okay, is there some kind of known "average" amount of time after a pair are introduced to a cage that they might start to inspect it, even out of curiosity? My pair seem to be bonded, or at least friends (they've been in the other cage together for 6 months), and they follow each other around the breeding cage, but I haven't seen any sign of them checking out the nesting box.

 

Its only been 3 days so I'm not expecting miracles, but it made me ponder if there is some average amount of time that passes before the birds start getting curious, or whether I should start thinking about removing the cock for a day.

Why did you put them in a breeding cage now? Are they in breeding condition? Have they shown any signs they may want to breed?

Good point there Dave. Are they in breeding Condition?

 

Normally 3 - 4 weeks is MAX no action then take them out and try again a few months later

 

I would advise not to breed during the summer months unless you have a breeding room that the temp can be altered -

I have no reason to believe they aren't after reading the FAQs.

 

Summer months are no different in QLD than winter.

I would not be concerned...its only been three days.

Not concerned, more just interested to know what other peoples experience is. I can't really expect anything after 3 days, but I like to know things...

Not concerned, more just interested to know what other peoples experience is. I can't really expect anything after 3 days, but I like to know things...

In my experience some newly introduced, never been together budgies do the deed withing moments of meeting each other, and some take weeks. If yours have been "companions" for a long time and not breeding then they make take a little longer to work out there has been "a change of plans"

That sounds like it pretty much. They're sleeping on the swing together at least

No sign of any change in behaviour. I tried removing the cock in the morning and then puting him back in in the evening for 4 days in a row but nothing changed.

 

I guess these two don't want to breed!

No sign of any change in behaviour. I tried removing the cock in the morning and then puting him back in in the evening for 4 days in a row but nothing changed.

 

I guess these two don't want to breed!

Try shutting or removing the nestbox for a few days

Thanks Kaz, I'll give that a try when I get home

one of my pairs took 4 weeks to breed, so dont give up hope yet.

I was once told on here to try adding an "extra" cock into the mix for a few days and see what happens. Sometimes the male instinct of "competition" kicks in and the male will jump into high gear so the other male doesn't get the chance... the "make him jealous" thing might work too. The only disadvantage to that is you take the chance of the hen being mated by both of them I (they are sneaky like that). Good luck.

I wouldn't add an extra cock. It could lead to 1 less bird on this planet.

 

I usually leave mine for 21 days. If the hen doesn't actively investigate the nest box or the cock it's feeding her, I break them up for a month or so. Until they come back in season.

 

Some times they will not pair up because the don't like each other. I paired up a pair for 4 weeks and no thing. Broke up the pair for a week and re paired the cock and had success straight away. He didn't like that hen.

Nice to know. I got home and took the nest box out, looked inside and find quite a few white body feathers (the hen is a white DF spangle (I believe)) inside. I guess she must have been in there at some point, so I've left it in for now. I know they "like" each other, they always sit together and do the kissy thing and follow one another around the cage.

 

Sounds like I have a few things to try before giving up just yet

This is going to sound silly but are you sure you have a hen and a cock? I have met people who could not work out why their pairs are not breeding and they have not got the gender right (please don't take offence to this, I suck at sexing pied and at some stage had a pair I was planning on putting down when i worked out they where two cocks who just liked each other)

No offense taken. Shadow is definitely a hen, but I guess there is always that chance that Egg is a hen too. From everything I've read Egg appears to be a male, in that he has a sort of purplish cere. I know he's not under 4 months old too!

I was once told on here to try adding an "extra" cock into the mix for a few days and see what happens. Sometimes the male instinct of "competition" kicks in and the male will jump into high gear so the other male doesn't get the chance... the "make him jealous" thing might work too. The only disadvantage to that is you take the chance of the hen being mated by both of them I (they are sneaky like that). Good luck.

To clarify this point, Crissy, you werent told to add an extra cock to the current situation but to remove them to a larger flight cage for a natural selection to take place before putting back in a breeding cabinet. Noone in their right mind would add an extra cock to a breeding cabinet unless you want dead birds

It pays to be clear in information presented.

We were told the same thing in relation to Gouldian finches, so we did. It ended it fights and the males pecking at the females, and the dominant male attacking the other male. They seem to co-habitate reasonably well at the moment, but they sure as heck aren't breeding.

 

We learnt the hard way on that one.

We were told the same thing in relation to Gouldian finches, so we did. It ended it fights and the males pecking at the females, and the dominant male attacking the other male. They seem to co-habitate reasonably well at the moment, but they sure as heck aren't breeding.

