Prepare for the breeding season
This article is put together for the eager budgie
breeders out there to first read this article and
make 100% sure you have everything needed to safely breeding your budgies.
The last thing you want is problems concerning breeding believe me it's bad so please read and enjoy...
breeders out there to first read this article and
make 100% sure you have everything needed to safely breeding your budgies.
The last thing you want is problems concerning breeding believe me it's bad so please read and enjoy...
Tips and answers
Why between 10 months and 3 years?
That's the age when the birds are mature enough to breed and at their most fertile .. Can I breed younger than 10 months? No! because they may be sexually ready, but mentally and physically they are not nearly ready and you may end up with lots of problems. Why not older then 3 years? Well you can, but the pair's fertility levels would decrease rapidly and problems like egg bound hens and clear eggs will appear. Why 2 cages for breeding? For in case you need to remove one of the parents because of violence against the chicks, or if the pair start to fight. Why must I split them up for so long [20 days] Because that's about the time it takes to break a unwanted pair or bond |
What do you need to breed your budgies successfully ?
So you got two budgies a cage and a nest box, now you are ready to start breeding you budgies or are you..?
The answer to the question above is definitely NO!! Let's start with the pair.. you can buy a pair from a pet shop or a breeder, in my opinion I'll choose a breeder because by doing that you can be for sure to get quality budgies that's fit and healthy, you can also learn the genetic background of your pair. a Breeding pair should ideally between the ages of 10 months and 3 years Okay so the breeding pair is all sorted out, next is the cage and setup ..
Above is a perfect example of a ideal breeding cage, firstly you need at least 3 breeding cages per pair especially with exhibition budgies.. 2 cages for breeding and 1 cage to wean the chicks in. Cage setup The ideal setup is a cage 24” long x 18” high and 18” wide The cage should contain a water bottle, a cuttle bone, food dish, 2-3 perches a mineral block and a extra food dish for some veggies or soft food. Let's see you have your breeding cage, nest box and your conditioned pair.. Now you can start breeding.... Not quite yet.. These are more for the exhibitors with exhibition budgerigars that want to start a family with good genes etc.. Firstly split up your pairs you want to breed by their sexes to break any unwanted pairings or bonding that happened in your flight cage, Split them up for about 20 days Unlike most birds the budgerigars don't form very strong bonds [for life] that is why you can break a bond between a pair of budgies by separating them. The time is finally here!! Your pair is in top breeding condition and ready to breed and all unwanted bonds are broken Now, set up your pair you want, give them all their greens etc.. and the eggs will follow about 10-15 days after putting your pairs together and remember to keep track of your pairs progress..[That will be posted on a other page] Enjoy your chicks |