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Hi, I'm also new to the group.

My female budgie, Charlotte, is sitting on three eggs and I believe they're still coming. It's her first time around, and mine too. Charlotte seems to be doing quite well, but since she's usually in her breeding box I don't see her that much. She does come out in the morning to mate with the male, Buddy, and to quickly grab something to eat.

Thus far I haven't felt a need to do that much, other than to spend more time with Buddy to keep him company. I'm assuming that could change when the eggs begin to hatch in mid-February.

Being new to this, I would be most thankful to anyone who would be available to answer questions as they arise. General advice, reading suggestions and warnings from board members would also be helpful and most appreciated.

Thanks

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Paca

You really should have read and done as much research before getting into this...

Do you have just one pair? Are they of breeding age? Are they on a healthy diet? Are they in a large cage so that the hen can get plenty of exercise or is she allowed out frequently to get plenty of exercise to keep herself in shape?

What will you do if the hen becomes egg-bound? Or if she starts to pluck and mutilate the chicks? Or if she abandons the chicks?

Will you be able to handfeed the chicks? Do you have handfeeding experience? Will you be able to feed chicks up to every hour (dependant no the age of the chicks) Do you have handfeeding supplies? Syringes; handfeeding formula; brooder; thermometers; hygrometer; towels; paper towels; etc?

What happens if the chicks that you are handfeeding have a slow crop? Or crop burn? Or get a bacterial or fungal infection? Do you have the money to take them to an avian vet to be treated?

Do you have an extra cage for the chicks once they wean? Do you plan on keeping the chicks or selling/giving them away?

Breeding should never be taken lightly, and theres so much that could go wrong... you should have at least one avian vet and one emergency avian vet, as well as breeders for friends in case something goes wrong. With any luck you'll have great parents who'll raise the chicks... but you should be prepaired for if something does go wrong.

There's many great books out there on breeding and handfeeding that you may want to check into...
http://www.amazon.com/Parrots-Hand-Feed ... 699&sr=1-1

Hey Monica,

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. Over the months I have read and re-read the breeding chapters in the Wolter book, but being brand new to this I still have some uncertainty.

Yes, I have one pair and they are in a fairly large cage (20"/20"/26"). The cage is next to a row of windows that I have taped for the winter, and I keep a space heater nearby (I live in Georgia).

The female is about 2 years old and the male about 18 mos. Both are allowed out of the cage when my dog isn't here, but I have kept the cage closed since the female began laying. ???

Diet has been an issue. On the advice of the book, the vet (he's right around the corner, thankfully), and the pet store guy, I have tried lots of different packaged bird foods and fresh vegetables, fruits, etc.. but all they seem to really go for is seed and millet.

I'll be keeping the birds that hatch, and I do have an extra cage but have been planning on keeping all in the big one.

I'm really not sure how closely I should monitor the female. I've left her alone, other than to peek into the nesting box once a day. She comes out to mate in the morning, and I observe her then. Should I be doing something different? I do have a heat lamp in case of egg binding, but I'm not sure it's something I would properly diagnose.

I don't have any experience hand feeding, but I do have formula and a syringe.

When the chicks are born, how often should I monitor the box? When, how, and how often should I handle them? What should I look for? The Wolter book says to feel the crop, and if it feels emply then to hand-feed. I'm not sure I'd recognize an empty crop, though.

Thanks again for your earlier response and thanks in advance for your willingness to take a stab at some of these questions.

I wouldn't call a 20x20x26 a fairly large cage... considering the amount of room they need to fly about in. This size cage would be "fine" for two birds but no more.

Exercise is important for egg laying hens... they may not be so interested in exercise when in breeding mode but remaining healthy helps keep their body in shape for laying eggs.

You may have better luck getting the parents to eat a variety of foods once the chicks start to leave the nest... chicks tend to be very curious and beaky little things... so offering a variety of foods as soon as they start to leave may encourage the parents to try out those new foods... also, parents may be willing to eat more foods while in breeding mode, so keep offering them each day! Try feeding sprouted seeds, as well as corn bread with some fresh/frozen fruits/veggies mixed in!

If you plan on keeping the offspring then I suggest you get a flight cage or two... A&E, HQ, and Centurion Aviaries all have some good flight cages that are similar and usually range in price from $80-$300 depending on where you get them from (brand new or used).

In the case of egg-binding, many suggest going directly to an avian vet if you believe something is amiss.... although some have suggested holding the hen over/in warm/steamy water and gently massage their rump (being careful not to break the egg) and others have suggested giving oil (goes RIGHT through their system! I know first hand, as I had a young [at the time] female tiel drink a couple gulps of cooking oil... obviously, she had TOO much and was not well for a couple of weeks after that)


As for handfeeding, I suggest you try getting some experience from a reputable breeder, handfeeder, or avian vet.


