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.