Breed Budgies

Budgie breeding may sound like a great hobby and it is! However you need lots of knowledge. You also need to make all of the budgerigars happy and healthy to make a happy family.

Steps

Preparing to Breed

  1. Decide whether you really want to breed budgies. Breeding budgies takes time and isn’t easy. You need to cash out on supplies and feed, check on the budgies often, clean the cage daily and set aside extra time for caring for the chicks.
  2. Find a suitable room to breed budgies. The room should be quiet, protected from predators including pets, have no disturbances and the only person entering the room should be you.
  3. Set up a suitable cage. Choose one that is approximately two feet wide. The cage should be wider than it is tall (budgies fly horizontally), square-topped and have at least three doors: one for the food dish, one for the water dish and one for you to easily access the cage. You might need to cut a small hole in the cage for the nest box (see below for a nest box).
    • Add bedding to the cage. Suitable bedding include paper towels, pine shavings, straw, and even bunny and hamster bedding supplies will work to.
  4. Get all the items needed. You’ll not only need to prepare items for the mating budgies but also for the budgies chicks as well. You'll likely need:
    • A couple of perches. Make sure the perch is a natural wood and isn’t dangerous to your budgies.
    • A few toys for the male budgie. Make sure you don’t have so many toys so that the cage is cramped and do not put the toys too close that can cause the male to get hurt. It’s also recommended that you do not put any rope toys in the cage as the budgies and fledgling chicks might get tangled up in them.
    • A feeder.
    • Water dishes including an extra one for when the baby budgies fledge.
    • Budgie feed or finch/canary mix.
    • Budgie pellets.
    • A cuttle bone for extra calcium.
    • Liquid calcium or grit (two of these calcium sources at least).
    • A mineral block (optional).
    • Extra food for when the baby budgies fledge.
    • Baby budgie food
    • A small syringe
    • A spare cage for when the chicks grow up.
  5. Set up a place for an neglected baby budgie just in case. If your budgie pair have a big hatch you may encounter some problems with the youngest chicks getting cared for properly. This is why you have to prepare a safe and warm home for an abandoned or neglected chick. However, it’s a bit rare to get more than one neglected chick during one hatch.

Adding a Nest Box

Nesting budgies need a cosy and comfortable place to nestle into and raise chicks.

  1. Buy or make a reasonably sized nest box. Good dimensions are: (9" (H) X 6" to 8" (W) X 6" to 7"(D) with an entry hole of 2 inches (5.1 cm) diameter).
    • Make sure that it has a little dish in it so the eggs don't roll and get rolled out of the nest and away from the heat of the mother bird. This is important so the eggs don't get cold.
  2. Make a budgie coconut husk nest box, if desired. If you like, make your own nest box from coconut husks. A coconut husk makes an ideal choice as it is not only snug but also offers something to bite on should the budgie get such a notion.
    • Locate three coconut husks. They need to be roughly the same size.
    • Drill some holes in one of the husks. Make a hole in the top part of the husk, a hole on one side and another hole on the other edge.
    • Repeat for the other two husks.
    • Draw the husks together using bird-safe wire or string. Thread through the drilled holes.
    • Make a hanger hole at the front of the husk. Or, make it wherever it seems appropriate.
    • Hang the husk in the breeding cage.
    • Add nesting materials to nest box (E.G. pine shavings).

Selecting the Breeding Pair

  1. Find a suitable breeding pair. The pair must be older than 1 year but younger than 5 years old. They should be healthy and have no deformities such as splayed legs or similar.
    • You should also buy a budgie pair that is from the same cage/aviary so that they know each other already. If you don’t buy a budgie pair from the same cage you will have to spend time trying to get them both used to each other and it will also take them quite some time trying to bond.
    • You can purchase healthy budgies from a local pet shop or from another reliable breeder. A good budgie pair should be alert, awake and making lots of noise whilst a bad budgie pair would be sleepy, huddled up and its eyes would be cloudy.
    • If you want eggs to eat (called infertile eggs) do not get a male budgie; just get a female one and she will lay eggs that you can eat, should you wish to eat budgerigar eggs.....
  2. Ensure that the breeding pair are cared for properly. If you are going to start breeding budgies you will want to breed from a healthy budgie pair that is being cared for properly. This way you will most likely have a successful hatch of baby budgies.
    • Everything should be clean including the cage, bedding, feeders and water containers. Depending on the amount of budgies there is in one cage, it should also be spacious and not cramped.
    • The feeders should be filled with feed and the budgies should be fed a balanced diet consisting of seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, etc. The water containers should also be filled with fresh, clean water.
  3. Give the budgies time to settle in. Budgies won’t breed until they have adjusted to the new surroundings and they also need time to bond. You will have to wait for at least four weeks for them to consider mating.
  4. Find a suitable avian vet (specializes in birds) if you haven't already done so. Keep all details, including a phone number, close at hand. You never know when something will go wrong, so when it does, call.
    • It’s also good to get your budgies checked out by an avian vet to make sure they are not sick and are suitable to breed.

Caring for the Breeding Budgies

  1. Feed the budgies daily. A good diet consists of fruits, veggies, seeds, grains, etc. You can also purchase a budgie or finch/canary mix and pellets that you can feed to your budgie along with the fruits and veggies.
    • Be aware that budgies eat a lot more when the chicks hatch so you should give them some extra food when the chicks do come about.
  2. Provide plenty of fresh water for your budgies. The water container (and feeder) should be next to the perch and it should also be cleaned at least once a week.
  3. Clean a Parakeets or Budgie Cage the cage once a week. Rinse the cage and feeders out, dispose of all bedding and get rid of the feed/water and supply fresh feed/water. Avoid using cleaning products that aren’t safe for your budgies.

