I HAD 4 HENS AND 4 MALES. ONE HEN LAYED 4 EGGS THEN THEY KILLED HER, THEN ANOTHER HEN LAYED 3 EGGS IN SAME BOX(TOTAL 7 EGGS IN BOX) NOW THEY HAVE KILLED HER WITH EGGS DUE TO HATCH. I HAVE 4 BOXES, SO WHY ARE THEY KILLING MY HENS

PLEASE HELP FIRST TIME BREEDER???????

You should separate the breeding pairs if they're so aggressive. This doesn't seem uncommon. It seems the best solution is to give each pair their own cage.

will my eggs still hatch if both hens are dead, l still have 2 hens left will they sit on the eggs

I'm not a breeder, but I very much doubt it. Besides, if the eggs have been cool too long I think that can keep them from developing? Again, I'm not a breeder so hopefully one will answer your questions soon. Personally, I don't think the hens will foster eggs they didn't lay and even if they did, I'd be worried about more fighting.

 

Maybe it would be better to stop breeding until you've done a bit more research? It would be horrible for you to lose more birds.

How awful. :budgiedance: You should definitely separate each pair to breed if they are this agressive. Otherwise you'll just keep losing hens.

Since you don't know which of your remaining birds are the attacker you need to rethink you situation, and as all above me have said giving them separate breeding cage (any cage with box added or attached) so as to stop the fighting.

 

Eggs can be fosters, but like eterri said unless either of the other two hens took over brooding I think they would be cold and any deveopling babies would be dead. But if one has taken over the box and eggs then they can be moved with her into the new cage, with a chance of hatching.

 

It must feel really bad to have this happen on your first time breeding :budgiedance: I'm sorry for your lost with the to hens and fingers crossed it doesn't happen again.

OHH NO!

 

What a bummer to loose 2 or your hens. I had 4 pairs in my aviary, I had to remove 1 pair. She started off just being nosey, and poking her head into 2 of the boxes. Then when one of my hens eggs hatched, she attacked. My hen lost the baby and had a pretty bad wound on her head. I am not sure if she just kept pecking at her head thru the hole, or what. I since have removed the bully and her mate, and the aviary is now at peace.

From what I have read, I feel lucky that I have 3 breeding pairs living in peace in 1 avairy.

So far, 4 healthy babies!

Good luck and keep us posted

Anna

You obviouslry have to many birds together,

I have bred budgerigars for thirty years and believe me you cant have enough nest boxes if you colony breed,

It is much better to cage breed with selected pairs if you can,

I know its nice to colony breed in a aviary but you must supply plenty of breeding boxes at various heights so the birds can choose,

I have colony brednow for two years and still find i have problems with hens wanting the same box,

Put as many boxes as you can and whatch very closley for aggression.

Gill :budgiedance:

I always have at least one extra box that they all look at and no one wants. And I try to face them away from each other so the hens don't even see each other when entering/leaving their boxes.

 

I did have trouble one time with a hen laying her eggs in anothers box and the hen raising babies that weren't hers.

 

smart or stupid .....can't work it out.