Hi

i am new on here,

I have a female that has had 2 babies and they have just left the nest, just before they left the nest, She went into another females box and killed 2 babies, WHY??

We took the killer out and popped her into another cage Do we put her back into the avery or get rid of her????

That is what hens do. It is safer for each pair to have their own enclosure when breeding.

Thanks for your quick reply, i have to ask... and should i keep the one that is the killer seperate, We dont have any other cages at the moment, we were given a avery with the bird to look after and then, the people said we can keep them

oh what fun..

 

Hi

i am new on here,

I have a female that has had 2 babies and they have just left the nest, just before they left the nest, She went into another females box and killed 2 babies, WHY??

We took the killer out and popped her into another cage Do we put her back into the avery or get rid of her????

 

I am afraid this is not uncommon when you have budgies all breeding together in one area, we refer to it as "colony breeding". Try doing a search (top right hand corner tab) for colony breeding and you can read all about it.

 

The fact that your hen attacked others is not a sign per se that she is a "killer" and needs to be got rid of, it is a sign that she is feeling territorial and is expressing those instincts.

 

If you wish to breed you need to keep breeding pairs separate with their own nest boxes.

 

Non breeding budgies co-exist quite happily all together (ie with NO nest boxes is sight).

Thanks so much, this helps me, for the time being should I keep the emotional budgie seperate to the other babies( the ones that are left from another box) I can say It wasnt a pretty sight when I found the 2 dead one,s lucky i was there in time to save 2 babies, which are coming along well... and mother is taking care of them fantasticly, I am to scared to put the other back in just incase it does a repeat and gets the remaining 2 budgies, Hopefully the other bird cage will be here in the next..fingers crossed...thaznks again and merry xmas

Thanks so much, this helps me, for the time being should I keep the emotional budgie seperate to the other babies( the ones that are left from another box) I can say It wasnt a pretty sight when I found the 2 dead one,s lucky i was there in time to save 2 babies, which are coming along well... and mother is taking care of them fantasticly, I am to scared to put the other back in just incase it does a repeat and gets the remaining 2 budgies, Hopefully the other bird cage will be here in the next..fingers crossed...thaznks again and merry xmas

ONE pair of breeders per breeding space! ie One Hen and one Cock and nest box and babies in ONE separate breeding area.

 

DO NOT put the hen that attacked in with this pairing. She needs her own space.

You may find that the hen who attacked the babies thought the nest box was in a better location to the others, so tried to "empty" it for her own use.

 

Ensure all nest boxes are at the same level and are at least 30cm apart. Budgies will breed harmonious in colony style set ups, and sometimes will even share nest boxes. It all depends on your setup and the personalities of your birds

You may find that the hen who attacked the babies thought the nest box was in a better location to the others, so tried to "empty" it for her own use.

 

Ensure all nest boxes are at the same level and are at least 30cm apart. Budgies will breed harmonious in colony style set ups, and sometimes will even share nest boxes. It all depends on your setup and the personalities of your birds

That's good advice if you are setting it all up but I wouldn't go putting new nest boxes in and adding this hen.

The female killed the ones in the nest to "clean out" the nest for her use. She decided that was THE NEST that was just right for her. Its what they do in colony breeding situations. You have learnt the hard way that colony breeding is the hardest way to breed budgies safely.

She did what her instincts told her to do and it doesnt make her a "forever killer" .......................but NO you do not put her back in the aviary.

Can we see photos of your set up so we can advise further ?

Edited December 21, 200915 yr by KAZ