Our Budgie has laid 5 eggs and about ready to lay a sixth on Sat evening. I was wondering what factors determine the size of the clutch. I have heard from some that it is cage size and how much food was available. We took out her dish the other day to refill it and she shot out of the box with a "worried" behaviour,when we placed it back in with food, she shot back into the box.

I think that it is a combination of genetics and environment.

 

Show breeders have some lines in which birds are particularly fertile. Kaz, an administrator on here has a bird named Omelette. Omelette is a particularly fertile bird and has regularly had clutches of up to 11 eggs. Other birds are kept in the exact same environment and only lay clutches of 5 or 6 eggs. So in this case, fertility/genetics seems to play a large role.

 

Environment is also an issue as where the conditions are good, and the bird is in good health, it is able to produce more young, so bigger clutches are possible.

 

I do not believe that it is either genetics OR environment, but rather it is a combination of both.

 

There is nothing we can do to influence the genetics side of things, but if we ensure that we provide the best environment we can, nature will take care of the rest.

Cage size and amount of food ? NO. I dont think so. I think each hen just seems to know what she can manage or not. My best hen used to lay dozen egg clutches and more or less that amount for a long time. The least eggs I have ever had in any clutch was 4-5 out of any of my birds. Some hens laid as many as 8-10 as well. It varies. It cant be cage size or food, as I have same large aviaries they are taken from and same food situation ..............even when they were in holding cages and a smaller flight before the aviaries were finished it stayed the same. I truly think its a feeling the hen has about her own clutch and egglaying.

Show breeders have some lines in which birds are particularly fertile. Kaz, an administrator on here has a bird named Omelette. Omelette is a particularly fertile bird and has regularly had clutches of up to 11 eggs. Other birds are kept in the exact same environment and only lay clutches of 5 or 6 eggs. So in this case, fertility/genetics seems to play a large role.

Omelette was exceptional. Her breeder has never had any related to her that laid that many eggs

 

FERTILITY however is genetic.

Edited July 31, 201014 yr by KAZ