 

We learnt the hard way on that one.

 

My experience: I expect to see some kind of action within a week (and usually it happens). If it doesn't I put them back in the flights and put in a different pair. I select birds to put down in cabinets to breed when they are in top breeding readiness. I can't afford to put birds in a cabinet and wait for them to come into condition. In fact I think it's detrimental to leave birds for weeks or months in a cabinet waiting for something to happen. I like them to be in a breeding cage the absolute minimum because I like them to be able to fly and forage. When you release a dud pair to the flight after they have been boxed up for a week they have got to know each other and that often means they will go straight to breeding together when you try them a month or two later. How do I know if they are interested? I load the nest boxes with clean litter such as eucalyptus bark. As soon as you see the litter dragged out onto the floor you know you have a goer. It also replicates natural conditions somewhat in that the hen has to excavate a breeding space, just as might occur in a native tree. Some hens clean out the box with surgical skill, others chew the some of the bark into crumbs which makes a natural aerated bedding.

We were told the same thing in relation to Gouldian finches, so we did. It ended it fights and the males pecking at the females, and the dominant male attacking the other male. They seem to co-habitate reasonably well at the moment, but they sure as heck aren't breeding.

 

We learnt the hard way on that one.

 

My experience: I expect to see some kind of action within a week (and usually it happens). If it doesn't I put them back in the flights and put in a different pair. I select birds to put down in cabinets to breed when they are in top breeding readiness. I can't afford to put birds in a cabinet and wait for them to come into condition. In fact I think it's detrimental to leave birds for weeks or months in a cabinet waiting for something to happen. I like them to be in a breeding cage the absolute minimum because I like them to be able to fly and forage. When you release a dud pair to the flight after they have been boxed up for a week they have got to know each other and that often means they will go straight to breeding together when you try them a month or two later. How do I know if they are interested? I load the nest boxes with clean litter such as eucalyptus bark. As soon as you see the litter dragged out onto the floor you know you have a goer. It also replicates natural conditions somewhat in that the hen has to excavate a breeding space, just as might occur in a native tree. Some hens clean out the box with surgical skill, others chew the some of the bark into crumbs which makes a natural aerated bedding.

 

Good info jaz. It sounds like you breed them for sale?

 

I agree that its not fair to keep them in a small cage until something happens, I'm somewhat lucky in that my "breeding" cage is larger than the average breeding cabinet. I am trying a couple of the suggestions here and if it doesn't happen in a week or two I'll put them back in the flight cage. I'll be moving about the middle of April so I don't want barely hatched chicks at that point, I either need them fully hatched and in the flight cage or not at all. I do like your bark suggestion, I will have to give that a go!

We were told the same thing in relation to Gouldian finches, so we did. It ended it fights and the males pecking at the females, and the dominant male attacking the other male. They seem to co-habitate reasonably well at the moment, but they sure as heck aren't breeding.

 

We learnt the hard way on that one.

 

My experience: I expect to see some kind of action within a week (and usually it happens). If it doesn't I put them back in the flights and put in a different pair. I select birds to put down in cabinets to breed when they are in top breeding readiness. I can't afford to put birds in a cabinet and wait for them to come into condition. In fact I think it's detrimental to leave birds for weeks or months in a cabinet waiting for something to happen. I like them to be in a breeding cage the absolute minimum because I like them to be able to fly and forage. When you release a dud pair to the flight after they have been boxed up for a week they have got to know each other and that often means they will go straight to breeding together when you try them a month or two later. How do I know if they are interested? I load the nest boxes with clean litter such as eucalyptus bark. As soon as you see the litter dragged out onto the floor you know you have a goer. It also replicates natural conditions somewhat in that the hen has to excavate a breeding space, just as might occur in a native tree. Some hens clean out the box with surgical skill, others chew the some of the bark into crumbs which makes a natural aerated bedding.

 

 

jaznjj I couldn't have said it better. That is exactly how I do it. The season is short May/June to January / February for some, and you don't want to waste time on pairs that won't breed. 21 days is my limit to see if there is any action.

 

I started in mid May and I have stopped pairing now. I have 16 pairs down and will let them go though their clutches. 2 if they have good ones, 3 if they have had small and the hen is strong. But then they will be pulled down for the season and the cabinets removed and cleaned ready for next season.

We were told the same thing in relation to Gouldian finches, so we did. It ended it fights and the males pecking at the females, and the dominant male attacking the other male. They seem to co-habitate reasonably well at the moment, but they sure as heck aren't breeding. We learnt the hard way on that one.

