just when i thought things where going smoothly, i have another problem. i think i am going to giveup on trying to breed budgies.I went to check the babies this monrning and one of the babies who are only 3 weeks old was on the floor of the cabinet and they are both missing feathers from the back of their head. Has the mother done this or could there be another reason for it. What do i do if it it is the mum, will she stop doing it? It is only the hen looking after them and i have no foster parents.

He looks plucked

seeing as you are great at hand rearing, i would cull (sell) your hen and hand rear the rest of the cluth.

 

Don't give up on breeding Deb, This is from a loopy hen, nothing to do with you and your budgie breeding abilities

Also Deb the hen didn't necessarily throw the baby out, I have had three week olds jump out of boxes. The feathers will grow back so if she is still feeding them I would probably just put up with it for a week or so as long as she doesn't pull out too many more feathers and then you should be able to start encouraging them to eat on their own anyway.

Is the Hen getting enought Calcium? I know that this can cause feather plucking make sure she has enough vits and minerals and maybe that will help.

 

Thats all I can suggest.

The hen is not feeding them anyone either so i have removed them and feed them myself. One of them took to the syringe so well that it must not have been feed properly for a while. The one that fell from the nestbox has injured itself, it walks funny and is holding one of its wings down. i have had a lovely offer from Jenene who has offered to take the babies and foster them with her hen so that are going to Jenene's this morning and i think that is going to be the best thing for them. The hen plucked their down when they where younger so i think she will not stop, she is just a no good hen.

Yeah I would get rid of the hen or just not breed from her again.

I would get rid of that hen too or if you like her and want to use her for breeding have atleast one other pair breeding at the same time so you can move the eggs under another hen before they even hatch.

Getting rid (selling) the hen will only pass the problem on to someone. I would retire the hen from breeding and return her to the flight to live out her life. Of course if she was a good hen then I will let her lay the eggs and foster them to another hen.

i do not plan on selling the hen, i am a softie with my birds so she will have a rest in a cage by herself and then go back to the aviary but i will not breed with her again.

i do not plan on selling the hen, i am a softie with my birds so she will have a rest in a cage by herself and then go back to the aviary but i will not breed with her again.

 

 

Good to see. I know I will be kinda peed off if someone sold me a bird they knew was a feather plucker or worst still infertile.

I would only pass a bird like that onto someone who didn't want it for breeding and advise them of it's issues prior to them taking it, I would never condone passin on a bid like that to someone who even had the slightest chance of wanting to breed it.

Well we are home Deb, and so far everythings okay. Am keeping a good eye on the chicks to make sure the foster mum is feeding them!

Well we are home Deb, and so far everythings okay. Am keeping a good eye on the chicks to make sure the foster mum is feeding them!

 

Glad to hear that everything is okay, Thank you so much for doing this for me.

That’s in a perfect world Ikon,that’s what a good percentage of birds I have bought have turned out like, that’s why most of especially the good looking ones get sold. I find out you have to take the good with the bad, some turn out great & then you can think yourself lucky.

I agree with Ikon on this one ... Passing the problem on if you sold the hen ....

Don't give up deb !!!!!! You are great at breeding the budgies it's just that, that hen isn't .....

I agree with Ikon on this one ... Passing the problem on if you sold the hen ....

Don't give up deb !!!!!! You are great at breeding the budgies it's just that, that hen isn't .....

 

 

Thanks Neat, i went to the aviary this morning looking at my budgies and i am going to try again but i am going to wait till my breeding room is built so i can put a few pairs together at the same time.I have a avairy that is 1.8 x 2.4m and we are building another one the same size and i only have 20 budgies so there is no need for the hen to go beacuse i have plently of room for her.

That's in a perfect world Ikon,that's what a good percentage of birds I have bought have turned out like, that's why most of especially the good looking ones get sold. I find out you have to take the good with the bad, some turn out great & then you can think yourself lucky.

 

 

In purchasing birds I always question why breeders are willing to sell their good hens. Thats why I try keep my good hens. I try to buy birds that exceed in one feature but may be lacking in another. That way I can be be more sure that I'm not purchasing a "dud" when it comes to the breeding cabinet.

Good news! The foster mum I have is feeding both the chicks as if they were her own. They are all snuggled up together in their nice warm nest box with big fat bellies!! :hap:

Great news Jenene.

 

Don't be too hard on yourself Deb, this is not your fault. I know what it is like. I lost 4 young in the nestbox this year, and if little Gabrielle (Pale Ale) had died I am sure I might have thrown the towel in too. Feather plucking is not your fault. We can all tell by the lengths you go to that you have a big heart. Anyone who has ever met you knows that. Do not be discouraged.

It is good to hear Jenene the babies are going well.Thanks Dave for you words of encouragement and it was your 4 little ones today that i was admiring in my aviary that i have help me decide to try again. They are so beautiful and i would love to see the results of breeding them. Laverne, the golden face type 2 is going through her first moult and is changing from a lilac colour to a unusual green shade, i will post pics when they finish moulting.She has settled down heaps and is a joy to watch in the aviary, she loves playing and hanging upside down from the braches.

I am so pleased to hear they are doing well. As i was reading your post I was wondering how they were, espcially Laverne and the oldest boy. did you call him Abbott? I forget now. I was very close to keeping him but changed my mind at the last minute. I handled him more than any of the others.

 

i am eager for the pics

I am so pleased to hear they are doing well. As i was reading your post I was wondering how they were, espcially Laverne and the oldest boy. did you call him Abbott? I forget now. I was very close to keeping him but changed my mind at the last minute. I handled him more than any of the others.

 

i am eager for the pics

 

 

They are going well, Was the eldest the skyblue pied because that would be Laurel who has paired up with Laverne. Hardy and Shirley hang around together preening each other. Hardy and Shirley are the friendly ones who try to land on me when i am in the aviary but Violet my handraised budgies who sits on my shoulder when i am in the aviary will not let them near me, she will not share me.i will post some pics tomorrow for you.

I have just taken some photos of Deb's chicks that were being plucked by their mother. They are being looked after by one of my hens.

I am happy to see that they are going well with the foster mum and are getting new feathers.

Jenene and Deb....I think its just great that we can help each other out so much on this forum....just like Jenene has now taken on these chicks to help out Deb. We form some very bonding friendships on BBC and its just great.

Deb...I will get some photos later today of a chick I had that was plucked worse than yours and how she looks now. She too was fostered and it all worked out very well

Edited July 5, 200816 yr by KAZ