dont want a third clutch!

[nes]

my budgies first clutch was infertile. She sat on them more than 20 days. Then I candled them and tossed it. She startet successfully a second clutch. 1 DIS and 4 baby budgies. All are doing well. The oldest one is 3 weeks old. I now see the hen coming out more frequently to fly around. Recently I saw them mating-help! 

Today I checked the baby budgies, and their crop s only half full. This never happend before. Is she abandoning them to create a new clutch? how can I prevent a new clutch? The baby budgies need their nesting box and I dont want to remove their mum from the box. This is too hard:( I know dad will look after them propably.

I really dont understand, why she should start a 3rd clutch? cant she be happy with the ones she has?

[Marianne Marlow]

Just tagging some people that may be able to help.

Hezz skysmum clt80

[clt80]

It's natural to them to want to just keep breeding. They'd happily breed themselves to death.

Get some baby budgie formula so you can help feed if necessary. Usually the hen would start to attack the babies before laying eggs so keep a close eye on her.

If the chicks are not being fed let the dad do his job and take over the feeding. You be back up with formula, hopefully you won't need to though. Put mum in a separate cage.

When the chicks are self sufficient (6-8weeks) take the dad out and let them feed themselves. Don't give mum and dad a nest box or anything that encourages breeding.

Before you do remove the mum, make sure she really isn't feeding them. Hopefully she is still feeding them and can stay with them. Close monitoring is needed. I've thought chicks were being abandoned when they weren't.

[Hezz]

I don’t have much more to add. Remove the hen, and let Dad do his job.

[nes]

thank you so much. I do have hand rearing formula at home. Wait..does she or does she not feed the babies if she is preparing to create a new clutch?

so if she feeds them she wont lay eggs? And if she is feeding I dont remove the mum hen, aint? So how to prevent a new clutch? Or shall I cook the eggs and lay it back again? will she really attack the babies she already has? maybe she wont, and she starts a new clutch though?

sorry if I did not understand, english is not my mother tongue.

[skysmum]

Hi, you need to watch the hen carefully and move the mum to a different cage, alone, if she starts to harm the baby's, dad will continue to feed them


Iv'e corrected this as i missed the age of the chicks, thanks Hezz, they do need the box still

[Hezz]

The chicks are, at the most, three weeks old, skysmum. I think they still need the nestbox for the time being??

nes, if the hen is wanting another clutch, she will become aggressive towards the chicks she already has and possibly even kill them, if you don't interfere now and separate her from them. You would need to watch her carefully to determine whether she was prepared to feed the chicks or not. Has the male been doing any of the feeding yet? He should be ready to step in and start feeding them anyway, but be prepared to step in and give the babies top ups if you notice that their crops are not being kept filled.

[skysmum]

Feb 25, 2018 19:35:34 GMT Hezz said:

The chicks are, at the most, three weeks old, skysmum. I think they still need the nestbox for the time being??

nes, if the hen is wanting another clutch, she will become aggressive towards the chicks she already has and possibly even kill them, if you don't interfere now and separate her from them. You would need to watch her carefully to determine whether she was prepared to feed the chicks or not. Has the male been doing any of the feeding yet? He should be ready to step in and start feeding them anyway, but be prepared to step in and give the babies top ups if you notice that their crops are not being kept filled.

Thanks Hezz i've corrected my reply, missed that bit

[Hezz]

Easy enough to do, skysmum. We all do it.

[nes]

thank you. The chicks are doing well. No agression from mother yet. Dad is feeding as well as mum. But mum hen is not more so determined as she was one week ago. I saw a big poo on the floor. no no no!!!!

so what would you do if she lays eggs? I will cook them and put it her in the nest back. Then I will wait till the chicks fledge. Then I remove some eggs over time. And then I will take the nesting box away eventually.

i just want to be prepared. Are there hens that dont lay eggs while they are rearing their babies?

[Hezz]

Once they get into that breeding cycle, it can be hard for them to stop. In the wild, the season would dictate how often and when, but in captivity with plenty of food and an enclosed environment, this doesn't happen, so it is up to you to break her cycle. Do you have any dummy eggs (or able to get some) to put under her if she does start to lay again?

[nes]

thank you. I have infertile eggs from the first clutch. pls maybe offtopic..The youngsters 3 weeks old come out of the nest box to the cage floor. Shall I put them in again, they walk around, cuteee. But dont they get chilled over night for example?

[clt80]

I would put them back inside. Especially at night, they like shelter.
4/5 weeks they will start to fledge and come out. This is normal at this age and you can use a little box for them to go to sleep in a night. I used a tissue box with the side cut out.

[Hezz]

Put them back in for the night, but if they continue to come out, you can make them a little hide - a cardboard box with a hole cut into a side to allow them to come and go as they please. Once they start to perch, they will generally sleep on a perch rather than needing the box.

[nes]

thank you! will such a shelter provide the hen to laying further eggs? I then would remove the nesting box, but not sure..all are out of the box but go in though, hen also.