Is it normal???

[Nicola]

Ok, so the beginning of the story is that lately the budgies have been incredibly 'horny'. Every morning there is always a couple of the 'doing it'. But this morning I noticed something a little unusual. Daisy and Gilbert were mating . But then everyone (and I mean everyone) started gathering around them and all of s sudden Lilly was mating with Digger! They're not even paired up! So that was a surprise. But then Digger jumped off and Gilbert jumped on! Lilly didn't care who mated with her as long as they got the job done! Is that normal?

And another question I have is in 2011, Lilly was nesting and Cookie (not her chick) came into her box and she attacked him. She didn't kill her, but she drew blood on her head. She died shortly after. Since Lilly was only defending her box, if she was to be put in a breeding cage with her mate and they happened to have chicks, she wouldn't do anything like that to her babies would she? She was a fantastic mum with her first chicks and never did anything to them. So would it be safe to put her in a breeding cage, as long as only her mate was with her?

And third, this may seem like a really stupid question, but how do you know if a budgie is 100% healthy for breeding? Lilly is a little chubbier than the others so if looks like she's fluffed up but she isn't, and she isn't as active but she can be when she wants to be.

Sorry, one more while I'm going. Is 3 years old too old for a hen to breed? She was a 2010 chick and I was planning maybe breeding her this year. But is she too old?

Thanks so much for having the patience to read my rambling

Nicola

[Hezz]

Hopefully the breeders among us will come back with answers to your questions, Nicola, but I was under the impression at 3 years old was considered the age where things were starting to get risky for the hen. With her weight issue, with most other animals you want your breeder to have a little extra condition on her to help her through the breeding process ......... I would have assumed this would be the same for budgies, but I really don't know.

[skysmum]

Your not rambling Nicola, just asking .
Ive only bred my buds a couple of times so im by no means an expert, however i shall share what i know .

With regard to the mating, i was once laughed at by a breeder because i said mine were all bonded pairs and wouldn't look at another bud, eye roll. He told me that budgies were not monogamous and that they didn't care who it was and that females will mate with another male even when she is laying eggs with her mate. Bare in mind that this would be classed as colony breeding of course and a big reason for it not being a very good idea.

The reason little Cookie was attacked was of course as you know because she ventured into the females nest and was seen as a threat to her young, in single cage breeding this would'nt have happened.

If you keep her and her chosen one in a cage away from the others i.e not in the aviary, there really should'nt be a problem. Its good for them to hear the others but not for them to be landing on the cage and putting them off.

As you have said she was a good mum before and they rarely attack their own brood.

Three is pushing it but not unheard of, i believe one of Nat's girls had a clutch at this age but i wouldn't leave it any longer, and i would keep a close eye out for egg binding.

And lastly if she isn't molting and is in breeding condition and generally looks well that's all you can go by really.

Hope some of this helps .

[Nicola]

Thanks Hezz. I appreciate any info

Nicola

[Nicola]

Thanks skysmum for all that information Ok, I think I am going to re settle on my original pair of Poppi and Marley. Both will be about 18 months in September (spring) so they are a good age? Poppi and Marley are both very healthy as well.

Nicola

[marleen4]

As I was reading your questions I thought of all the same answers as Skymum. I breed my birds in 2 colonies, and although paired up and staying loyal after the deed, there is certainly no guarantee that the mate is the father. They all get rather flustered and competitive when the hen is ready for mating. No doubt Darwin would have an opinion on this!

The attack is because the hen was protecting her nest, and would have taught the other bird a valuable lesson. Hens on occasion attack their own, but this is rare and often relates to being ready for the next nest. They are trying to kick the older chicks out, sometimes before the chicks are ready to leave. I have noticed that some hens have a shorter hormonal cycle than others, and I have had to let go of one of my hens for this reason. Her chicks were severely attacked and some even died, even though the aviary had empty nest boxes she could have used.

Let us know how you get on!

[nat]

Jul 25, 2013 22:05:56 GMT Nicola said:

Ok, so the beginning of the story is that lately the budgies have been incredibly 'horny'. Every morning there is always a couple of the 'doing it'. But this morning I noticed something a little unusual. Daisy and Gilbert were mating . But then everyone (and I mean everyone) started gathering around them and all of s sudden Lilly was mating with Digger! They're not even paired up! So that was a surprise. But then Digger jumped off and Gilbert jumped on! Lilly didn't care who mated with her as long as they got the job done! Is that normal?

Lol totaly normal ;-)


And another question I have is in 2011, Lilly was nesting and Cookie (not her chick) came into her box and she attacked him. She didn't kill her, but she drew blood on her head. She died shortly after. Since Lilly was only defending her box, if she was to be put in a breeding cage with her mate and they happened to have chicks, she wouldn't do anything like that to her babies would she? She was a fantastic mum with her first chicks and never did anything to them. So would it be safe to put her in a breeding cage, as long as only her mate was with her?

Normal too while colony breeding or breeding in an aviary. She was protecting her nestbox.


And third, this may seem like a really stupid question, but how do you know if a budgie is 100% healthy for breeding? Lilly is a little chubbier than the others so if looks like she's fluffed up but she isn't, and she isn't as active but she can be when she wants to be.

I have bred from chubby hens and feeding chicks has got them down to a lighter weight and in the longterm done them good :-) After breeding they can be suceptible to putting on weight very quickly again though!


Sorry, one more while I'm going. Is 3 years old too old for a hen to breed? She was a 2010 chick and I was planning maybe breeding her this year. But is she too old?

I would say 3 years old is fine. I have bred sucessfully from a 5 year old hen. However I would make sure prior to laying you offer calcivet or calciform in the drinking water every second day and a vitamin supplement on the other days. Cuttlebone may not be enough to stop the risk of egg binding in an older bird. With an older hen I would stick to just one round of chicks :-)


Thanks so much for having the patience to read my rambling

Nicola

[Learner]

Interesting reading - thanks everyone.

I didn't know that 3 was getting towards the age when hens should no longer breed.
Learning something new again.