When breeding budgerigars one does not have to adhere strictly to early Spring, as is the case with most other birds. However, there are certain periods in the year when one will have more success than during the remainder of the year.
There are a number of factors to consider before one can expect to breed birds with a fair amount of success.
These factors are:
This is one of the most important aspects of keeping budgerigars. This is your "factory", your future successes (or failures) will be determined here.
We spend most of our time in the breeding room, therefore, when starting, make sure that when you build your room it is going to afford your birds every opportunity of giving their best.
The room must be fair-sized and airy, without being draughty.
The breeding cages are usually build in multiple blocks with sizes varying between 2 feet and 3 feet wide and 18 inches high. The depth of the cages is usually 12 inches.
It is wise to install light in your breeding room. This will assist the hens when they are feeding. You will find that they may not have fed some of the smaller chicks before it becomes dark, with the result that they will be underfed. If the room is lit the feeding will continue.
The nest boxes are of prime importance. The best size is 8 inches long by 6 inches deep by 6 inches wide.
Most breeders usually attach these boxes to the wire front of the cage. This makes inspection of the eggs and chicks easier.
When putting the perches in the breeding cage, ensure that they are fastened properly. A loose perch could spoil your chances of a high percentage of full eggs. It is also an idea to make the perches square, as this will give the birds a better grip when mating takes place.
Before pairing-up takes place it is also an idea to give your breeding room a spray with insecticide for mites, etc. Ensure that the insecticide used is not harmful to the birds.
The pairing-up of your birds is very important.
Before pairing you must make a thorough and careful study of your birds in order to attain the right combination. If you do not know your birds very well, the best system to use is to catch out the cocks and hens and put them in show cages. From here you compare them and look for good points in one bird which might be lacking in another. If you are not sure call in the assistance of an experienced breeder.
The second step is to put the hens in the breeding cages by themselves. They should be left alone for a day or two in order to settle down and get used to their new environment. After this, you may put the cocks in with them.
Mating should take place within a day or two. If they do not mate straight away, do not become despondent - remember that patience is the name of the game. If after a week or so you find that a pair is not compatible it is advisable to break them up and organise the pairing of a new pair.
The hens should start laying after about 10 days. It takes 18 days after the first egg is laid for the first chicks to hatch.
Management is very important when the birds are breeding. Wrong management in your bird room can lead to disaster.
The birds in the breeding cages should get a well-balanced diet. Seed should comprise mainly of Plain Canary and Millets.
It is advisable to give the birds an additive of multi-vitamins in their drinking water, once or twice a week. The drinkers must be cleaned regularly to ensure that the birds do not feed any undesirable germs to their youngsters.
Green food may be given once a week it must be washed properly before being given to the birds.
Do not feed any greens to birds with youngsters for a least 14 days after hatching.
Iodine blocks can also be given to your breeding team, as well as cuttle-fish bone. The birds love to chew away at these and it is important for their beaks and general good health.
Oats, which have been soaked in water for 24 hours, can be given to the birds after the first chick has hatched. The oats must be rinsed with clear water before being given to the birds.
The eggs must at all times be handled with the utmost care, as the lifeline of the growing chick inside is very thin and can be broken very easily. Try not to handle the eggs unnecessarily. If the eggs have to be inspected, use a Budgerigar World Laser Torch. Place the torch next to the eggs without touching them and switch on the light. If an egg is full, it will either show the blood veins or, if the egg is more advanced, it will have a dull white colour. If, on the other hand, the egg is not fertilised, it will be transparent.
The first egg should commence showing signs of being full after about 6 days. If not, do not despair, wait until about 6 days after the last egg is laid before deciding to remove the eggs.
If a hen has laid about 9 full eggs, it is recommended to transfer 4 eggs to another hen who does not have a lot of full eggs in doing this you will have a better chance of hatching and rearing most the chicks. These eggs must however, be well marked so that you do not lose track of one hen's chicks in another box.
As the breeding birds are exhibition budgerigars, it is very important to keep a proper record system. You should have a breeding card on your nest boxes to record dates, when chicks are due, date hatched, ring numbers etc. This information is later recorded in your Breeding Register, with additional information such as colour and sex. In addition, the keeping of a register will facilitate the reference to the family tree of your birds.
The chicks hatching is the most exciting and enjoyable period of the year. The most beautiful sound in the world to a breeder of budgerigars, is the sound of chicks calling for food and attention.
The first 10 days in the life of a young budgerigar are very crucial in this period feeding is of prime importance. You must watch the youngsters as well as the parents.
During this period oats should be given to the youngsters every morning, and fresh seed every night. it is also recommended that you change the drinking water daily.
The time to ring chicks is when they are between 6 and 9 days old, depending on the size.
The procedure is:
Pull the ring over the two front toes.
Take the third toes and pull it half-way through the ring.
Using a sharpened matchstick to assist you, pull the third toes the remainder of the way through the ring.
The same procedure is to be adopted with the last toes.
Ensure that you do not pull the ring over the elbow of the leg, as this could cause problems.
For the next 2 to 3 days you must chick to see that the ring remains on the leg.
The chicks must be checked daily, to make sure that they are being properly fed. Watch for "dirty feeders" and chicks not being fed. The best thing to do in a situation such as this is to move them to another hen who is a reliable feeder.
It is a good idea to interchange chicks amongst the hens, so that all the chicks in a nest box are about the same size. You will invariably find that the bigger chicks will claim most of the food, with the result that the younger ones will be underfed and may die.
By interchanging chicks you will increase the chance of survival of the smaller ones dramatically.
A proven method is to put up a few pairs of feeders. In this way you can let your difficult hens lay and them move these eggs to the feeder pair. The eggs of the feeder pair are destroyed.
The youngsters should start coming out of the nest boxes when they are about 4 weeks old. If the chicks fall out of the nest boxes before, you must put them back. However, you must watch them carefully when this happens, as the hen may decide to discard the chicks of her own accord, should she want to breed again.
Look at the back of the youngster's heads, if there are signs of plucking, leave them outside. There is no reason to be alarmed in a situation like this. The parents will continue to feed them even if the hen is on a second round of eggs.
Approximately 5 1/2 weeks after hatching, the youngsters will be able to feed by themselves. At this stage of their development you must move them to a training or stock cage with other youngsters.
The youngsters should be kept in this training cage for 6 weeks before removing them to the aviary. During this period it is your duty, to ensure that their systems are developed and build up so that when they move to the aviary, they will be able to face the challenge of aviary life and the show bench, with confidence.
While in the training cage it is advisable to let them spend an occasional night in a show cage. This helps to settle them down and will be of great assistance in your future show preparation.
The feeding of these youngsters is very much the same as when they are with their parents.
Approximately 3 1/2 months after hatching, the youngsters will start experiencing their first moult. This takes between 4 and 6 weeks. After this they are young adult birds.
It is not advisable to allow the parents of these youngsters to breed more than 2 rounds in succession. Feeding takes a lot out of them. If you misuse you birds you could kill them, by causing the hens to become egg-bound etc. Remember - look after them and they will look after you.
Original Version BW Issue 3
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