Are They In The Right Condition.?

[Locksta12 0]

Hi, i have set up a breeding cage for my budgies and i was just curious to see if they are in a good condition to breed.

Here is the picture of the cage.

 

 

 

They have the following:

• Finch flight cage
  
• Cuttle bone
  
• Water with 2 drops of Avi-Drops (Multivitamin and added iodine)
  
• Calcium block
  
• Grit and Charcoal block
  
• Budgie Mix with added breeder pellets and Safflower seeds.
  
• Sprouted seed twice a week.
  
• Vegies Monday,Wednesday, Saturday.
  
• Egg and biscut crumble Tuesday.
  
• Normall egg with shell on Sunday.
  
• Natural Branch.
  
• Nest box Placed outside of the cage with wood shavings.
  
• Millet friday.
  

As you can see they love the millet haha

 

 

Here is their seed and pellet diet.

 

 

 

 

 

here are the budgies are they in condition?

 

Male:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Female:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note:The picture of the breeding cage was taken a week ago and have bought a number of new things for the cage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thankyou, any comments would be great

[Bird Junky 0]

Hi Remove the nest box until your birds are in condition. Judging by the photo your

hen is not yet ready.

Love your menu system. Medicating the water is a false economy , The medications

become ineffectual after a few hours. & as budgies drink very little. Your medicating

a lot of water which you have to throw away to provide fresh.

I note you don't provide an iodine block. This not only supplies needed minerals but

help in keeping the birds beaks in trim.

I would cut out the Safflower seed It contains only slightly less fat than Sunflower.

I would also cut out another false economy, the pellets as you are already providing

a good healthy mixed more natural diet....B.J.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Bird Junky

[Locksta12 0]

thankyou BJ i did all your 'corrections' haha. how long do i take the box out? when will she be at her peak condition? cheers

[Squeak_Crumble 0]

Your setup is perfect. Heck, better then mine! Personally, I think you don't need to change a thing whatsoever. The pellets are good, probably no need for safflower seeds unless the birds eat them. I know with mine, they would just kick them out. Either or. Also, I would recommend having a separate sprout mix. Not necessary, but provides more protein the normal budgie mix. In mine, I have bandicoot oats, sunflower, chick peas, wheat and... something else. I dunno. You probably don't need the calcium block in there if you have the cuttlebone as well.

 

Otherwise, keep it as it is!

[Finnie 0]

It all sounds pretty good. I have a couple of ideas for you.

 

One is to cut those long perches shorter, and put them so that they run front to back, one on each side of the cage, and more on the same level to each other. Part of the budgie mating ritual is that they fly back and forth from one perch to another, and the way you have them arranged makes that a little difficult.

 

The other idea is, if you can mount the nest box with the cage door to it closed, they can look inside, but not go inside. Then when you think they are ready, and you open the door, they are all the more eager to get inside the box. I've also heard of people partiallly covering the opening with cardboard, which the hen then has to chew and gnaw away to "make" her own nest, and which can stimulate the breeding instinct. I've never tried that, but it sounds like something a hen would enjoy.

[Locksta12 0]

thankyou. i set it up as you said and placed the nest box outside but they can still see it. Thankyou alot, but how long do you think it is until she is in condition.?

[Squeak_Crumble 0]

thankyou. i set it up as you said and placed the nest box outside but they can still see it. Thankyou alot, but how long do you think it is until she is in condition.?

 

I think she would be ready now, maybe a week or two just to let the cere turn that little bit more of a nutty colour.

 

And yes, I agree with Finnie on the perches! Didn't notice them

[Locksta12 0]

okay great, i put card board over it and she is just starting to make a hole. once she gets through that can be her reward (being in there) hahaha

[Locksta12 0]

this is her today, her cere is a bit more crusty

 

[Finnie 0]

Crusty? It should go smooth and chocolatey first. It kind of looks like the beginnings of scaley face mites. You could give them each a drop of ivermectin as a preventative, just in case.

 

I see that she also has a few pin feathers. Less in this photo than the previous one. Is this the tail end of her molt? When mine molt, they often go into breeding condition afterwards.

[Locksta12 0]

hi, thankyou for your reply, i gave her a drop just in case. yes i am guessing this is near the end, it has been going for a while but shes looking alot better now.

[Pride 0]

I think she looks close to Breeding condition, you have a very beautiful bird.

[Locksta12 0]

thankyou