Hey everyone,

 

I have breed budgerigars for 4 or 5 years now. I have a collection of 14 budgies, all in an aviary currently and I am planning to pair them tomorrow. I have two pairs that I bred last year that I will do again this year. But due to a few spontaneous deaths I am confused as to how to plan my third pair.

 

I have a pair which are not related but I would rather breed a pair which are slightly related.

 

So I have two questions:

 

1. How many generations do I have to breed before pairing for it to be safe? I have read all different responses, some saying that you can breed parent and offspring as long as you don't do it for successive generations. I have also heard just to avoid it as much as possible, what do you think is the best time to wait?

 

2. Spontaneous Deaths. I have had 3 spontaneous deaths in the past 3 years. The latest one, I found on the floor of the aviary, perfectly intact, except for it's head, which was devoid of feathers didn't have one feather. Does anyone know what causes this? He was not one of my good quality genetics budiges and I did check all of the other budgies for similar symptoms, with no answer.

 

Thanks everyone

 

Stuey

I personally wouls steer clear of inbreeding unless you have full knowledge of your budgie's backgrounds. The cock was probably plucked by a hen ( don't quote me ).

In breeding is like a christmas tree, each year you go out to an outcross then the following back in to the line. That's if you have a line. Mind you the birds need to have something to offer to inbreed and also to out cross.

I am sure someone will explain it better than me.

one, I found on the floor of the aviary, perfectly intact, except for it's head, which was devoid of feathers didn't have one feather. Does anyone know what causes this? He was not one of my good quality genetics budiges and I did check all of the other budgies for similar symptoms, with no answer.

 

 

when you find them on the floor of the aviary it is after the other budgies have had a go at them. They will eat a good bit of a dead budgie before you get to it most of the time. The missing feathers were from the other budgies doing it. Sometimes they will eat the face, beak and crack open the head and eat the brain as well.

 

 

As far as inbreeding goes you can usually try half brothers and sisters, cousins, aunty to nephew etc. Grandchild to grandparent.

There is little point in doing this at all unless you are breeding for show and have records of family history and congenital defects in a family line, or you are trying to cement certain features in a bird though a family line. There are topics on this on our forum. Use the search function and type in linebreeding and inbreeding and see what pops up

Edited September 11, 201014 yr by KAZ

okay thanks guys, I will try to explain the relationship between the two birds that I want to breed. They are quite a distant relation.

 

I had, for example.

 

Cock01(C01) and Hen01 (H01)

 

They had C02. C02 and H02 had H03.

 

C01 and H04 of no relation, had H05.

 

H05 and a cock of no relation had C03.

 

It is C03 and H03 I wish to breed.

 

They will have one grandparent in common. If you are overly confused, I can draw a family tree ...

Edited September 11, 201014 yr by Stuey

I have decided not to breed these two budgies. Upon drawing a family tree I discovered that the Hens sire is the same as the cocks dam-sire (maternal grandfather).

 

Instead I will purchase or acquire another cock. Because it is mainly the Hen of whom I want to breed. Thanks for your advice guys!

Glad you have worked it out Stuey ........cos I got lost with this bit.....

Cock01(C01) and Hen01 (H01)

 

They had C02. C02 and H02 had H03.

 

C01 and H04 of no relation, had H05.

 

H05 and a cock of no relation had C03.

 

It is C03 and H03 I wish to breed.

 

:sadsorry: