Having read other posts (very informative) I have a question for seasoned breeders. Two of my much loved budgies have bred and successfully raised a clutch of three beautiful babies (the eldest is 24 days, youngest is 19). Because my hen is 5 years old, I don't want her to breed again. The pair has begun to mate again and my question is this; in your opion, what is the least stressfull way to prevent a new clutch? I could remove the cock and dispose of eggs as they appear or leave the pair together until the young have left the nest (which is the floor of the cage as she didn't use the nesting box) removing the eggs as they appear. Also when disposing of eggs, is it better to dispose of eggs as they appear or after the hen has stopped laying.

I would appreciate any and all advice as the happiness and health of my birds is my top priority.

 

Thanks!

I don't have first hand experience but here are some ways you can prevent have further clutches.

 

1. you can addle the eggs and replace them with fake eggs as she lays them, if you remove the eggs she is laying and not replacing then she will continue to lay. Which means addle them immediately and add a fake egg don't wait until she is finished laying.

 

2. You can decrease daylight hours if they are in a cage by keeping them covered at least 12-14 hours for night time this will throw them back out of a breeding cycle.

 

3. Make sure you don't have the pair by running water as that increases mating behavior too.

 

As to remove the cock, I am not sure on that as it could cause the hen stress as she would be calling to him. I will leave that to the experts.

It’s very hard to stop them starting a new batch after they get going. It’s best to leave the pair to keep feeding as long as there aren’t any other problems. Then in your case I would let her lay the whole batch, as if you remove them as she lays it may make her lay even more. Once the young are dependent enough you may need to break up the pair & cage separately, as if she is laying just on the floor there is nothing to stop her doing it again. Don’t leave her too long on the eggs as if you do the first may hatch, you can shake them after a few days & return them to her as some advise & I suggest after you remove them if you haven’t done that just bury them, as they may have developed chicks in them & it’s not pleasant to break them & see them die.

It's very hard to stop them starting a new batch after they get going. It's best to leave the pair to keep feeding as long as there aren't any other problems. Then in your case I would let her lay the whole batch, as if you remove them as she lays it may make her lay even more. Once the young are dependent enough you may need to break up the pair & cage separately, as if she is laying just on the floor there is nothing to stop her doing it again. Don't leave her too long on the eggs as if you do the first may hatch, you can shake them after a few days & return them to her as some advise & I suggest after you remove them if you haven't done that just bury them, as they may have developed chicks in them & it's not pleasant to break them & see them die.

 

 

Would exchanging the eggs, as she lays them, with fake eggs help? Leaving them to develop and then removing them would be very difficult for me. Also, what is the "regular" routine that you use for separating a breeding pair when you don't want to have another clutch of eggs. Do you separate the parents before the chicks become self sufficient, if so, when. I really enjoyed the experience of breeding budgies and would like to continue (with another hen) but I want to make sure I do this properly!

Yes doing that would work.

I was lucky, I had hens that got bored after a while and stopped, so I just took the nestbox away.

If the hen is laying a third clutch or something and I dont want her too, I remove the hen to a warm cage and let the Dad finish raising the chicks. The hen may lay the next two eggs off the perch but then she stops as there is no nestbox. The warmth of a lamp help her recover, helps her lay the egg out of nestbox with no issues and stress. You will get one and maybe two eggs laid from the perch this way and she will stop.

If the hen is laying a third clutch or something and I dont want her too, I remove the hen to a warm cage and let the Dad finish raising the chicks. The hen may lay the next two eggs off the perch but then she stops as there is no nestbox. The warmth of a lamp help her recover, helps her lay the egg out of nestbox with no issues and stress. You will get one and maybe two eggs laid from the perch this way and she will stop.

 

 

Thank you all so much for your help, I really appreciate it. I feel much more confident dealing with the situation now.