Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 6: Selecting a Pair for Breeding
• Part 2 of 6: Preparing the breeding site
• Part 3 of 6: Adding a nest
• Part 4 of 6: Reproduction
• Part 5 of 6: Taking care of your chicks
• Part 6 of 6: Plumage period
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

Breeding budgerigars can seem like a great hobby and it is! However, you need to have a lot of knowledge! In addition, you need to make all budgerigars happy and healthy so that they can create a happy family.

Steps

Part 1 of 6: Selecting a Pair for Breeding

1. 1 Find the right pair to cross. The couple must be over 12 months of age but less than four years old. They must be healthy and free of any defects such as sprained legs and the like.
   • If you want eggs to eat that are called infertile, do not take a male budgie; only one female, and she will lay eggs that you can eat.
2. 2 Make sure the breeding pair is eating a healthy, balanced diet consisting of quality seeds, fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, and more.
3. 3 Wait four weeks for budgerigars to adapt to their new environment if recently purchased and allow them to mate.

Part 2 of 6: Preparing the breeding site

1. 1 Use a suitable cage. Choose one that is approximately 60 cm wide. The cage should be wider than tall (budgerigars fly horizontally), with a square top, and at least three doors: one for the food saucer, one for the drinker, and one for you to easily access the cage. ... You may need to cut a small hole in the cage for the nest box (see below for the nest box).
2. 2 Get everything you need ready. You will probably need: Perches, some toys for the male budgie, (not place toys too close to avoid injury), food and water saucers, cuttlefish shell (source of calcium), liquid calcium or sand (at least two of these sources of calcium), mineral block (optional), additional feeders and drinkers to place on the ground when the chicks fledge, budgie chick mixture, a small syringe, and just in case, space for a small orphan budgie.
3. 3 Find the right avian veterinarian (who specializes in birds) if you haven't already. Keep all details, including your phone number, close at hand.You never know when something will go wrong, so call if it does.

Part 3 of 6: Adding a nest

Nesting budgerigars need a cozy and comfortable place to settle in.

1. 1 Buy or make a nest box of sufficient size. Good dimensions: (22cm (height) X 15-20cm (width) X 15-17cm (depth) with 5.1cm diameter entry hole).
2. 2 Make a budgie nest using coconut shells. If you'd like, make your own nest box out of coconut shells. Coconut husks are the perfect choice as they are not only cozy but also offer something to bite if the parrot has that inclination.
   • Find three coconut shells. They should be about the same size.
   • Drill several holes in one of the shells. Make a hole at the top of the shell, a hole on one side, and another hole on the other end.
   • Repeat for the other two shells.
   • Tie the shells together with a bird-safe wire or rope. Pull the thread through the drilled holes.
   • Make a hanging hole at the front of the shell. Or, do it where it seems appropriate.
   • Hang the shells in a breeding cage.

Part 4 of 6: Reproduction

1. 1 Wait. Don't bother budgerigars. They will do their "business" in due time, but disturbing their peace and constantly spinning in front of them, you will not help. You won't be able to catch them mating, but if you do, let it happen. (If not, the female will chase the male out and mating will stop.)
2. 2 When the eggs appear, wait until each is five days old and then test the eggs by transillumination. You can find ways to see through eggs on the internet. Be very careful to avoid touching the eggs. However, be aware that this step is optional; it is recommended that you do your research first before deciding.

Part 5 of 6: Taking care of your chicks

1. 1 Check regularly. The chicks will eventually hatch, so it is very important that you check the nest box daily. Try to do this when the mother is absent. Temporarily block the entrance to the nesting house (for example, using a piece of newspaper). This is to prevent the mother from suddenly appearing and biting you.
   • Check chicks carefully for injuries, seeds / air bubbles in the crop (pouch at the base of the chick's neck).
   • Check for a full goiter (bloating).
   • Make sure no food gets stuck in the upper part of the upper mandible (the upper part of the beak). If there is food, carefully remove it with a match or the tip of a pen.
   • Remove droppings and / or food from all toes, beak, eyes and other body parts with a soft, damp, and warm fabrics.
   • Remove all dead bodies.

   Note that budgerigars have a very poor sense of smell, so they don't care if you touch their chicks.

2. 2 Clean up! Chicks also include droppings, so the nest box should be cleaned regularly. When the female is feeding, transfer the chicks and eggs to a small container lined with soft paper towels. Clean the dirty sleeping area and remove the wet droppings from the bottom of the nest box, then replace the nest materials with fresh ones. Move the chicks and eggs back gently. Make sure to get it done as quickly as possible.
3. 3 When the chicks are three weeks old or so, feed them an ear of millet every day. Just place the ear in the box. Their mother will nibble it and immediately regurgitate it for her chicks. Chicks can also bite once or twice, imitating their mother. This will help with weaning later, as the chicks will immediately recognize the seeds as food.

Part 6 of 6: Plumage period

1. 1 When the chicks finally fledge at 28-35 days of age, place a saucer of seeds and another separate saucer of water at the bottom of the cage. Although the father feeds them completely at this stage, you can encourage them to start eating solid food as soon as possible. It's also a great idea to provide them with a bowl of finely chopped fresh fruits and vegetables - fledglings love to explore and try new things!
2. 2 Provide the chicks with a small house on the ground so they can protect themselves from the grumpy mother. If you allow the female to lay another batch of eggs, she often becomes aggressive towards the chicks. Since you want the chicks to stay with the male for as long as possible, give them a clean, empty, inverted ice cream container with a door carved into it, or a hamster house that you can buy at the pet store. The chicks will hide in it.
   • Make sure chicks don't spend all day in it. Take them out for several hours a day so that the chicks can explore the cage and do not forget to eat and drink.
3. 3 Remove the nest box. You can allow the female to lay the second batch of eggs, but this is often very stressful for the parent couple. When the last chick has fledged, remove the nest box immediately and seal the hole where the nest box was. Perhaps separate the mother from the father and the chicks, as she might be a little angry with her chicks.
4. 4 Give names to your chicks. You may not know the sex of the budgie chick, but when it is about 1 month old, you can give it a suitable name. Imagine you've created a happy budgerigar family!

Tips

• Feed your chicks fruits and vegetables daily, especially during plumage.
• Supply a cuttlefish shell (calcium source) and a mineral block.
• Provide enough toys for them.

Warnings

• Never breed birds like a colony. Colony breeding is when you breed more than one pair of birds in the same cage at once. This often results in nest raids, dead / injured chicks, broken eggs, injured / fighting / dead parents, and so on. Although budgerigars breed in the wild in colonies, they have many, many trees and voids to choose from for their nesting sites and a whole sky to fly around.
• Do not allow budgerigars to breed in nest boxes that are too small or in areas not intended for breeding. If the eggs are in a cramped house, in a cardboard box, and the like that you put in a cage, replace them with fake eggs and ruin the real ones (shake them quickly).

What do you need

• Nest box (if made from coconut shells: * 3 coconut shells, bird-safe wire and rope, drills
• Healthy, compatible crossbreeding pair
• Spacious cage with the right parameters
• Extra food / water saucers to place on the ground
• Suitable toys for parrots
• Bottle feeding mixture, a warm safe place to keep budgerigar orphans, and a syringe
• Your favorite avian vet number and clinic contact details
• Space
• Additional funds (plus $ 500 for each pair would be ideal if something goes wrong, often very expensive)