My hen stopped feeding the young

[bezza]

Hi all I'm very new to budgie breeding I have several pairs I acquired off a friend a yellow hen and a purple cock, I got told they have been great parents and personally I can't fault the male but the hen stopped feeding the babies oldest being 1 week youngest 2 days I just wondered if anyone could give me any reasons why this maybe happened I have other pairs in same flight with round of there own no problems, Iv checked on her every day to make sure the babies are doing ok could this of been the problem thanks in advance

[jujubiiird]

Oh my, I cannot offer advice, but I hope someone experienced will come and help you soon! Hope the chicks are doing alright, you might have to feed them yourself if she stops completely...I know I am just stating the obvious..but good luck and I hope someone gets on soon.

[teng]

Oct 20, 2016 21:28:33 GMT bezza said:

Hi all I'm very new to budgie breeding I have several pairs I acquired off a friend a yellow hen and a purple cock, I got told they have been great parents and personally I can't fault the male but the hen stopped feeding the babies oldest being 1 week youngest 2 days I just wondered if anyone could give me any reasons why this maybe happened I have other pairs in same flight with round of there own no problems, Iv checked on her every day to make sure the babies are doing ok could this of been the problem thanks in advance

Are you into colony breeding? If yes, how many pairs do you have and how many nest boxes have you provided?

[bezza]

Hi I only have 3 pairs in this flight with 3 nest boxes ? The other babies in another nest box are fine it's just she's stopped feeding hers for some reason they have now all died but she's sitting on 3 eggs. Am I best to remove her from nest and put her in flight with no nest boxes I read somewhere that it can be stress of having too many young in a year and I'm not sure how many she has had this year as Iv only just got her 4 weeks ago she came with her nest box and eggs and everything was going fine until last week.

[Hezz]

The budgies should never have been moved while breeding. It is hardly surprising that the hen has abandoned them and the chicks have died. Colony breeding also increases your chances of things going wrong. It is suggested that more nest boxes than pairs is necessary, but budgies are territorial animals and the hens in particular can become very aggressive with other pairs and their chicks. You are best separating your pairs into their own flight cage with their own nest box each, or removing the nest boxes altogether so the birds are not stimulated to breed.

[teng]

Oct 21, 2016 6:02:33 GMT bezza said:

Hi I only have 3 pairs in this flight with 3 nest boxes ? The other babies in another nest box are fine it's just she's stopped feeding hers for some reason they have now all died but she's sitting on 3 eggs. Am I best to remove her from nest and put her in flight with no nest boxes I read somewhere that it can be stress of having too many young in a year and I'm not sure how many she has had this year as Iv only just got her 4 weeks ago she came with her nest box and eggs and everything was going fine until last week.

Rule of thumb in colony breeding is: number of pairs X 2 = number of nestboxes inside colony cage. Placed at the topmost part of the cage. This is to minimize squabbling, among others, between pairs jockeying for the nestboxes.

You could've transferred the 2 chicks to other nestboxes with chicks of the same age (fostering), but i guess its a bit too late now. Sorry for your loss. This is one of the many problems encountered in colony breeding. I would suggest if you really want to breed your birds, put them in breeding cages, one pair per cage, to lessen your problems. Hope I have helped you.

[bezza]

Yes the birds were only moved due to a friends house they were renting had been condemned and I took them on for her. I didn't move the babies straight away as my other hen has 5 of her own and the other pair haven't hatched any of there's I think I'm going to take her and her partner out and keep them separate so they have no access to nest boxes which was my plan once she had raised these chicks. You have all been very helpful and thank you for your comments just a shame I had to lose some chicks in the mean time.

[Hezz]

It is a shame, but not unexpected. At least you are doing what you can to help out, and for that I thank you.