Posted September 15, 201212 yr My male budgie die, I have han left with two chicks(25 and 23 days old).She don't coming out off nest and not feeding chicks.Can I put in odder spare male to help her?
September 22, 201212 yr I would not put a new male into the cage with the mother and the chicks. If you are really sure that the mother is not feeding them, and you have an experienced father that you think would take over and feed them, that could be a possibility. BUT, I would remove the mother first, and be ready to keep an eye on the new male, to make sure he is kind to the chicks. It is possible that he might not go into the box to feed them, so if they are old enough, and it sounds like they might be, then you can remove the nest, and put the chicks into a shelter on the floor of the cage. Put seed and millet in there with the chicks, and if they venture out and beg from the new male, then he may be inspired to feed them. If not, then at three weeks and beyond, the chicks may be old enough to learn to eat on their own. You can try to give them supplemental hand feedings of formula, but I have found that by that age, they refuse to take it. But I have had chicks that age who refused to eat formula, and who's "foster dad" didn't really pick up on feeding them either. I thought they would starve, but they were close enough to weaning, that they learned to eat on their own. At least with the presence of a "foster dad", they can watch him eat, and learn to copy him. I think that if you put a new male in with the mother, they will become interested in raising a family of their own together, and the old chicks may be in jeopardy, since they will now be seen as intruders. It's been 6 days since you posted this question. What did you end up doing, and how are the chicks taking it? Good luck, Finnie
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now