My experience: I expect to see some kind of action within a week (and usually it happens). If it doesn't I put them back in the flights and put in a different pair. I select birds to put down in cabinets to breed when they are in top breeding readiness. I can't afford to put birds in a cabinet and wait for them to come into condition. In fact I think it's detrimental to leave birds for weeks or months in a cabinet waiting for something to happen. I like them to be in a breeding cage the absolute minimum because I like them to be able to fly and forage. When you release a dud pair to the flight after they have been boxed up for a week they have got to know each other and that often means they will go straight to breeding together when you try them a month or two later. How do I know if they are interested? I load the nest boxes with clean litter such as eucalyptus bark. As soon as you see the litter dragged out onto the floor you know you have a goer. It also replicates natural conditions somewhat in that the hen has to excavate a breeding space, just as might occur in a native tree. Some hens clean out the box with surgical skill, others chew the some of the bark into crumbs which makes a natural aerated bedding.

jaznjj I couldn't have said it better. That is exactly how I do it. The season is short May/June to January / February for some, and you don't want to waste time on pairs that won't breed. 21 days is my limit to see if there is any action. I started in mid May and I have stopped pairing now. I have 16 pairs down and will let them go though their clutches. 2 if they have good ones, 3 if they have had small and the hen is strong. But then they will be pulled down for the season and the cabinets removed and cleaned ready for next season.

Daz, I try to finish up with all chicks flying by Christmas. That is to do with the heat and the fact that I am then on holiday for a few weeks. The birds deserve a rest and so do I! Then, once I've caught my breath, it's time to sort, evaluate and cull as well as doing those annual chores such as cleaning and maintenance. I usually start in May depending on condition of the birds. In 2009 I plan to put the birds down in May and have cabinets clear by October as I will be going overseas for three weeks and don't want the friends who will look after my birds having to do extraordinary work. Might consider another round on return from OS depending on condition of birds and the weather. Usually run 20 cabinets.

We were told the same thing in relation to Gouldian finches, so we did. It ended it fights and the males pecking at the females, and the dominant male attacking the other male. They seem to co-habitate reasonably well at the moment, but they sure as heck aren't breeding. We learnt the hard way on that one.

My experience: I expect to see some kind of action within a week (and usually it happens). If it doesn't I put them back in the flights and put in a different pair. I select birds to put down in cabinets to breed when they are in top breeding readiness. I can't afford to put birds in a cabinet and wait for them to come into condition. In fact I think it's detrimental to leave birds for weeks or months in a cabinet waiting for something to happen. I like them to be in a breeding cage the absolute minimum because I like them to be able to fly and forage. When you release a dud pair to the flight after they have been boxed up for a week they have got to know each other and that often means they will go straight to breeding together when you try them a month or two later. How do I know if they are interested? I load the nest boxes with clean litter such as eucalyptus bark. As soon as you see the litter dragged out onto the floor you know you have a goer. It also replicates natural conditions somewhat in that the hen has to excavate a breeding space, just as might occur in a native tree. Some hens clean out the box with surgical skill, others chew the some of the bark into crumbs which makes a natural aerated bedding.

Good info jaz. It sounds like you breed them for sale?I agree that its not fair to keep them in a small cage until something happens, I'm somewhat lucky in that my "breeding" cage is larger than the average breeding cabinet. I am trying a couple of the suggestions here and if it doesn't happen in a week or two I'll put them back in the flight cage. I'll be moving about the middle of April so I don't want barely hatched chicks at that point, I either need them fully hatched and in the flight cage or not at all. I do like your bark suggestion, I will have to give that a go!

I breed for show. The need to sell your surplus birds can be a nuisance but the money comes in handy! I have a couple of reliable outlets and I always look after them by supplying robust, healthy birds, so they look after me in turn. The bark does work though it makes the floor of your cabinet look messy when they chuck it out. It is like sweet music to hear a hen yanking the bark around as she makes her nest ready. You can also use other litter such as rice hulls or shavings but that's not chewable like bark is. Rice hulls "breathe" and the hen forms her own concave. Don't allow it to be too deep or hens can lose their eggs if they startle and the litter is scattered around. I've heard of people using lucerne hay but I would have concerns about dampness and mould. Hope you have success with the bark! Another advantage: it's free!

Great info. Thanks guys.

 

I put the nest box back in after 5 days or so but I don't have any bark just yet. It's not looking like they're doing much though so I'll probably shut it down in another week and put them back in the flight cage until after I'm in the new house in May.