for their optimal Health and Well-Being*
*Locating an Avian Veterinarian**

When you have mixed genders, it is very important to do everything necessary to prevent breeding.
Budgies are much healthier and happier when they are never bred.

**A Heartfelt Plea to All Members*
*Tips For Discouraging Breeding*
*Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies*
*Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads*

*Please answer the following questions:

How long have you owned budgies?
Are you certain the parents of the clutch are not related?
How old are each of the parents?
Why did you allow the budgies to breed?
Do they have a proper nest box with a concave bottom?
Did you read the four links on breeding posted above?
How large is the cage the 6 adult budgies are in at this time?

Colony breeding is never recommended due to the inherent risks and dangers.*
*Individual Breeding Cages - Why is this so Important?*

*The parents, chick, nest box and unhatched eggs should be carefully moved into a properly sized individual breeding cage (76 cm Long x 46 cm Wide x 46 cm High) at this time.

An individual needs to have a good background in basic budgie care and then do extensive research into the proper breeding practices prior to making the decision to accept the responsibility of the commitment required for breeding responsibly and ethically.
From your post, it appears you have neither the knowledge nor experience to have allowed your birds to breed at this point in time. 

Please take the time to read all of the budgie articles regarding breeding.
Articles re: Budgie Breeding

The adult budgies should be being fed a healthy diet as outlined in the links below:*
*A Healthy Diet for your Budgie*
*Quality Seed Mix*
*CuttleBones, Mineral Blocks and Manu Clay Roses*
*Safe Foods for Budgies*
*The Truth about GRIT*

*Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and all of the Stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.
Additionally, please be sure to read the thread "Posting on the Forums" which is linked below.

Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.
(Stickies are threads “stuck” at the top of each forum sub-section)
These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.*

*SITE GUIDELINES*
*Posting on the Forums*
*Let's Talk Budgies!*
*FAQ*
*Articles*
*Be Prepared for Veterinary Care Expense*
*Avian First Aid*
*Quarantine - Is it Really that Important?*
*Quarantine Your Birds*
*A Heartfelt Plea to All Members*
*Tips For Discouraging Breeding*
*Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies*
*Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads*
*Cage sizes.*
*Essentials to a Great Cage*
*Dangers to Pet Birds*
*Resource Directory*


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## Birb1O1 (10 mo ago)

FaeryBee said:


> *The purpose of this forum is to promote the BEST PRACTICES in the care of budgies for their optimal Health and Well-Being*
> *Locating an Avian Veterinarian*
> 
> *When you have mixed genders, it is very important to do everything necessary to prevent breeding.
> ...


Hello.
First to answer your questions..
1. I have had budgies for about 2 and a half years. The current ones for only 3 months.
2. The parents came from 2 different stores. So they are certainly not related.
3. Male is around 1.5 and female 1 year old.
4. Because I want to hand raise the chicks.
5. They have a clay pot with concave bottom.
6. Yes.
7. 2.5×2×3 inches L×W×H.

They eat veg chops,grains, egg food, sprouts along with their seed mix.
Currently 2 out of 4 eggs have hatched. First chick is 5 days old and second is 2 days old. One egg will most likely hatch tomorrow and another one looks to be infertile but i haven't removed it yet.
So i am thinking of moving the nest box to a separate cage when the 3rd chick hatch. The chicks are active and being fed well by the hen.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*As indicated in my previous post parents and chicks need to be in an individual cage a minimum of 76 cm Long x 46 cm Wide x 46 cm High

Please take the time to re-measure the cage the birds are in currently and provide the accurate dimensions. 
What you indicated cannot be correct.

A clay pot is not an acceptable nest box. You should have a proper nest box made of wood with a concave bottom or a Hagen nest box

Hand raising chicks is not a good answer. The chicks should be, at best, co-parented
Co-Parenting Chicks
When the chicks reach 3 1/2 weeks old, the mother should be removed from the cage and the Father should continue raising the chicks until they are fully fledged and weaned.

How old are the chicks at this time?
What do you intend to do with the chicks once they are adults?
Do you have an Avian Vet?
How much research did you do with regard to breeding before allowing these budgies to breed?

Please take the time to read all of the Budgie Articles in the Forum with regard to breeding.
Articles: Budgie Breeding

Additionally, keep in mind for the future that budgies are much healthier and happier when they are never bred.*


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## Birb1O1 (10 mo ago)

FaeryBee said:


> *As indicated in my previous post parents and chicks need to be in an individual cage a minimum of 76 cm Long x 46 cm Wide x 46 cm High
> 
> Please take the time to re-measure the cage the birds are in currently and provide the accurate dimensions.
> What you indicated cannot be correct.
> ...


Oh my bad. The dimensions are in feet not in inches.
The older chick is 1 week old and second one's 4 days old. I had already drop the idea of handfeeding the chicks. I will just spend time with them when they get 3 weeks old.
I will keep them until their last breath. We don't have any avian vet for exotic birds just some who deal with wild pigeons and sparrows. Also I have Seperated them in a different cage which is 2 feet long, 1.5 feet tall and 1 feet wide.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*How are the chicks doing now?*


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## Birb1O1 (10 mo ago)

FaeryBee said:


> *How are the chicks doing now?*


They are healthy band adorable 😍. I only had them outside the nest twice for cleaning. The older one had some poop stuck on its back the first time. I gently removed it.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

We would love to see them, please post pictures if you are able.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Please do post pictures of your current set-up, the adult budgies and the new chicks.
I'm glad to hear things are going well.*


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