My hen has 5 babies ranging from 3-5 weeks old and has stopped feeding and sitting with them and is currently sitting in a different nestbox ready to lay again has this happened to anyone before where the mum rejects them and goes to a different box? i dont mind her laying again because from her last clutch i got 6 fertile eggs and a beautiful range colours and mutations. The dad is feeding the babies and also some other budgies have stepped in and fed them.

This is about the right time for her to start laying again, she's just taking advantage of empty real estate

This is about the right time for her to start laying again, she's just taking advantage of empty real estate

 

 

Haha it wasnt empty but it is now! she came off second best but she was very eger to get into that one so fingers crossed i get all fertiles again? and maybe some more violets????

Gotta love it when others step in and help feed the babies

Edited May 28, 200817 yr by **Liv**

Gotta love it when others step in and help feed the babies

 

 

I know and do you know what the funny thing is? they are babies themselves the ones doing the feeding they are 13 weeks old which makes it all the more cuter they even go in the nestbox and keep them warm at night soooooo cute!

This is about the right time for her to start laying again, she's just taking advantage of empty real estate

 

 

Haha it wasnt empty but it is now! she came off second best but she was very eger to get into that one so fingers crossed i get all fertiles again? and maybe some more violets????

 

Of concern is a nestbox with babies in an aviary with other hens....another hen can decide she wants the nestbox the chicks are in and "clean it out" .....cleaning it out would mean killing the chicks. Dad will be kept busy trying to feed the chicks, trying to feed mum in the new nestbox and also trying to keep an eye out for invading hens after the babies and nestbox. You will have to be very very careful here.

This is about the right time for her to start laying again, she's just taking advantage of empty real estate

 

 

Haha it wasnt empty but it is now! she came off second best but she was very eger to get into that one so fingers crossed i get all fertiles again? and maybe some more violets????

 

Of concern is a nestbox with babies in an aviary with other hens....another hen can decide she wants the nestbox the chicks are in and "clean it out" .....cleaning it out would mean killing the chicks. Dad will be kept busy trying to feed the chicks, trying to feed mum in the new nestbox and also trying to keep an eye out for invading hens after the babies and nestbox. You will have to be very very careful here.

 

I have only got three hens and cocks paired up in the colony aviary along with babies of varying ages the adults all get along fine and have their own certain nestboxes which they stick too. I had my first fight the other day which was actually one of the babies around 12 weeks was attacking my laying hen i was quite surprised by that and have since isolated the baby because it is trying to nest already???? i didnt think they would be interested that young i have other babies that are around 6 months and they dont have the urge yet so i dont get it ??? any way i have taken it out and the other budgies are getting along fine once again

All I can say is be very careful. Many breeders have had bad experiences with colony breeding and fights. Many of my hens are missing toe nails etc... because of this, and because I worked and couldn't watch them. Even if they seem fine, it doesn't take much. All that being send, many breeders colony breed with no problems. Good luck with them all, just be careful.

I have only got three hens and cocks paired up in the colony aviary along with babies of varying ages the adults all get along fine and have their own certain nestboxes which they stick too. I had my first fight the other day which was actually one of the babies around 12 weeks was attacking my laying hen i was quite surprised by that and have since isolated the baby because it is trying to nest already???? i didnt think they would be interested that young i have other babies that are around 6 months and they dont have the urge yet so i dont get it ??? any way i have taken it out and the other budgies are getting along fine once again

Any budgies no matter the age if in an aviary with nestboxes will get the urge to mate and lay eggs and raise babies. Once when colony breeding ( I dont anymore ).... I had a 12 week old hen once with the same thought and she went into a nestbox and killed the mother and chicks in her effort to take over the nestbox. The nestboxes are the driving motivation. If you have youngsters they should be where there are no nestboxes...in another area or you will have budgies breeding well before their time and you will have some silly birds thinking they can destroy eggs, chicks and nests to acchieve their breeding situation.

It seems nice when young birds are seen feeding other young & I have had that experience, but I have found out the hard way that having previous batches of young left in an aviary where older birds are breeding, can be fatal for new young just leaving the nest. I have left young in an aviary with only one pair breeding thinking it will be alright, but when the next batch of young have left the nest the older ones killed them straight away. Budgies may seem nice & friendly in most situations, but they have another side & if another bird is sick, incapacitated in some way [just real young] they will kill that bird. I would suggest you take the warnings from others seriously, as things can change so quickly.

This is where another flight cage is handy ( THE NURSERY ) I have moved my babies from the breeders to the nursery so that the temptation is'nt there for the youngens .....