Jun 30, 2022 13:14:00 GMT
teach977
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 1
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Post by teach977 on Jun 30, 2022 13:27:15 GMT
Hello Budgie People! My family had budgies when I was growing up in England. Now, as a teacher in New York, I am starting a small indoor aviary for the tiny private school where I work. So far I have five young birds, all siblings, of similar blue/white coloration. They are just getting old enough to determine gender and I think I have three cocks and two hens. I am finding American "parakeets" much less attractive then the English birds I had as a child. I really want to add an English budgie to the aviary and have plans to breed them but the prices I am seeing are a little daunting as this project is almost completely out of pocket. Any advice on breeding English birds with standard pet store American parakeets? and if I do purchase a more expensive English bird, how to I make sure it is accepted in the aviary?
thanks for you input!
Teach977
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Post by Loz on Jun 30, 2022 13:39:06 GMT
Welcome, Teach! That really is an interesting proposition. By-and-large, budgies are accepting of newcomers, once the original nervy getting-to-know-you introduction period is over. If it were me, I'd try to ensure the newcomer is a male, to minimise the chances of jealous-hen syndrome.
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Post by criswell on Jun 30, 2022 13:49:46 GMT
Hello,
I can't really advise on breeding or introductions, but I think it's brilliant that you've started an aviary at your school
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Jun 30, 2022 14:44:56 GMT
Hello! Yes, the typical American-type budgie that you find in pet stores are relatively inexpensive and cost around $25. They are mostly bred in large aviaries to be sold to pet stores. The English/exhibition budgies are typically hand raised and just a clutch or two at a time. They are usually very tame when you get them. I've seen the cost between $100-300. If you want one, look for a small breeder or a small independent pet store that has a relationship with a breeder. I agree with loz that a male would be best. They are usually twice as large as the American type which weigh around 25-30gms while English/exhibitions weigh over 50gms. I think having the budgies for your school children will be a great experience for the children! You'll find that there are always a couple of children who want to be more involved and will help you with cleaning the cage, etc. Enjoy!
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Post by Hezz on Jul 1, 2022 20:42:45 GMT
From an educational point of view, the correct thing to do in my mind would be to have at least one bird of the flock that looks like a budgie is meant to look - that is a normal green of the wild bird sizing. A very pretty bird in its own right before human intervention begat all the other mutations and over-sized body and feathers of the exhibition breed of budgie. Since budgies are neither English or American, we prefer to use the terms pet and exhibition to differentiate between the two.
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