My male budgie is busting his nuts trying to impress the female with all the dancing and mouth-to-mouth feeding. His cere is bright blue. There isnt even a nest box in the aviary.

The female on the other hand doesnt seem that interested. Her cere is no where near brown, its a pale white. How do I get her into condition? Do I have to feed her some special foods, like egg-biscuit mixture or lots of greens?

I really want to see some before it gets too cold.

how old is she?

how old is she?

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12 months or more. Lost the stipes on forehead. It's a mostly white hen with a bit of blue and black patching.

Edited May 31, 200519 yr by tommy1441

The male will bring her into condition. Make sure she is already on a good diet of pellets, fresh veggies, and some seed every day, and make sure she has a calcium source, like cuttlebone or a calcium perch. Just because she has lost the stripes on her forehead does not mean she is 12 months or more. The first molt occurs around 4 months, so unless you know her birthday and you've had her for over 12 months don't assume she is old enough to breed. Have you ever bred budgies before?

The male will bring her into condition.  Make sure she is already on a good diet of pellets, fresh veggies, and some seed every day, and make sure she has a calcium source, like cuttlebone or a calcium perch.  Just because she has lost the stripes on her forehead does not mean she is 12 months or more.  The first molt occurs around 4 months, so unless you know her birthday and you've had her for over 12 months don't assume she is old enough to breed. Have you ever bred budgies before?

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Never bred budgies before. She looks mature enough (I think her cere is getting darker). I've never seen the cuttlebone being eaten, I might have to find some other source of calcium. So how do I know when to put the breeding box in?

i thought budgies have to be a certain age for breeding.

I thought that putting a box in would put the female in the mood. Could be wrong, but I'm sure i read that somewhere

the hen is ready to breed from 6 months like the male BUT not mentally. They are like a human teenager at this point.

 

Mine NEVER ate the cuttle bone until in the box with eggs appearing then she dug into it as did my cock to help her.

 

Adding the box will also help with getting the interested I think from what I have read around here :bluebudgie:

If you are not sure she is old enough, don't breed her. As nerwen said, just because she seems ready to breed isn't a reason to breed her. Their bones are still soft and growing, and an immature hen is more likely to have problems (like egg binding, ignoring the babies, or plucking out of frustration) because they are not mature enough emotionally to handle the strain of breeding. If it were my bird, I'd wait until next year. Can you post a picture of her? We might be able to guesstimate her age a little better from a good closeup. How long have you had her? Was she still a barhead when you got her? Have you ever seen her go through a full molt? I'm not trying to put you off of ever breeding, if you know what you are doing and what to expect it is very rewarding. But I AM concerned about what it would do to your hen if she is too immature.

HEN BUDGIES WILL ACTUALLY COME INTO SEASON AT ABOUT 6 MOUNTHS OLD THAT DOSENT MEAN THEY ARE READY TO BREED THOUGH.

IF THE CONDITIONS ARE RIGHT THEY WILL SEEK OUT NEST BOXES AND MATE AND LAY EGGS I KNOW BECAUSE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME IN MY COLONY BREEEDING SYSTEM THE BEST THING TO DO IF THIS HAPPENS IS TO TRY TO TRANSFER THE EGGS TO AN OLDER PAIR AS THE YOUNG HEN WILL PROBERLY NOT BE ABLE TO FEED THE YOUNG AND REAR THEM PROPERLY.

GILL

I've found out that the hen is definately old enough. A few years in fact. Just wondering how long it will be before I see eggs. The male's feeding her, nest box is in, they have everything. I guess now it's just a waiting game (hopefully a weighting gain for the hen).

max age for a female budgie to breed is 3, is she younger than this?, if she is and conditions are right you should be expecting eggs very soon

If you start to see her going in and inspecting the nest box wiat. If she starts spending more time in the box scratching about, count out 9 days, approx, for the first egg. This is if everything is going right. Also the male will start entering the nesting box about 6 days before the first egg is laid. A good hint is if you see him feeding her while she is in the box.

He's been feeding her every day. But I havent seen them near the nest box. When he's been feeding her he briefly tries to put one of his feet onto her back but then retracts.

Is it because the days are getting shorter and Im not providing them with artificial lighting?

The male is doing his part. The thing that is stopping them is most likely because of the lighting. You do have to provide artificial lighting for the hen to want to breed. Provide them with about 14 hours of light per day and she should show interest in breeding then.

The male is doing his part. The thing that is stopping them is most likely because of the lighting. You do have to provide artificial lighting for the hen to want to breed. Provide them with about 14 hours of light per day and she should show interest in breeding then.

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Not exactly right.

 

Many periodically breeding species, such as the Budgerigar, appear instead, to use other sources environmental stimulation and are not highly affected by photoperiod. For instance, when comparing the effects of natural daylight with a regime of 2 hours of light and 22 hours of darkness and 6 hours of light and 18 hours of darkness, there was no difference in egg laying incidence of singularly caged Budgerigars as long as they were provided a nest box and exposed to male vocalisations. In fact, hens kept in total darkness but provided a nest box and exposed to male vocalisations also laid eggs at the same rate as those exposed to natural daylight.

