bruffy

she wants to breed, you have probably already seen an egg or two by the time you read this reply

breeding can pass it on, as you are not going to breed then you can live with it, I have had birds that after a year to two years have overcome French moult fully feathered again

don't panic just growing

it was the very first egg laid by the hen

you can quite easily colony breed if you are very careful yes correct aviary size and flock size is a problem a few watering and feeding points to spread out contact *(some hens are just damn grumpy) common knowledge- more nest boxes than hens - no closer than 700mm apart (birds have their own territory) ALL AT THE SAME HEIGHT have a spare smaller aviary, to house spare cocks and hens- they will become THE trouble makers if a hen persists on an already taken box then MOVE all the unoccupied nest boxes around in different spots/or her for about a week (she will get that box out of her head)- shade , light, wind, exposure, may be a factor for why they are not occupied keep perches away from nest boxes as you create territory problems *(just watch your birds to note that they are not happy when others come too close) my opinion only, been there done that, still do , still breed good quality birds with good numbers of young I also cabinet breed a selected few pairs of my best as I want to get what I can from my birds that are ageing, their babies are the future for crossing

what I was trying to say is that I'm not a respected breeder - I buy from them, but have been involved in clubs both here and Victoria, I don't have the time to get right back into it, but I have bred budgies since I was 7 yrs old, about 48yrs now

don't get me wrong, but birds don't feed themselves in a nest box, forget millet- she either wants to breed or not, may be too young (I have two nine month old sibling hens, using the same nest box, 2 different cock birds) they just fledged 7 young and have 8 new fertile eggs, they tag team brooding and feeding, I do not show birds although I only buy from well known breeders in WA, therefore I don't care about their lineage as I will create my own as time goes by, I will re-join a club when I retire and then ring and show

when I first started breeding, I used to put the hen in the breeding cabinet (as I have reverted back to - all cabinets in the aviary- good contact with the flock , remember budgies are flock birds) then I would attach another cage to the front of the breeding cabinet with my preferred cock bird- by doing this the hen only has close contact with one male as the cage prevents others from trying to "cut in" but she still can see/hear her friends, give it three four days then introduce them, good luck, worst comes to worst extend the time , remember they will breed when they want to , not because you want them to be patient, good luck

try separating males , change their diet a little, maybe your weather conditions may have some effect this year??, don't know have you changed your aviary about a lot? generally they don't like changes , if so only change no more than 10 percent of anything in the aviary , and not regularly

could be just its personality or is actually younger and still needing the comfort of a corner to hide in, then again maybe a bit of separation anxiety from loss of siblings being about- therefore a bit young I would think, just my thoughts

Dwellingup, wa, Australia

24 hrs is way too long a time, egg food powder, available at a pet shop , no longer than every four hour should do it

budgies are great , they will keep you entertained, maybe you will get hooked and then breed them, I hope all is good for you and that you love them as much as we do

when hens are close to breeding they will show some sort of interest in a nest box (do not rely on their cere being dark brown when they are ready to breed as this is not always the case), try fixing a piece of very thin wood over the nest box hole, with a smaller hole drilled in it, about her head size- hens curiosity will get the better of her as she cant really resist a hole to peer into, then if she "wants in " she will gnaw away until she can actually fit in (some parrots and budgies do not like the hole size therefore problem hens can create their own size hole that they are comfortable with, others will enlarge the nest box hole) - in the old days (many moons ago, and some breeders today) you would put a log or large timber box hanging in an aviary with many holes in it, then hens get exited by this, maybe try half filling the nest box with pine shavings - while dhe removes the shavings she may be more receptive to breeding let me state that I have never had a problem in 25 years with hens wanting to breed , generally it may be fertility that may let me down (usually a particularly good hen that I reall want to have eggs) also it has been noted by other breeders that leaving the hen with the nest box by herself for at least three days, so that she knows that it is hers, then introducing the male helps

clipping primary flight feathers on one wing is fine - like clipping your finger nails- when next your bird moults , new flight feathers will grow. you only clip one wing as this upsets the lift a bird gets when trying to fly , therefore it cant fly too high or far due to exertion of the flight and in uneven air lift disregard the activists as they obviously have no idea