Posted August 13, 201113 yr Hi everyone, I am new to this forum. So I'll begin with a brief intro before shooting a million questions. My name is Jacquie, I live in Rockhampton, Queensland. I goto University full time (external student), and, since the tender age of 4, I have absolutely loved ALL bird species. Up until I moved out of home, I lived on a small farm. My family bred chooks. I have had alot of experience with chooks, and their breeding. However, I am eager to learn about artificial incubation of budgies. I received my first budgie when I was 8. He was a wild budgie that had been rejected by his mother. My uncle worked for a tree industry and found the little pink, featherless baby helpless on the ground below the tree in which its family inhabited. My uncle (with alot of difficulty) transported the baby back to it's nest, 15 minutes later, it was shunned again, he repeated putting it back in the nest, and it was shunned again. So he wrapped it in his hankerchief and placed it in his front pocket until his earliest opportunity leave the shift he was working. He drove to the closest vet, and they provided him with some kind of parrot starter. He had to return to work, so he left the budgie with my mother and I, and we continued to care for the budgie, until he eventually grew into the most beautiful little critter I had ever seen. I kept him for 2 years, however, he died for unknown reasons. I am guessing he had some form of defect from birth, this is probably why the hen shunned him. Anyway, sorry about the brief intro that has now developed into an essay, I just like telling this story as Bluey (my first budgie) was the most hardy and affectionate pet I have ever owned and he deserves his story to be known . He sparked my love of budgies. Since living on a farm, watching chickens hatching every second week or so, I have always had a real appreciation and obsession with the hatching of any bird species. For the past year, I have been on pursuit for information pertaining to budgie breeding and rearing. As well as this, I have deeply considered purchasing a budgie. However, I don't just want a budgie that will sit in it's cage for the majority of the day and look like a captive . I want a budgie for a companion. The pet shops in my local area very rarely sell hand raised budgies, and when they do, they sell so quickly due to such limited numbers of them being sold. So I recently decided that I would like to hatch my own egg. I have been shopping around for an appropriate incubator, and have studied all necessary specifications/requirements involved in this process. I would like to raise a budgie myself (again, I have extensively researched this process). I am prepared for the entire process. I live in a unit with my partner, he works full time, and I am home all of the day doing University assessments, so I am beyond able to care and nurture a pet budgie. My questions to everyone here: 1. Does anybody know of breeders in the Central Queensland region who will sell me just the one fertile egg? 2. What does everybody think of my idea to hatch and rear a budgie myself? 3. Is it even possible to buy a budgie egg and hatch it in an incubator myself? What are your thoughts on this idea? (I see plenty of chook forums who sell and ship fertile eggs. However, I never see the same for fertile budgie eggs. [Apart from obvious scammers who are scattered all throughout alibaba.] Does the same incubation principle of "incubation begins the moment the hen sits on a fertile egg'' apply to budgies? I haven't yet read anything about this process in regards to budgies. So yeah, in a nutshell, I'm really wanting a loving little pet for my partner and I to nurture, love and care for. We have both come to a decision that a budgie is what we want. And we are both eager to use an incubator to hatch a baby for a pet. Sorry about the super long post, most of it seems relevant Awaiting your responses, Thanks everyone, Jac.
August 14, 201113 yr Hi Jac, You posted your first post by tacking it onto another persons thread, so I separated it out into its own topic. I think you will find it very hard to raise a chick from an egg. Better you find a breeder willing to let you handle your baby daily in its nest while being parent raised. Raising it from an egg is dangerous and loss of life is to be expected...........its rare you will have a chick survive that. Too much can go wrong, and you would have to be devoted to it 24 hrs a day. Hopefully you can find a breeder willing to work with you, but you may find it near impossible for anyone to sell you a fertile egg. PS welcome
August 15, 201113 yr Author Hi Kaz, Thank-you very much for your reply. I would be willing to devote 24 hours of my day to raise the little one, however, I understand your point. So what I have done, is gotte a hold of a local breeder who is willing to allow me to hand raise one of her babies when its a few week weeks old. Will take some photo's of the little one when I get him and keep you updated with how I go. Thankyou very much for your reply with this question, Regards, Jac
August 18, 201113 yr Welcome, good luck with your little project. Make sure you add pics for us to follow progress
August 18, 201113 yr Welcome There are some very good breeders on th central coast. but you might find it hard friding one that will give up a fertile egg. Good luck though and let us know how you go.