 

This is just one study.

 

Tommy just keep them going as is. How long have they been in the breeding cage?

They are not in a breeding cage. They're just out in the aviary. The nest box has been in there for 2 weeks. I also think the male is doing everything, it's the female that's the problem. The cock is vocal and his cere is bright blue. He feeds the female. She on the other hand has a cere that isnt dark brown. Her eyes are fully black, and she eats the paint off the aviary mesh!

A few times Ive noticed the male doing is bowing and getting onto the nest box platform, but after a while the female goes crazy and flies towards me to shoo me away.

 

I would post a picture but I dont know how. Ive got pics on my computer but I dont know how to get them into this post.

Edited June 12, 200519 yr by tommy1441

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a338/tom...41/budgies1.jpg

okay now I know.

Edited June 13, 200519 yr by Rainbow

He looks beautiful. She looks like me twins.

 

 

She may not be in season. He definately is by the look of him.

 

You may have to wait.

They are not in a breeding cage. They're just out in the aviary. The nest box has been in there for 2 weeks. I also think the male is doing everything, it's the female that's the problem. The cock is vocal and his cere is bright blue. He feeds the female. She on the other hand has a cere that isnt dark brown. Her eyes are fully black, and she eats the paint off the aviary mesh!

A few times Ive noticed the male doing is bowing and getting onto the nest box platform, but after a while the female goes crazy and flies towards me to shoo me away.

 

I would post a picture but I dont know how. Ive got pics on my computer but I dont know how to get them into this post.

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I read this one again. She maybe still young.

 

Breeding Age & Behaviours

Budgerigar's are one of the fastest sexually maturing avian species. Budgerigar cocks reach full sexual maturity at approximately 60 days with a hen maturing soon after. They will display all of the secondary sexual characteristics by the time they are through their first moult at three months. They will also pair bond and display all of the sexual breeding behaviours of a physically and sexually mature adult. The problem is, they are still physically immature and all of their nutritional resources need to be directed toward building bone, muscle, etc. Full physical maturity usually takes 10 to 16 months longer than sexual maturity.

Some breeders will mate 5 to 7 month old hens, especially if they are buff feathered, as they feel they produce better at this age. When doing so it is advisable to limit the pair to one round and foster the eggs, then wait another 5 to 6 months before using her again, this time taking two rounds of eggs and letting her raise one. Normally, hens are not bred with until 10 to 12 months of age.

Cocks can be used for breeding much earlier than hens, however, his drain on nutritional resources occurs as a result of feeding the hen and chicks rather than in the production of the egg. In cocks under 10 months, it is permissible to let them fertilise several rounds of eggs, but only let them raise and feed one clutch. If they are under six months, let them fertilise one or two rounds but do not let them raise any chicks. Either leave the hen to incubate and feed the young on her own or foster both rounds of eggs to infertile clutches in other nests.

Hens when in condition will demonstrate an increase in gnawing behaviours and general activity. They will chew on branches, perches or any wood materials in the flight. Mate specific behaviours will be evident and generally intensified from periods of infertility. Cocks will be active, loudly chattering, knocking beaks together with other males, or against perches, drinkers, etc., while in full forward display. Cock aggressiveness may be greater as fighting with other cocks is not unusual. Cocks will be feeding both mates and non-mates. Some pairs may be copulating with a group of cocks actively interfering to the point that the copulating cock will leave the hen and chase them away.

While all of this is occurring, other hens and cocks will seem to be unchanged in activity. Secondary sexual characteristic indicating breeding condition may be absent or receding. Moult may be evident. Distinguishing between the two types of behaviours and conditions requires only observation.

 

 

 

If she is young ( the two in my photo above are approx 4 months - They just started their first moult) she will still breed but it may not be successfull. Is her cere the same colour as mine?

I have a few birds like your female Tommy. They kept their black eyes for some reason. Im not sure about their mutations, are they pied? Mine have molted a few times already and still all black eyes.

I have pieds. They all have iris rings, but you really have to look closely to see them on some of the birds. For example, my oldest baby hen is almost 16 months old. The iris is grey, but only a few shades lighter than the black iris of baby budgies. To glance at her, she seems to have no iris ring. But it is darker now than it was 6 months ago. I anticipate it to be more obvious 6 months from now. Sunny ( a male) is almost 14 months old, and you can only tell he has an iris ring when he is "in display" and has his eyes pinned. Then it is very obvious he has an iris ring, otherwise you can't really see it because it is only a few shades lighter than black. Some birds I think just have the changes to the iris at different rates, because most of the birds I have are this way with the iris ring. If you didn't know the true age of your hen, going from my experience I would say she was under a year. Unless she is a recessive pied, then she will never get the iris ring. If you are certain she is a few years old, she is probably a recessive pied.

 

Your picture was too large, please keep under 450 x 450 pixles.