Budgerugar Breeding 03

Proper Care of the Chicks

If you need to handle the eggs, be sure to completely clean your hands with soap and water before handling. Bacteria from your hands can be absorbed through the shell which can harm the baby.

When the youngest chick hatches the oldest chick will be much bigger than it, especially with large clutches of more than 5 eggs. When you check the nest box make sure the youngest chicks are not getting trampled and are getting fed (you will see food in their crops). If you notice any problems, you can try fostering the youngest chicks to another pair with similarly aged chicks. You may also try fostering newly hatched chicks to a pair with eggs. Most of the time a fostered chick is accepted. Check often on a fostered chick to make sure. If you see food in the baby’s crop, the pair has accepted him. If the clutch is very large, with more than 6 eggs, you may want to foster the 7th and on chicks automatically.

When the babies start getting feathered, it will be about time to start cleaning the nest box. If you notice a large build-up of soiled shavings and the babies tend to be getting a lot of droppings stuck to their feet, start changing the bedding about once a week, or as needed. Remove the babies into a large bowl lined with a towel and scoop out the soiled bedding.

Scrape the wood insert as needed and replace with fresh bedding. You may need to block the entrance to the nest box while you do this to prevent the hen from coming into the box.

Check the babies everyday for fixable developmental problems.

Check under the top mandible (beak) for a build up of food, which can cause an undershot beak. If you notice food stuck under the top mandible, remove gently and carefully with a toothpick.

Make sure the chick isn’t developing splayed legs. If this is happening, try adding extra pine shavings. If a young baby develops splayed legs, the problem can be corrected because their bones are still forming. You will have to tie the legs close together to facilitate proper development. See the article Splayed Legs by Wanda Barras for more detailed information.

When the chicks start coming out of the nest, provide a shallow dish of food on the bottom of the cage to facilitate weaning.

You can remove a 6 week old weaned chick from its parents in the breeding cage. It should be put in a large cage reserved for young birds or in the flight cage. Provide lots of food, available in different places, especially in a dish on the bottom of the cage. Keep a close eye on newly removed chicks to make sure they are eating. Check their crops to make sure they are full before covering their cage at night.

Budgerigar Breeding 2

Environment, Timing, Etc.

It is better to start out with 2 or 3 pairs, because they help stimulate each other into the breeding mode. Also, if something goes wrong with a pair, you would be able to foster out the chicks under another pair.

Most comfortable temperatures to keep them in is 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 24 degrees Celsius).

Some humidity helps the eggs to hatch better.

They need good light, but not direct sun during the day. They need 12 hours of darkness with cage covered at night. Try to go by the sun; cover the budgies at sundown and uncover them around 6 to 7 AM each morning.

It is important to use a full-spectrum light bulb in the breeding room to assist in vitamin-D formation and to allow for proper vision.

Budgies need to have a comfortable environment and to be healthy and happy to breed.

Proper Care of Breeding Pairs

Budgies need a very good diet when breeding.

Enriched variety of parakeet seed mix.

A supplement of pellets for parakeets either in an individual dish or mixed with seed.

A powdered vitamin supplement added to food (not water).

Organic fresh greens should be provided daily. Examples are dandelion leaves or carrot-tops. All produce must be organic! Even a tiny amount of pesticides are enough to kill a baby chick. Bits of shredded carrots are good too. Also give them little tiny bits of cooked chicken or eggfood for protein, but only when breeding. The better variety of good foods you feed, the healthier the chicks will be.

Try not to interfere too much with the breeding birds. Have a regular routine when you clean the cage. Keep the breeding cages very clean.

Change the food and water each day. Check the food and water levels both in the morning and night.
Nest boxes should be checked once per day, preferably when the hen comes out to poop and stretch her wings. Remove broken egg shells or any dead chicks right away.

Budgie pairs will try have a third clutch, right after the first two, in one breeding season. However, if they have successfully reared chicks from the previous two clutches, they should be stopped from starting the third clutch for health reasons, to prevent burnout, weak chicks, etc. Also, the pair should be rested for a whole year until next breeding season. To stop a pair, remove the mother from the cage when the youngest chick is about 10 days old. The father will take over the care of the chicks. Watch them closely for the first 48 hours, as it sometimes takes a day or so for Dad to realize that Mom isn’t coming back and he needs to take over. If you notice the babies’ crops empty, you may need to give a hand feeding.

Budgerigars Breeding (01)

Selecting A Pair

Both the male and female you wish to breed should be at least one year old.
Selecting a pair that is already bonded will help ensure a shorter time until they begin to mate and lay eggs.
If you wish to breed for a certain variety, learn about budgie varieties and genetics.

Set-Up

Each pair should be set up in their own cage at least 24″w x 16″d x 16″h (70x40x40cm). The cage should not have a grate on the bottom. If the cage has an irremovable grate, place the newspaper lining on top of the grate. Use only black and white newspaper to line the bottom.

A wooden nest box should be attached outside of the breeding cage.

A wooden insert with a concave circle should be in the bottom of the nesting box to prevent splayed legs.

Pine shavings (unscented) should be layered in the bottom of the box over the wooden insert. The hen will adjust the pine shavings to her liking.

It is very important to have a cuttlebone and mineral block in the cage. An iodine salt spool is also recommended.

At least two perches should be provided. Try to provide variety in perches, including a safe natural wood branch.

Food and water dishes should be provided. I recommend attaching two water tubes, especially after all the babies have hatched. I also recommend putting a large jar feeder on the cage floor. The parents will go through a lot of seed and water when caring for a nest full of growing chicks.

Pieces of soft wood for the female budgie to chew on will satisfy her need for gnawing and also can help get her into the mood to breed. Be sure the wood is safe for birds by buying this material at a bird or pet store.

If only breeding one or a couple of pairs, you will need a large cage to put the babies into when they are weaned. If breeding large scale, you will need to build a flight cage to keep non-breeding budgies and newly weaned babies.