As for monitoring the nestbox, well you don't want to disturb them too frequently, so it would be best either when the hen is not inside the box (assuming the box is on the outside of the cage where you can easily reach it) or checking when they are least active... you don't need to check more than once a day (or twice a day), but less frequently (such as every other day) would do just as well.

Handling the chicks varies... some say you can handle them the day they hatch while others say that you shouldn't handle them until they are two weeks of age or older... the reasoning behind this is that younger chicks get colder faster... therefore it's recommended to keep the room the birds are in extra warm. If you handle them early you probably don't want to handle them for any longer than 5-10 minutes... but when they start feathering out you could probably handle them for 20-30 minutes at a time.

The crops are easy to see when they have no feathers. Just born chicks will be able to survive for some hours before feeding as they still have food from when they were inside the shell. I don't know the time frame from when chicks hatch to when their parents feed them (this may vary) but they should be fed within the first 24 hours after hatching.



I'm not experienced in breeding in any way... I've tried breeding budgies with no luck (two pairs, either no eggs or infertile eggs) and bourkes (first clutch infertile, second clutch two fertile eggs). I've never handfed, but understand the gist of things (and this is not including feeding a 13 year old mitred conure handfeeding formula! ).

Monica,

Thanks for the great reply. Funny, I had just been thinking that a larger cage might be beneficial. I saw some nice (and pricey) ones at Petsmart yesterday. I will look into suppliers you mentioned.

The room where I have the birds now is sort of a natural aviary in that it is a small addition to the house and the sunniest room that I have. I am mulling ways to close it off (curtains?) and to put in some perches. It would be fun to turn it into a little savannah and just give it over to the birds. (I'll probably keep the couch because it's a nice place to read and to commune with the birds).

Charlotte now has 5 eggs. If all goes well the first should hatch Valentine's Day or the day after. I still have work to do to prepare for different scenarios. Charlotte looks a little weak and haggard but when she comes out she is alert and active. They still are mating.. twice a day from what I can tell. Buddy seems to be helping.

Thanks again.

Gary

Do you live in Atlanta, as in Atlanta, Georgia???

If so, just looking around Craigslist for some possible deals...
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/for/552451645.html

Not sure how the best way would be to close it off... windows could pose a problem if they don't understand the concept of them... I'm sure they'd love it though!

Best of luck!

Hey, wow Monica. Thanks for looking that up. I will keep an eye on Craigslist.

I have a lot of stuff to do. As you noted I need to install shades for 4 windows and two doors. Also received some nice tips on emergency kits, and I need to get one of those together.

The "bird room" could be a nice project and a lot of fun for the "guys." It's a great, sunny space.

I've dedicated an 11' x 14' room to the birds.. only Charlie doesn't live in there (except to sleep, in a cage). Noel is in an HQ flight cage, and the rest (12 birds) are cage-free. The tiels and bourke do well enough, but the budgies... yeegads! They chew on the door, chew on the window frame and the wood around it, on the drywall on any corners they can get to... lol

They'd love it, but be prepaired for the little monsters to destroy the room!

Monica,

Thanks for the warning. Cage free.. THAT'S cool.

Up to now my budgies have been quite mannerly when they venture out. Directing traffic is certain to become more complex when the new ones leave the nest.

Here's a question you might be able to answer. When will my female Charlotte be ready to venture out again? I have kept the cage closed since Charlotte began laying.

Somewhere I read, and at the moment the reason escapes me, that the mother should be separated from chicks after several weeks and the father should assume care. I'm hoping that's good advice because at some point Charlotte will need a break and will need to get some exercise.

Thanks again for your interest and your advice.

It may very much be up to her... while she's nesting she may have very little interest in coming out... but as she gets her chicks she may start spending more time out of her nest.

As for removing her from her chicks... well that depends... some hens can become aggressive and attack their chicks wanting them out of the nest so they can lay another clutch... while others may start laying a second clutch before the first one leaves.... and yet others may wait to lay a clutch until after the first clutch leaves the nest entirely.

With any luck Charlotte will be a good mother!

Monica,

As always you're a step ahead.

I want to head off a second clutch. My plan has been simply to remove the nesting box when the last chick leaves.

Is it not that simple?

I gave you multiple possibilities of what she MIGHT do! You never know until it happens! Therefore, I can't tell you what would be best to do until something happens... Keep us updated!

Hey Monica,

I have a baby bird! What a beautiful little thing.

Two baby budgies. Feel the love.