Kathryn's Breeding Journal

[kathryn92 0]

Firstly a little information on me, for those reading this. For my whole life I have owned budgies, aviary birds and indoor pets. Currently I am at university, studying animal sciences in the hopes of becoming a veterinarian, maybe even an avian vet now!

University holidays started and somehow I started breeding budgies. I had kept a few in an aviary I had once built. I did my research (every day) and now have four pairs set up in breeding cages. As pictured below.

 

 

Three of those four pairs have eggs and one has two chicks already

[kathryn92 0]

My Pairs,

 

Pair 1--

 

Hen

 

Male

 

So far- laid seven eggs, three have hatched (first died-due to mum not feeding it), two other chicks fed and fat.

I believe that two of the remaining eggs are infertile, due to their colour

 

 

Pair 2--

 

Hen

 

Cock bird

 

So far-- have laid three eggs

[kathryn92 0]

Pair 3--

 

Hen

 

Male

 

So far- have laid three eggs

 

Please feel free to chat, comment, question, give advice, etc...

[Nadene 0]

The babies are looking great!!! I agree with you about the remaining eggs.

 

You have some beautiful birds

 

Keep up the photos, I love seeing the progression

[kathryn92 0]

Thank you, yeah I did research about what fertile and infertile look like etc...as well they are older eggs now and when candled are clear so I am fairly certain that two are infertile, but on the bright side that means two more possible babies

I have even more beauties but they are too young at the moment, around 6-8 months, but I am looking forward to when they can breed, I will definitely upload some photos of them later on as well

I have another pair but haven't taken some good photos yet, as they are camera shy haha!

[kathryn92 0]

Pair 4--

 

Hen

 

Male

 

So far-- No eggs, no signs of mating behaviour

[kathryn92 0]

Pair 1-- Update

 

The eldest chick has started to open its eyes

 

Three chicks are now in the nest

[Nadene 0]

Wow! It's so exciting. I love pictures

[kathryn92 0]

Some pictures and information about my aviary!

I recently rearranged it and gave it a massive clean, which involved catching all the birds and using a gerni (which was fun- the gerni not being bitten by budgies haha)

It contains budgies and I keep king quail as well. The budgies have never shown any interest in the quail which is good. The floor is designed with the quails in mind, I have several pots turned on their side for them to hide in.

 

The perches are arranged front to back, for more flight room and it forces them to fly more and so exercise. There are three food stations and two water areas

 

I also have swings for them, which they like to sit on and swing themselves

[kathryn92 0]

Pair 1-- update

 

The fourth and final chick has hatched

The little ones brothers and sisters keep it warm

 

The oldest is getting down on its back

 

 

Pair 3-- did not lay a fourth egg, is this normal?

 

[JimmyBanks 0]

clutch sizes always vary wouldn't be worried that it didn't lay 4.

[kathryn92 0]

Thank you, I just wanted to check, want to get things right

Weirdest thing happened though, I just checked their nest box again since this morning and five eggs!!

Is laying two in one day normal, all eggs are of similar size and normally shaped and the hen looks fine?

She has cuttlebone, a mineral block and a calcium block and she is good and eats her veggies everyday, plus egg food when I give that to her

 

The five eggs

[wessiri 0]

It looks like you are having a lot of success with your breeding. I just put a pair together and hope that in a few weeks I will be enjoying the same success.

 

I don't know the answer to the 5 egg question but I did want to ask about your quails in the aviary. I also have a few king quails in my aviary, very cute and never a problem with the budgies. Have your quails ever had chicks? Mine constantly lay eggs but never seem to sit on them.

[kathryn92 0]

My quails lay heaps of eggs, last batch around 15 (I have three hens), only seven hatched. They aren't the best parents though :/

Out of the seven only two survived as they freeze...the mum doesn't sit on them to keep them warm, I tried keeping them in a brooder but didn't have any luck, as I found them half frozen, I blew on them to keep them warm and they survived, but maybe the shock was to much for them. It was her first clutch though so maybe she will get better. I had another bird that, with her first clutch similar things happened but by the second more of the young survived.

