I'm sure this has been asked before, but I've had a quick look and couldn't find it. This is a bit urgent, so...

 

Short version, is 3 weeks old enough to be left to be fed by Dad?

 

 

Long Version- We have 5 chicks. The oldest is 4 weeks tomorrow. The next is 4 weeks 2 days later and so on. The oldest 2 left the nextbox yesterday (1st one) and either sometime in the night or this morning (2nd one). One is already pecking around at the seed, the other not. But the hen is attacking these 2 chicks. I'm not sure if they left the nextbox or were pushed, to be honest!

 

These 2 have had 2 clutches back to back and were mating this morning, so I need to remove the hen for a rest. Is it okay to do that now?

Remove the hen and the nestbox. Put a container on the floor of the cage with all babies in it. Dad should feed them and show them how to eat.

 

 

 

PS If you do this http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index....showtopic=22446 as a matter of course with all your nestboxes you will have chicks a little more self reliant and feeding themselves earlier too.

Edited August 16, 201014 yr by KAZ

Millet- brilliant idea!

 

What kind of container? I have a 1 litre ice cream container floating around. Or is that too big? Or too deep for them to get out of?

Millet- brilliant idea!

 

What kind of container? I have a 1 litre ice cream container floating around. Or is that too big? Or too deep for them to get out of?

 

I use a 2 litre icecream container and cut one side down so they can get in and out. I use seed as bedding in that container.

Edited August 16, 201014 yr by KAZ

i just remove mum leave chicks in nest

dad still feeds them and for longer

but i lower it to floor

Edited August 16, 201014 yr by GenericBlue

I found a container like a Chinese takeaway container and put some of their nesting sawdust in that. I'd move them to something bigger as you suggested (I moved too quickly!), but they're all snuggled in together at the moment.

 

GenericBlue, I can't lower the nestbox because it's sitting in a hole in the side of the breeding cabinet. We are getting new ones, but not until next year.

 

Kaz, how long is a good time to rest this pair? I don't want them to breed in the hight of summer, so I was thkning either Nov or March. Is Nov too soon? Is March too long?

I found a container like a Chinese takeaway container and put some of their nesting sawdust in that. I'd move them to something bigger as you suggested (I moved too quickly!), but they're all snuggled in together at the moment.

 

GenericBlue, I can't lower the nestbox because it's sitting in a hole in the side of the breeding cabinet. We are getting new ones, but not until next year.

 

Kaz, how long is a good time to rest this pair? I don't want them to breed in the hight of summer, so I was thkning either Nov or March. Is Nov too soon? Is March too long?

 

Use seed as the bedding not sawdust.

 

March might be your better option as November pairing might result in chicks in the nestbox during hot weather.

as long as mums removed its all good

 

as rest is concerned everyone's different i myself like a longer period of rest for my birds but their are times that a bird is in great condition again after two months so ... each bird is different

okay, I found a 2 litre ice cream container, cut the side down and Dad and chicks happily inside. I put the lid on so it's a nice lower-down nestbox against the winter night. The hen is in a cage on her own until the chicks are weaned and not looking too worried. I'll keep the nestbox blocked off until March. When I get a chance, I'll post chick pics, because they are so darned cute! The last clutch was 100% yellow. Only 2 are fully yellow this time. 2 Have grey outline on their wings and grey on heads and bodies. The last one looks like Dad was a yellow budgie and Mum was a Zebra!

as long as mums removed its all good as rest is concerned everyone's different i myself like a longer period of rest for my birds but their are times that a bird is in great condition again after two months so ... each bird is different

I think if I didn't rest these 2, they'd breed until they died of overwork. They are a very... 'loving' pair! :fear

Edited August 16, 201014 yr by KAZ

The last one looks like Dad was a yellow budgie and Mum was a Zebra!

 

Zebra ??

The last one looks like Dad was a yellow budgie and Mum was a Zebra!

 

Zebra ??

i was thinking that kaz :glare:

Yep. It's weird.

Yep. It's weird.

You still havent explained the zebra part

All over it's body (haven't seen the underside yet though) it's feathers are yellow and black and look like stripes. Maybe it's a common mutation, but I haven't seen it before.

I won't win any awards for my photography, but you should get the idea of what s/he looks like. His/her belly is solid grey.">By the way, I suppose if the stripes on head and tail fade, it'll just be a grey Budgie. This is the youngest Budgie with stripes I've seen. The others have been solid yellow. So no doubt this only a novelty to me! I think s/he is very sweet though!

Try for a better photo. That one has too much light so we cant see fully what you are trying to show.

I will, but I might wait a week or so. It's one of the younger chicks (I think the youngest), so usually squashed in under the rest of the clutch!