My son had a co-ed aviary and he's already had two lots of babies.

 

He doesn't really intend to breed budgies because he just wants them as pets so we've separated the males and females.

 

We waited until the babies were out of the nesting box before separating the males because they are so involved with the care of the babies it did not seem right to take them away when the females were relying heavily on the males helping with feeding the young.

 

So now the males are all together in a big flight cage (4 birds) and there are the 2 females and their babies in the aviary. They all seem to be getting along but is there anything we need to watch for? Will the males fight or try to kill each other or something equally as nasty?

personally, I feel it is better to take out the nesting boxes rather than separate the sexes.

personally, I feel it is better to take out the nesting boxes rather than separate the sexes.

 

We actually put the nesting boxes into the cages because we kept on finding eggs all over the floor of the aviary.

 

Is there a way to discourage this?

Birds will be birds hehe.

Not sure how to stop the eggs on the floor. But If there isn't any boxes (nesting places), they wont have any babies :yellowhead:

 

When i removed my boxes after breeding season, the females layed on the floor for a bit, then stopped.

Edited February 17, 200817 yr by **Liv**

Birds will be birds hehe.

Not sure how to stop the eggs on the floor. But If there isn't any boxes (nesting places), they wont have any babies

 

When i removed my boxes after breeding season, the females layed on the floor for a bit, then stopped.

 

i do the same. the hens normally lay 1 or 2 eggs then stop

I agree with Liv, remove the boxes and leave all the birds together , any eggs that are layed just remove them , it wont harm them in any way .

I don't know much about breeding/laying behaviour but what the others have said makes sense to me. For your current setup, I'd watch the females rather than the males. In the budgie world it is usually the ladies who fight over the men, not the other way around.

Personally I would leave the babies with the males as when they leave the nestbox it is the fathers job to feed & teach them how to fend for themselves.

personally, I feel it is better to take out the nesting boxes rather than separate the sexes.

I agree with this school of thought also

just a note hens will lay without the males so you may still find eggs in the aviary of females

you received great advice.