Hey all,

 

As some of you may know Newcastle was hit with pretty bad weather over the last few days. Although personally we came out pretty well compared to others, a tree fell onto the room that houses my breeding cabinets. I have 3 pairs breeding at the moment (1 pair with chicks and the other 2 on eggs). My problem is that i have had to move the cabinets as the weather can get in until its repaired. Unfortunately a part of the tree branch hit one of the cabinets when it was coming through and broke a small part of the nesting box and cabinet. Luckily the eggs and mum are okay. I have tried to mend as best and quietly as possible her breeding and nest box, but without a lot of hammering etc, its not so great. the other 2 cabinets are fine.

 

Her first egg is due to hatch in 3 days and she is a very placid mum - doesnt mind me checking in her box etc. but now i am really concerned that because i cant mend her box properly that i am going to run into some major problems.

 

Is there any way that i can move her to a whole new breeding cabinet and nesting box or will she abandon her eggs. Would it work if i waited until 1 or 2 chicks hatch and do it then and maybe the babes calling her will make it all okay again?

 

I am really concerned about her and the babies (when they hatch) welfare and want to do the best i can for her - i am really thinking her cabinet is no longer in a great state to house her and dad and bubs - but dont want to make things worse by moving them.

 

Its amazing that i spent so many months researching etc before i bred and everything was going fine - i just didnt research what happens when a natural disaster happens at the time the hens are laying!! silly me!!

 

Any advice and help is greatly appreciated.

Is the breeding cage still safe enough so they can not get out and is the breeding box still intact, as I would leave them until she has finished raising the young. That is if the eggs are fertile and the noise of the tree didn't kill the unhatched eggs. I'm not sure if that can happen but I know a decent thunder storm can kill unhatched eggs. BUT don't panick it doesn't always happen. But it is something to do with the vibration coming up from the earth. So I am not sure about a tree smashing down but it would not be good.

I hope your eggs hatch and you have some lovely little babies.

I agree with Splat about not moving them unless you absolutely have to. Disturbance while sitting on eggs or raising young can halt the process of parenting.

Hi Kaz and Splat and thank you. I know that moving her is the last resort - i didnt think about the tree and storm killing the eggs - fingers crossed it hasnt. i guess one of my concerns which i have just realised i didnt put in the first post, is that they are now in our shed (no cars or anything), but because their normal home is unusable right now (will need to get a new one, its destroyed), and i lost the lighting/ heating etc i am also concerned about drafts etc with the hole that i cant repair without freaking her out. i suppose i could just cover the cage.

Hi Kaz and Splat and thank you. I know that moving her is the last resort - i didnt think about the tree and storm killing the eggs - fingers crossed it hasnt. i guess one of my concerns which i have just realised i didnt put in the first post, is that they are now in our shed (no cars or anything), but because their normal home is unusable right now (will need to get a new one, its destroyed), and i lost the lighting/ heating etc i am also concerned about drafts etc with the hole that i cant repair without freaking her out. i suppose i could just cover the cage.

 

Just do the best you can with little radical changes to her chosen nesting space. Try not to make things too dark compared to what she had before.

I would just try to cover the damage some how, I wouldn't worry to much about moving them, seems you had no choice. Last year we had to move are breeding boxes while they were sitting and all went perfectly well, they didn't seem to mine.

Greg decided to extend half way during breeding season, i didn't want him to but I wasn't saying no because I didn't have much room, so we had to take all the breeding boxes out which then there were 6 and then put them back re-arranging them in different places and know one seemed to care. I guess my birds are a bit used to some noise because the breeding room is on the side of the garage and tool shed and Greg is always banging around in there. But last year I bred 76 babies only lost a couple from hens sitting too tight. I think the budgies are much hardier than we give them credit.

:ausb:

I agree Splat, they are very hardy little guys. i have 8 now (excluding eggs and babies) and while i marvel at people who have so many budgies, i really want to keep it small and they all have names and their own personalities. I am so so so so attached to each and every one of them that i am sure sometimes i worry needlessly - and yet i just cant help it! i love my little guys and i just want whats best for them and their babies - and so thank you each and every person on this site who has replied or answered a question when i have been less than my normal self. You guys are tops!!!

I have been breeding for a couple of years now and I still freak out and loose my head over even little things sometimes, I think it is really good to pamper and want the best for our little birds. Cheers

Hi Puffs... We're on the Central Coast and got really bad weather too... We've had the electricity out since Saturday (finally came on this afternoon) so my poor birds had next to no light, my husband and I went and sat with them so we could open the garage door and let them have light. We have lots of cats around here so we have to supervise. We had a poor little yellowface sitting on a clutch of 7 eggs, she'd never experienced a storm like that before and I was really anxious about her little chicklets... Let me just say, chicklet number 1 made his/her grand entrance into the world today and is doing just fine! So here's hoping yours emerge happy, healthy and.. well I can't think of another h word...

So happy everything is okay for you now. We also had no electricity (did u guys play charades the whole time like us?!) and was checking on the birds (that is how i am now on medication for the flu! the things we do for them)

 

Congrats on the first bub - would love to see a picture of the "handsome" little guy (there's your "h" word)

 

will keep you posted