Fighting, Egg Eating And Mice In Nest Boxes

[Angus09 0]

Hi

This is the first time I have attempted to breed my budgies and it is not going well. It semmed to start fine, each budgie looking through the nest boxes and choosing which box suited them best. Then they started to fight. Not much just a bit and there was no blood. But the fights gradually got worse. Today one of my hens was bleeding badly all over her body and in one of her eyes. She was the one who laid the first egg. She laid it 2 days ago and has been incubating it. But today she was attacked and kicked out of her nest box. Her egg was eaten too. The budgie who kicked her out has been attacking almost every other budgie in the aviary except her mate. The 2 nest boxes that were not ocupied were taken over by mice. There was mouse poop and hair in both of them. I have set 2 mouse traps in the aviary (traps that cant harm the birds) with peaunut butter as bait but the mice never get trapped in them. I have taken the nest boxes out to stop all this but I am worried that any budgies that are about to lay eggs wont have anywhere to lay them. Should I put the nest boxes back in?

I really need some help!!!

 

Thanks

[mattdog2 0]

another problem with colony breeding....You are going to have to sort out this mice problem before you breed, Otherwise you will find dead chick's and eaten egg's. ...as for the hen who attacked them... you need to take her out ...as she is the main problem... and her mate also... Peanut butter work's sort of... but it's not a suitable substitute for seed, chicks, Egg's etc Try this link ... http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....c=26614&hl= ...

 

Until then... take the hen out as well as the injured one.. and wash her wound's with boiled water(Left till warm) ... then clean her with cotton ball's or bud's... or even some non-fragrant tissue...

Edited July 29, 2009 by mattdog2

[**KAZ** 0]

Hi

This is the first time I have attempted to breed my budgies and it is not going well. It semmed to start fine, each budgie looking through the nest boxes and choosing which box suited them best. Then they started to fight. Not much just a bit and there was no blood. But the fights gradually got worse. Today one of my hens was bleeding badly all over her body and in one of her eyes. She was the one who laid the first egg. She laid it 2 days ago and has been incubating it. But today she was attacked and kicked out of her nest box. Her egg was eaten too. The budgie who kicked her out has been attacking almost every other budgie in the aviary except her mate. The 2 nest boxes that were not ocupied were taken over by mice. There was mouse poop and hair in both of them. I have set 2 mouse traps in the aviary (traps that cant harm the birds) with peaunut butter as bait but the mice never get trapped in them. I have taken the nest boxes out to stop all this but I am worried that any budgies that are about to lay eggs wont have anywhere to lay them. Should I put the nest boxes back in?

I really need some help!!!

 

Thanks

 

The hazards of colony breeding Angus....take the hen out you think it causing the problem and then it will be another hen and another and another......so that isnt your solution. You have chosen the hardest way to breed budgies.

Best to keep the aviary for their holidays from breeding and breed them in cabinets one pair per cabinet. Mice have to be controlled as their wee and poop in birds food will make a budgie very sick and even kill them. Why would a mouse eat peanut butter when there is a source of good seed about ?

[Angus09 0]

Thanks

I am probably not ready to breed budgies and I might not be for a while.

[mattdog2 0]

It's not at all your fault... these thing's happen to everyone... It's just unfortunately a common outcome when colony breeding.

[jack 0]

agree will MD, i started with colony breeding (only two pair) but as soon as they started fighting i looked up this forum, read what everyone had to say and moved my pairs to breeding cages. these guy have lots of info and is a great help. :rip:

[mattdog2 0]

agree will MD, i started with colony breeding (only two pair) but as soon as they started fighting i looked up this forum, read what everyone had to say and moved my pairs to breeding cages. these guy have lots of info and is a great help. :rip:

Part of the reason i got rid of my budgie's (except 8) because of colony breeding issue's.... i had a nest slaughtered by one of the hen's... which spelt the end of colony breeding budgie's for me.... so fortunately i have taken up cabinet breeding and am replacing my budgie aviary once cleaned etc with regent parrot's...

[Pearce 0]

Dont steer away from colony breeding just yet.

