Well, its getting to that stage. I have a few budgies bordering on 12 months old and I'm starting to think how I'm going to set their cage up for breeding, and I was just wondering whether I should cover 3 sides and leave the top open, or if it doesn't matter?

 

Also, does it matter if they are in site / earshot of the aviary birds?

I don't cover the sides (unless necessary for protection from the weather). It can help if they can hear the other birds, they feel more comfortable and are more likely to breed well for you

I wouldn't cover them at all ...... The more sunlight the better

 

Doesn't matter about the ear shot of the other birds ... UNLESS they were paired up with one of them ...

Good luck

That's good to know... they're in the garage at the moment, which is open during the day for them but snug at night, and they can see the other birds in the big cage as well.That's a good point Neat, I'll have to keep that in mind for the future. If these two are successful, depending on the mutations they make, I may be tempted to switch it out for the new bird I got (but he's only 4ish months old, so thats not gonna be for a while).

 

And here they are. Egg & Shadow.

 

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm164/k...11222008124.jpg

Edited November 22, 200816 yr by ShadowGhost

Lovely pair .....The pied looks like it has flights missing which will go against him with mating so might want to wait till they are all fully grown back

Lovely pair .....The pied looks like it has flights missing which will go against him with mating so might want to wait till they are all fully grown back

 

 

You're right. I just went and checked him, on his right side he only has 6 flights (missing outermost, and 3 inner most). He has 9 on his left side (missing the innermost). I don't know how that happened, I was sure he had grown them all back after the horrendous hair cut given to him by the store girl when I bought him. I realise they should have them all for breeding, but it certainly didn't stop him powering around the house this afternoon!

If he's flying he should be fine, they are pretty clever. I had one that couldn't fly at all so he waited until the hen was sitting on a low perch and then climbed up her tail to mate

LOL! I've seen budgies do some pretty silly stuff, and I know its not the half of what they can do.

 

As an interesting side here, what kind of chicks would that pair likely produce?

Any chicks you get from that pair will be a strange and wondrous mystery. As the hen is an albino you don't know what mutations she may be masking (unless you know her parentage), unless she is masking recessive pied you won't get any like the cock. I presume he is a YF2? If he's yellowface you should get about half yellowface chicks

I apologise for the photo, it didn't come out anywhere near as good as I would have liked. The hen is not albino, my best guess on her is DF spangle (totally white, iris rings, silver cheek patches). The male I believe is a recessive pied (has a plum colour cere, bright orange beak, pink feet, no iris rings).

Edited November 22, 200816 yr by ShadowGhost

In that case you will get normal and spangle chicks, half with yellow face

nice, thanks.