Hi all,

 

I have an aviary set up with 6 males and 6 females. I have separate breeding cages ready to go when they are showing signs of wanting to breed. I do have boxes in the aviary but only so I can see if they are interested. Once they are showing an interest I was going to move them to a breeding cage with the box they have chosen.

 

I have another pair that I have put into a breeding cage which are the only 2 that seem to be in condition. They have been together for a week but are not showing any signs of mating behaviour. They are not feeding each other, there is no interest in the nest box. How long do I leave them together for?

 

A friend close by who breeds budgies seems to have a constant supply of eggs but I have had none. The hens ceres all seem to be a very dark brown or peeling (except the paired one) so I'm guessing they are out of condition but they have been like that for several months. How long does it take them to come back into condition?

 

There is only one that is under 12 months.

 

They have plenty of seed, fresh food and water.

 

Why won't they come into condition?

 

Thanks

It's hard for people to help when they cannot see what condition the birds are in,try them on B12 one week on, one week off ,then one week back on.Then put your hens into the breeding cages on there own for about ten days with access to the nest boxes,after the ten days introduce the cocks.

PJI's advice is good. For your pair in a breeding cage, one week isn't very long at all, so just be patient for a few more weeks and see what happens.

 

There are some hens who seem to keep a thick crusty brown cere their whole lives. It makes it hard to tell when they are in good breeding condition, but I haven't had any problem breeding the ones I have like that. But it does seem like you should be able to tell by their behavior and their interest (or lack thereof) in the nest box if they are going into condition, even if their ceres aren't right.