Disaster In The Breeding Room

[splat 0]

I am having a bad year, this has never happened to me before, wondering if it is the diet.

Well my problem is I have in one breeding box a hen decided to attack the oldest of her young, This hen was raising them by herself because the cock bird died, everything was going fine until the oldest 2 left the nest. After she attacked the oldest one I took them all off her and spread them around in different nest.

That was good for a week but then one of the cock birds killed the one that was attacked ealier, so I decide their must of been something wrong with that bird because he was always screaming for food, that's why I think they attaked him.

So I left the cock bird in the cage with his partner and babies 2 theirs and 2 from the other nest. Yesterday before I went to work everthing was fine the next young down from the one that was killed was sitting up on the perch and the others on the floor. When I came home the one sitting on the perch was dead, attacked face and head destroyed what a horriable death, I was totally beyound myself. I took the hen out and now the cock is left with the others and I am scared he will do it a again.

But Greg thinks that the one killed yesterday may have gone into the nest and she may have been ready to nest again and chucked that shits, who knows. But I have no where else to put the young.

Have also got one with one splayed leg,

Anyone have any advise because I am pulling my hair out here with worry.

[**KAZ** 0]

How old were the youngsters when you fostered them out ? If too old and feathered the foster parents may not take to them as their own.

 

Re splayed legs...we have a solution in our FAQ section.

Edited July 4, 2007 by **KAZ**

[macka 0]

Splat, thats the thing with budgies,some let the young stay in the pen with them,past there use by date & others , in a blink of a eye, attack the chicks.It always seems to be a chick you thought might of made the grade.From my experiance it is best to take them out, if you see them sitting on the perch.Did you have something in the pen for the young to hide from the parents. A jam tin,with the opening closed so the young can get away ftom the hen or cock if the attack them.

[splat 0]

Macka, I put a medium size milo tin in their since then but I have it lying on its sid ewith the lid off wiil that work or will they be able to go in and attack them?

 

How old were the youngsters when you fostered them out ? If too old and feathered the foster parents may not take to them as their own.

 

Re splayed legs...we have a solution in our FAQ section.

 

 

Kas they were between 2 weeks and 3 when i put them in there and everything was good for a week or probably more. Seems they fed them and all I thought everything would be good but nooo. :ausb:

[**KAZ** 0]

Macka, I put a medium size milo tin in their since then but I have it lying on its sid ewith the lid off wiil that work or will they be able to go in and attack them?

 

How old were the youngsters when you fostered them out ? If too old and feathered the foster parents may not take to them as their own.

 

Re splayed legs...we have a solution in our FAQ section.

 

 

Kas they were between 2 weeks and 3 when i put them in there and everything was good for a week or probably more. Seems they fed them and all I thought everything would be good but nooo. :ausb:

 

I had the same thing happen once too....seemed like the parents knew which ones werent theirs and ...same as you....the chick was attacked when out in the breeder cage floor.

 

Re the baby budgie refuge...it needs to have a small opening so baby can go in and parent will give up on the attack. I would rather pull them out and try and finish feeding them than risk attacks. But its a hard choice to make.

[KathyW 0]

they were between 2 weeks and 3 when i put them in there and everything was good for a week or probably more.

 

 

okay, so they are now 5 weeks old??? Fully feathered now? They *might* be just old enough to feed themselves if they have a role model to follow. Do you have another cage (with no nest box) that you could put an unattached independent male and the remaining youngsters in to "show them the ropes" so to speak? Leave plenty of seed scattered on their floor for them to forage in. Foraging is a natural instinct for them.

 

If that doesn't work you may have no choice but to hand feed them. Not easy with older chicks unless they are used to being handled and very co-operative :-(

 

KathyW.

[**KAZ** 0]

they were between 2 weeks and 3 when i put them in there and everything was good for a week or probably more.

 

 

okay, so they are now 5 weeks old??? Fully feathered now? They *might* be just old enough to feed themselves if they have a role model to follow. Do you have another cage (with no nest box) that you could put an unattached independent male and the remaining youngsters in to "show them the ropes" so to speak? Leave plenty of seed scattered on their floor for them to forage in. Foraging is a natural instinct for them.

 

If that doesn't work you may have no choice but to hand feed them. Not easy with older chicks unless they are used to being handled and very co-operative :-(

 

KathyW.

Good point KathyW...I wasnt adding up their ages....totally agree with what you have just said. :ausb:

[splat 0]

No there night 5 weeks yet the oldest almost the youngest nearly 4 weeks, I think the hen kicked them out too early. They are not eating on their own yet. But will take your advice and try it. :ausb: