Hi guys I am new to the forum and breeding budgies really.
A little background before the issue, sorry if it's long.
We have had a bonded pair for three years and one day they decided to start mating (this wasn't our intention but we were excited).
We got her a nesting box and off they went. She has had three clutches so far of around 8 eggs each time (around 4 hatch and survive). The reason we let her have the third clutch is because she keeps laying more before the last chick from the last clutch has left the nesting box. My friend is Libby I think she used to be a member here? Anyway she told me how to fix that problem because she is probably exhausted and needs to rest for a while before breeding again.
Anyway one day randomly I heard a commotion from one of the cages (the one that had her and the cock as well as 4 babies that had left the nest, about a month old, as well as all the new eggs she is laying). I went outside to see her and the cock fighting like mad, I noticed blood on and around her beak and none on him, took me a minute to notice one of the month old babies sitting in a corner bleeding like crazy from a wound above her ceres and a cracked beak. Strait away called Libby, she said remove the baby and put her in another cage with the older babies we have (4 months) and clean with warm salty water, etc etc keep an eye on her. after a while we put her back in with mum and dad cause she wasn't eating just sleeping and mum kept trying to preen her and feed her so we thought all was well. Next morning mum wakes me to tell me mum is attacking again, as well as repeatedly trying to attack another baby. We removed her and dad and put all babies in together. All was well until.............
Yesterday! Mums friend was buying one of the babies from the most recent clutch. We didn't want to get them mixed up and sell one we wanted to keep (as 3 were almost identical) so mum said move the one we wanted to keep in with the mum and dad. I said no because the mums crazy and we should instead put it in the spare cage until her friends came to pick one up. Anyway mum insisted and I said you better keep an eye on them all day. I went to work and came home around 330. Mums friends rocked up and I heard mum going OMG. Ran out and the budgie we put in with mum and dad was barely breathing, face covered in blood (way worse than the first one she attacked), lying face down on bottom of cage, bloody feet. Etc. Mum was covered in blood like a vampire and had injured foot, and dad had injured eye. Mum said its cruel to keep it alive and asked her friends husband to euthanized it. I was soo angry as I wanted to take it to the vet or try help it and stormed off. Needless to say it was euthanized and I feel sick. Can't get image out my head. It was my baby from the first clutch .
I know won't put any budgies in with her again. I am worried about the new clutch, they haven't started hatching yet but will she attack these? I think she may just be exhausted. Could the little one of been saved? My friend reckons it could as its beak was intact.
Why is the mum doing this? Do you think the dad was in on it too?
Sorry this is soo long!
Rochelle