On the plus, the adults seem to survive well. The last few I had living around four years, which I have read is a good age for them, so hopefully these new birds (three hens and a cock) do well as well.

 

Do you have a bird that is definitely a male?

Although, mine laid and sat on twenty eggs without one :/

 

Pair 2-- update

Have now laid five eggs

 

Pair 1--update

 

Size differences between the four chicks (oldest is eight days, youngest is two days old)

 

[Finnie 0]

Thank you, I just wanted to check, want to get things right

Weirdest thing happened though, I just checked their nest box again since this morning and five eggs!!

Is laying two in one day normal, all eggs are of similar size and normally shaped and the hen looks fine?

She has cuttlebone, a mineral block and a calcium block and she is good and eats her veggies everyday, plus egg food when I give that to her

 

The five eggs

 

I know it doesn't look like so much nesting material that could hide an egg, but maybe that's what happened. You just coudn't see the fourth one. Then when she laid the fifth one, she got them all back together again. Other explanation would be that the fourth egg stayed inside her tract too long, and then came out when the fifth one was ready.

 

But the timing for the fifth egg was what it should have been right?

[kathryn92 0]

Yeah, the fifth was laid on the day that it should of been

[kathryn92 0]

Pair 1-- update

Oldest chick has wing and tail feathers coming through

 

Pair 4-- update

Hen seems to spend most of her time in the nest box, male feeds her

[kathryn92 0]

Pair 1-- update

Growth of the chicks

 

Pair 2-- update

Have laid a 6th egg

 

Pair 3- update

Have laid a 6th egg on the due date- do not feel I need to worry about the 4th and 5th egg issue, hopefully they are fertile though

[Nadene 0]

Wow, she might not have fed the first chick but she has definitely made up with it for the rest, they are so full

[kathryn92 0]

As soon as I place carrot in she and the cock dive for it, chomp down and then I just see carrot over the chicks faces and theirs haha

So I know they are getting vitamins!

Also she has always been a bit reluctant to try new veggies, but now with the chicks she has a go, which is good, this happened with the carrot two days ago and apple today, she would never touch it. She preferred the leafy greens, endive and silverbeet. So I am glad that the chicks are getting added nutrients

[kathryn92 0]

Pair 1-- update

 

Oldest chicks feather growth

 

 

You can see some yellow on his face and feathers, so thinking it has yellow face or goldenface mutation

 

The other chicks

 

Pair 4-- update

 

Has their first egg!

Now all four pairs have eggs/chcks

Edited February 13, 2013 by Finnie
Tried to help with the photos, but couldn't, sorry

[kathryn92 0]

Pair 3--update

Have laid seven eggs

 

Can anyone see fertility, I think the three to the right certainly look slightly darker?

I don't have a proper candler, but when I shine a torch I can see something similar to what I saw in pair 1's eggs

Getting excited!! Due next week

 

Pair 1-- update

Eldest chick (hard to see but yellow on the head)

 

Second eldest- doesn't look to be a yellow or golden face

 

Chick number three- has started to develop feather growth, eyes are open

Has just been fed carrot :3

Edited February 11, 2013 by kathryn92

[JimmyBanks 0]

Things are going well for you! Well done and I hope it keeps progressing smoothly for you.

[hilly 0]

Hi Kathryn, they are looking great some of them look to have plum eyes so maybe you might have some cinnamons, their colours will be interesting.

Cheers Jenny

[kathryn92 0]

Thanks

Oh cool, I'm not really sure what the plum eyes look like, but some of the chicks do seem to have a tinge of a reddy colour is that plum?

 

I did some research on splayed legs last night, just to make sure I knew exactly what I was looking for, I tested the two eldest chicks out today and both seem fine and can walk pretty well for babies, so another thing I can feel happy about and it gives me confidence that my prior research (into diet, nesting etc... has paid off)