It can be harder, but in my opinion it is more rewarding.

Have double the amount of nest boxes per hen. I like to have nest boxes 3 foot apart, same height, different entry points.

 

The mice is your main problem at this point, get rid of the mice and all you have left is fighting budgies.

Remove the perpetrator, for a few weeks, put her back. If problem continues, sell her.

 

I've started colony breeding again and so far have 5 nests of babies, no problems have yet to occur. Problems will occur in the future, but I will be able to control them.

[maesie 0]

I'm sorry for your issues. Breeding is not as simple as putting in a few nests boxes and well ah...As a beginner breeder... I would only recommend cabinet breeding... Breeding is enjoyable, but at the same time, it can be heartbreaking...

 

As to your mouse problem... breeding or not, it needs to be fixed, as mice spread diseases, which can be fatal to birds. I prefer trapping. You should also make sure there isn't any stuff lying around outside near the avairy... Also, type mice into our search function and you should be able to find some helpful hints there.

 

Opps... and WELCOME!!! :rip:

[GenericBlue 0]

Thanks

I am probably not ready to breed budgies and I might not be for a while.

 

sounds like a good plan a smart one

kill the mice probblem then mouse proof the floor i brought stain a steel messing but that cost **** loads

but never rusts

i then pop-riveted it to bottom of my aviary floor nothings getting in that way now unless it has a chain saw

its fox proof to

then im slowly placeing pavers down a few every pay is the plan

im also placing on sliding doors to sheid from wind and winter storms made from that c through plastic flat sheets its thin but sun proof

one each side and the frount will have a drop down one

the bottom all around will be permanant so mice cant climb or jump up and in

i dont have mice where i am yet ...... so im getting prepered in case

birds are a lot to look after if you really want to do it right

i started before i had the right set up and belive me i still have not got the right set up

as its a lot to cover

you need worming

mite proventer

a medicine kit

minerals

cuttle bone

iodine

shell grit

money for freash veggies weekly

time to clean the aviry weekly if not twice weekly

dayly cleaning of seed trays water picking up of left over greens so they dont go sour

you need to clean chicks mouths out dayly and record growth

clean boxes and breeding cages dayly

or few days

check birds over thats half hour to hour just watching each one see if they them self

thats if they stay healthy

money set aside for vet so you have it when needed

or for anything they may need just like bang their and now like dezeze illness

the list goes on

and on and on

belive me if your breeding healthy birds and keeping them housed right and feed corect then its not cheep

i just spent 200 on seed alone and that was cheep

then each cabnit needs iodine bell and charcol bell and cuttle bone at fewwdollors each i get them bit cheeper but still 1 something each and when chicks come egg n biskit and millet one bunch for 6 dollors does one cage for the duration of 4 weeks ussing one millet spray a day for 5 chicks thats for me over one hundred alone for one clutch per 12 breeding cabnits

my seed lasts me just under a month so 150 to two hundred a month just on seed with out the added extras

i own around 50 birds give or take up to 35 chicks in nest at any breeding depending how many pairs i place down

yes i sell my birds but i dont ask the price i need to get a return on them as i rather place them in loving home not just sell to who ever all birds sold keep other birds fed and healthy

but hay its my chossen hobby and worth every cent i can get i clean just to keep my birds toilets yuk lol for extra penny or i could not keep them all but you need at least 6 pairs down at once to save heart ach and chicks

so my advice is get everything first birds last

if you have birds get everything first then breed

good luck and its worth it if done right problems rarly acure form my experiance anyways

 

and its only going to get more expencive going in to show birds .....man

[Dean_NZ 0]

Noticed you mentioning charcoal bells for breeding cabinets GB. While your post was excellent, it just reminded me of something i learned that might interest you. I posted it here (click on this). Let me know what you think :rip:

[GenericBlue 0]

Noticed you mentioning charcoal bells for breeding cabinets GB. While your post was excellent, it just reminded me of something i learned that might interest you. I posted it here (click on this). Let me know what you think

 

sent you a pm mate k