Hello To all,

I hope everyone is doing well I havent' been on this sight for awhile. In the summer I posted pictures of 4 little chicks. It was my first time breeding budgies. Well mama budgie had another clutch after that. She laid 10 eggs, the first two chicks died and one egg was a dud. She is a very good mom and the male I have her with is a good dad. Until a few days ago. There were 7 chicks left in the nest box. The older ones are a month old and the 2 younger ones about 3 weeks old. I woke up to do my daily cage cleaning and feeding when I heard an unusual amount of screaming. I seen Booger (who is the dad) sitting in the corner freaked out. I looked in the hole of the nest box to see Mama bird jumping all over the place and knocking the babies in the head. I knew something was wrong. I opened the nest box and seen some of the chicks had bald patches on their head that looked red. The mama birds beak had a little blood on it. I rushed around to find something to put the babies in. I knew I had to get them out. Within a half an hour of preparing a homemade brooder she had killed one and was going for another. I quickly got them out. She started to attack me, which she never does. I took the nest box out. I was hoping she wasn't going to start attacking booger. I really don't know what had gotten into her. She was such a good mom, it's like she went crazy.

Well the past few days I have been hand feeding around the clock, this is only my second clutch ever and the first time I'm handfeeding. I have read a few books and looked online. Everyone seems to have a different opinion on how to hand feed and how many times a day it should be. I figured I would ask here since you guys have given me good advice before. So the littlest chick is about 3 weeks old. The oldest is about a month. I have six of them. I moved the older three into a tiny cage because they didn't want to eat from me after the first couple feeding. The seem to be eating seeds. I got the younger three in a ten gallon tank with a heating pad and a light, I have a thermometer and a tiny bowl of water and seeds incase they want to try those, I have a couple hand sewn nests that they have been sleeping in.

This is my schedule of feeding...1:30pm, 4:30pm, 7:30pm, 10:30pm, 1:30am, 4:30am, 7:30 am and 10:30 am. The two youngest eat everytime I feed the four older only a few times. Should I still be feeding them round the clock every three hours or do you think that is too much. Like I said this is my first shot at it. I'm not exactly sure what I am doing. They seem to be pretty attached to me now. I guess I'm the new mama. I just don't want anything to go wrong, they are a good little bunch and they are varies shades of green and yellow. Very pretty birds, The oldest is a deep teal, second oldest has lots of yellow in her, the third is so funny, he is a bright green but has a light blue butt...HAHA!!!

SORRY SUCH A LONG POST.....

Hope to hear from you guys soon,

Thanks YOu so much for listening,

Jaime

sounds like you got it under control just so long as their crops always got food they should be right

though times r good and if bubs are feathering normally and growing well then you have nailed it

 

good save

good luck

Next time this happens.....................immediately remove the mother and leave the father to complete the raising of the chicks.

So continue to feed them over night?? Even though they have all of their feathers?? How long should I feed them for. I guess I'm just looking for a timeline on when I could stop feeding them into the night. Is it still every three hours for them or can I go every six hours. Like I said, I heard so many different things from different websites to books. I'm still getting the hang of this. But thank you for the information given. Does anyone have any idea why mama bird acted like that??? She was really good up in til that day. Was she just getting frustrated??

The age they are....................and 4-5 weeks being fledging age.........

 

I would have them sitting on a bedding of seed so they eat it..... and Feed them three times a day maximum.

 

 

http://forums.budgiebreeders.asn.au/index.php?showtopic=22446

 

If you had removed the mother and left the dad with them you wouldnt have had to do any of this.

 

Does anyone have any idea why mama bird acted like that??? She was really good up in til that day. Was she just getting frustrated??

She did this to remove the chicks from the nest so she could start another clutch.

 

 

This is my schedule of feeding...1:30pm, 4:30pm, 7:30pm, 10:30pm, 1:30am, 4:30am, 7:30 am and 10:30 am. The two youngest eat everytime I feed the four older only a few times.

Too much for their age when they should be at stage of self weaning. If you take my tip and put seed under them as bedding they will be eating from that. They can do this from two weeks of age.

Reduce the feeds as you are feeding so much they dont have a chance to try eating for themselves.

Remember they leave the nest and eat for themselves at age 4-5 weeks anyway

 

So continue to feed them over night?? NO

 

 

Edited November 29, 201014 yr by **KAZ**

Agree with Kaz. Even when I had a reasonably young chick around 3 weeks of age I never bothered getting up to feed after midnight. Last feed was always 10-11pm and then again at 6-7am. Have a 4 week old at the moment and am only feeding it three times a day. Downs about 6 mls of formula and absolutely fills the crop tightly, but 3 a day is enough. I left it in the kindy cage with the others who are eating seed so it can have a crack at seed if it gets hungry in between. Its growing and feathering up just fine, takes a few hours for that massive crop to empty.

Thanks everyone very much. I have been wrecking my head about this. I didn't want to not feed them in the middle of the night and have them die on me, but I was to the point were I was feeding them every three hours. Getting up in the night and such. I read so many different opinions on this then I remembered I was a member here and i was like duh I need to ask them, they know what they are doing. okay so about 3 times a day then. Sounds good. Again I thank you all very much, your help was much appreciated. Now I won't lose any sleep thinking they are going to die on me.

Thanks everyone very much. I have been wrecking my head about this. I didn't want to not feed them in the middle of the night and have them die on me, but I was to the point were I was feeding them every three hours. Getting up in the night and such. I read so many different opinions on this then I remembered I was a member here and i was like duh I need to ask them, they know what they are doing. okay so about 3 times a day then. Sounds good. Again I thank you all very much, your help was much appreciated. Now I won't lose any sleep thinking they are going to die on me.

 

 

Not just three times a day...........put seed under them so they start to eat it too.

Right, I did do that. All five older birds don't want to eat from me anymore. I try to offer them the baby bird food, they just don't want it. The youngest squeeks everytime he hears or sees me. So he better be eating his seeds!!! Again thank you all for your help!!

Right, I did do that. All five older birds don't want to eat from me anymore. I try to offer them the baby bird food, they just don't want it. The youngest squeeks everytime he hears or sees me. So he better be eating his seeds!!! Again thank you all for your help!!

At two and a half weeks to three weeks the other siblings also feed their younger brothers and sisters in the nest.

Yea I did see them doing that. I thought I was seeing things. I was thinking, "that must be practice for when they get older." okay but they are really feeding them. That's cute and handy too, haha!!