Breeding Your Budgies

  1. Wait. Do not disturb the budgies. They will do their "thing" in their own time, but disturbing them and constantly hovering over them is not going to help. You may not catch them mating, but if you do, let them be. If you don’t the female/hen will tell the male to get off and the mating will stop. The female budgie will soon lay about 4-6 eggs.
  2. When eggs come about, wait until each one is five days old and candle them. Candling the eggs means that you will know which eggs are fertile and which eggs are not. You can find candling steps online. Be very gentle and avoid touching the eggs, if you are going to touch the eggs at least wash your hands first to prevent passing on bacteria to the egg.
    • Be aware that this step is optional; it's recommended that you do your research first before deciding.

Caring for the Chicks

  1. Check the nest box regularly. The chicks will begin to hatch around day 20 so it is very important that you check the nest box daily. Try to do this when the mother bird is out eating. Block the nest box entrance temporarily (for example, use a cut of newspaper). This is so the mother bird doesn't burst in and bite you.
    • Gently check the chicks over for injury, seeds/air bubbles in the crop (the sack at the base of the chick's neck).
    • Check that the crop is full (bulging).
    • Make sure no food is stuck inside the top of the upper mandible (top of the beak). If there is food, gently pick it away with the end of a matchstick or the quill-end of a feather.
    • Clean off any poop and/or food from around the toes, beak, eyes, and other body parts with a soft, damp, and warm cloth.
    • Remove/dispose of any dead bodies in the nesting box.
  2. Note that budgies have a very poorly developed sense of smell, so they will not care if you touch their babies.
  3. Observe the chicks and the mother. If you see any problems with the chicks and the mother (E.G the mother isn’t feeding one chick) then consider hand-raising a chick or two.
  4. Clean the nesting box and cage daily. Chicks also mean poop, so the nest box must be cleaned out regularly. When the hen is out eating, remove the chicks and eggs to a small container lined with soft paper towels. Scrape out the soiled bedding and scrape away wet poops from the bottom of the nest box, then replace the nesting materials with fresh stuff. Gently replace chicks and eggs back. Make sure to be as quick as possible.
  5. When chicks reach three weeks old, or close to that, provide them with one millet spray each day. Simply put it in the box. The mother bird will nibble at it and immediately regurgitate this for her chicks. The babies may also take a bite or two, mimicking their mother. This helps with weaning later on as chicks recognise the seed as being food straight away.

Fledging Time

  1. Provide your chicks with seed. When the chicks finally fledge at the age of 28-35 days old, put a dish of seed at the bottom of their cage. Though the father bird feeds them entirely at this stage, you want to encourage them to start eating solid food as soon as possible. It’s also a great idea to provide a bowl of chopped fresh fruits and veggies – fledglings love to explore and try new things!
    • You should also provide a bowl full of fresh, clean water at the bottom of the cage for the chicks. Make sure the bowl is shallow and that the chicks can access it easily. If it is too big you can add some marbles to stop the chicks from drowning.
  2. Provide chicks with a small hut on the ground so they can shelter from grumpy Mama. If you allow the hen to lay another round of eggs, she will often become aggressive towards the chicks. Since you want chicks to stay with the male bird as long as possible, give them a clean, empty upside-down ice-cream container with a door cut out of it, or a hamster igloo which you can purchase from the pet store. The baby will shelter in this.
    • Make sure that baby birds don't stay in there all day, Maybe take it out for a few hours a day so the baby birds can explore the cage and remember to eat and drink.
  3. Remove the nest box. You can let the hen go on for a second round but often it causes a lot of stress on the breeding pair. When the last chick fledges, remove the nest box immediately and seal the hole where the nest box was. Perhaps separate the mother bird from the father bird and the chicks, as she may be a bit mean to her babies.
  4. Name your baby birds. You may not be able to know the gender of a budgie baby but when it is around 1 month, you can give it an appropriate name. Guess what, you made a budgie happy family!

Tips

  • Chicks can be separated from their parents at 6 weeks of age and when they have their feathers or at least their wing feathers.

Warnings

  • The budgie pair may fight if they are not ready to breed. If so, keep them in separate cages to let them get to know each over and then put them in the same cage when you think they have a bond.
  • Don't let budgies breed in nest boxes that are too small or anything not meant for breeding in. If eggs end up in a Snuggle Hut, log, cardboard box or the like that you put in the cage, replace with fake eggs and addle the real ones (shake them up fast).
  • Never colony breed. Colony breeding is when you breed more than one pair of birds in a single cage at a time. This often results in nest raids, dead/injured chicks, broken eggs, injured/fighting/dead parents, etc. Although wild budgies breed in colonies, they have many, many trees and hollows to choose from for nest sites, and the whole sky to fly around in.

Things You’ll Need

  • A couple of perches.
  • Budgie or finch/canary mix.
  • Budgie pellets.
  • A few bird toys.
  • Nesting box (if making the coconut husk one: 3 coconut husks, bird-safe wire or string and a drill).
  • Suitable bird cage.
  • Breeding budgie pair.
  • Fruits.
  • Vegetables.
  • Mineral block (optional).
  • Cuttle Bone.
  • Feeders.
  • Water containers.
  • Orphaned baby home.
  • Bedding.
  • Nesting materials.
  • Liquid calcium or grit (two of these calcium sources at least).
  • Baby budgie formula.
  • Small syringe.
  • Fresh water.
  • Millet sprays.
  • A spare cage for when the chicks grow up.
  • Extra money ($500 + for each pair would be ideal, if something does go wrong, it is often very expensive)

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