Care Of Baby Budgies In The Nest

[**KAZ** 0]

4. Access to Nesting Box.

To gain access to a nesting box, just tap on the outside of the box and parent/ parents will usually hop out and allow you to check the babies. If the parent stays in the box and squarks its head off, try putting your hand in with palm facing down and back of hand upwards...

I am in trouble with one of my hens , at the moment I put my hand into the nest I got two blood drawing bites out of three and retreated immediately

 

Today , as the second egg had to be hatched and I had a fight with the hen for 10 seconds to make her leave the nest , hopefully this time I was holding a millet spray in trying to convience her to out . Checking the nest boxes with this hen is a problem and I am afraid of causing any harm to the eggs or the chicks hatched .

 

I am also a bit afraid of having more bites and bloody fingers :rofl:

 

Sorry if adding a question under the topic is against the forum rules , I can open it again in Breeding Help section , is there any way having her get used to regular checks and cleaning ?

I would suggest you wear some cotton gardening gloves to protect your fingers a little....if she wont leave by trying to persuade her out, then put your gloved hand in back of hand uppermost, you put your hand in that way aiming for under the hen. That way you can lift her on the back of your hand, and protect the eggs under her at the same time. She will either carry on at you sitting on the back of your hand or she will get out. Doing it this way, you can lift her off the eggs and look under her. The gloves will afford you some protection. Depends too on the style of your nestboxes.

[cem 0]

Thanks Kaz , cotton gloves helped a lot , I was using the surgery ones , otherwise I will be the one who gets used to being biten instead of her being used to my regular checks .

 

I have alo noticed when the cock is in the nest too , she goes out more easly (the cock stays in) and gives a few seconds , by the way cock in this case is great , he is very fond of his heirs , incubates and feeds them regularly , 3 out of 5 has been hatched , today I am expecting one more , after two weeks I may remove the hen and let the cock finish the job and have comfortable cleanings as I will have to do once in a every second day .

[mysixbabies 0]

wow that was soo good, am about to print it out!

[georgie_leato 0]

Cool great information really help

thanks!!!

[**KAZ** 0]

ALWAYS check the newly hatched chicks.................

not only for signs of being fed

 

BUT

 

A mother may spill some of the feeding across the baby budgies "face" .

 

This feeding will set like concrete

 

and stop the baby being able to open its beak for further feeds.

 

 

 

I just checked a nest with three babies. One was lying on its back with no food in its crop. I checked closer and found its face was all gummed up with a previous feeding and had set so the poor little chickie could not open its beak for another feed and so it was missing out on being fed.

 

I removed the crusty food off its face and it has since been fed. Fingers crossed it isnt too late

Edited September 2, 2010 by KAZ

[**KAZ** 0]

Have a nest right now with 7 babies.......have to check at least 3 times a day because one or both parents are messy feeders. Babies constantly have faces plastered with food which sets quickly.....nostrils covered beaks glued shut. If you dont get the food off their face quickly it erodes their beak, stops them from being fed and stops breathing.........another good reason for constant nestchecking........take note those who dont check nests often enough.

[GenericBlue 0]

i too had chick fed this morning but then two more chicks hatched same nest same day(today ) first two fed okay but last chick got air only

i looked later before night chick was weak

i moved to another nest where it was fed full the other two were fine but mum could not fed three new borns at one time all hatched with in few mints of each other

i would of lost chick but now i just lost whom it belongs to as other nest had day old two