Male And Female Birds Don’t Like Each Other

[ssseagull 0]

Hi! I’m new to the forum

 

I have a bonded pair of female budgies and a bonded pair of male budgies. They live in the same cage and so far have refused to accept each other. They’re very closely bonded to each other and will actually bicker between the two groups. I often find the two males on one side of the cage and the two females on the other. 
 

I want to start a small, casual breeding program with my pet budgies as an academic project, but I don’t know how to encourage two of them to pair up. Is there a way or should I just look into getting an already bonded pair of male female budgies? Both males are young so it would take several months anyways for them to be ready to breed. 
 

I have a large 64x18 inch cage for all 4 of them and have room for a smaller breeding cage that I can either stack on top of the big one or put on the shelf next to it. How many cages do you typically need for a small program? I’m aiming to maximize safety and health, as these are my personal pet budgies. I’m not looking to make a profit, and would likely only get one clutch a year.

It also might be a good idea to get a professionally bred male female pair because my older female budgie has some kind of respiratory problem and came from a pet store, though my younger female seems pretty healthy. 
 

Thank you for any and all advice! I’m hoping in a few months I can end up with a healthy clutch of chicks and a healthy, happy pair of parents.