Trying to breed parakeets

[AngelPossibility]

My goal for 2008 is to breed parakeets...
But im not exactly sure how to I've got a female and male and one with a crustish brown cere and white with blue tints (odd) so help me breed them (one just chirped!)

[Valo's Moirana]

after reading your thread in the "memory section", i'd recommend that you do some research on how to prevent accidents before you decide on breeding. there is a lot of responsibility that comes with breeding birds that should not be taken lightly.

this board offers a wealth on information about how to prevent accidents - the "search" feature on the top of the page is very helpful for finding what you're looking for

[birdlady49]

Originally Posted by Valo's Moirana

after reading your thread in the "memory section", i'd recommend that you do some research on how to prevent accidents before you decide on breeding. there is a lot of responsibility that comes with breeding birds that should not be taken lightly.

Amen to that! I will have a hard time offering advice until that happens.

[Monica]

I'm sorry but I doubt you are prepaired to breed budgies. And please, try to refrain from posting multiple messages.

A budgie is not "old" until it is 10-20 years old, dependant on the diet.

A breeding pair of budgies will need a flight cage plus you'll need a second cage for the offspring once weaned... A cage maybe like this?
Flight Bird Cage & Stand for Finch to Conure HQ 13221: WindyCityParrot.com, Parrot Cages, Parrot Food, Aviaries, Parrot Supplies,Bird Toys,Bird Cages

Not only that but your budgies need to be on a healthy diet.... this includes a good seed mixture (NO pellet/seed mixes, and NO dyes please!) that has variety, maybe some sprouted seeds, maybe even a good pellet (again, NO dyes), and lots of fresh foods (veggies, brown/wild rice, cooked legumes, some cooked eggs, etc)

Plus, you need to take into consideration the parents... Both parents must be unrelated, and at least a year old. You also need to ensure you have a male and female. If I read your post right, you have two females.

If the hen is not healthy she could become egg bound and die. They need exercise to build up muscles to more easily push the egg out... and the calcium to produce hard eggs (not soft shelled eggs)... and a good diet.

Then we have the chicks... if any are produced... what happens if you have bad parents? Parents that neglect, pluck, or mutilate the chicks? Will you have the supplies needed in order to handraise the chicks? Or would you allow them to die?


As it is, if you want to breed responsibly, then you need a variety of supplies... including a nestbox (or two, made of wood for budgies), SAFE nesting material (NOT for finches and canaries), a brooder, two thermometers (one to check temp of handfeeding formula, one to check temp of brooder), a hygrometer (to ensure humidity in brooder is at right amount), heating pads/lamps, extra towels/paper towels, syringes, handfeeding formula, etc. You'll also need to be able to handraise the chicks (which may require feeding every hour around the clock, day AND night), and to be able to wean the chicks. This isn't taking into consideration the issues with handraising such as yeast infections, bacterial infections, slow crop, crop burn, etc.

Therefore, with all the possible issues that COULD go wrong, you'll need at least one avian vet, one EMERGENCY avian vet, as well as the money to go and see them.... plus maybe a couple of breeders who could help you out in case of an emergency.



Please, don't breed! Enjoy your birds as pets! Tell us a bit more about them! Share with us pictures of your birds!

[AngelPossibility]

Im sorry,but I have really wanted to breed parakeets! And really hard too! My abino acutually has a whitebeak with purple tints and it's a male.Breeding parakeets has taken alot into my life and im not just gonna give up like that

[Valo's Moirana]

Originally Posted by AngelPossibility

Im sorry,but I have really wanted to breed parakeets! And really hard too! My abino acutually has a whitebeak with purple tints and it's a male.Breeding parakeets has taken alot into my life and im not just gonna give up like that

well, if you REALLY want to breed them, i recommend you get a lot of reading material to inform yourself about the proper care for the birds, proper nutrition in the different stages of breeding, raising of the chicks etc... monica gave you a good overview, but you need to familiarize yourself with the details.

once you also REALLY know all the things you have to take care of, go ahead

[KDK241]

If you just got your male a couple weeks ago let them settle in first. Give them some time to adjust and bond and while they are getting to know each other, read everything you can about breeding them and get everything you will need. I would love to breed my tiels, I even have homes for the babies already and I have read anything and everything I can about breeding tiels, BUT I know that at this point and time it would not be a good idea for me. I even have a pair that keeps mating and I am doing everything I can to discourage them from laying eggs. I don't have the time to handfeed if something goes wrong, and I don't have the money to bring them to the vet in an emergency. Until I know that I can handle it, I will not breed them. I would hate myself if something happened to one of the babies, or one of my tiels, because I couldn't take them to the vet.

[AngelPossibility]

Ok,But how exactly do i breed them? Cuz i read that the parents will make sure the fids are well fed and they won't let YOU feed them because they are highly defensive so they are bonding but....

[huntress]

You haven't read enough yet. Most of your responses are inaccurate. You need to listen to the ppl on here who have experience. YOU, don't breed them - THEY breed when the CONDITIONS are right for them. You cannot be sure your bird is a male unless you have had him surgically sexed or DNA. It still sounds like it could be a female. No matter what color the cere is there are many exceptions to the rule. Ive seen young males with Bright PINK shiny ceres and Older males with Very solid blue ceres. Ive also seen males with almost white ceres. Ive seen females with exactly what your describing on your "male". Ive had many a budgie female who never got a "brown" cere. So, how do you know for sure?
Do you know many wont breed unless you have more than one pair? Humidity control is important for survival and development of the eggs. Daylight hours are highly responsible for inducing breeding. You need to learn about handfeeding in case something goes wrong. Then you need to know about formula and temp. Crop impaction, slow crop, crop burns, bacteria.
Egg binding? what will you do - who is your vet? Does he see birds?
Where will the babies be going? Have you seen how many unwanted Budgies there are in shelters? On petfinders? On craigslist?
The best pets are handfed ones that must be pulled from the parents at a certain time and fed every few hours (no missing feedings) all day.
What do you do for a splay legged baby? How do you know if the eggs are fertile?
What kind of nestbox and size do budgies perfer? What size hole? how deep? bedding or not?? Do you have a brooder for the just- in- case?

You see there is allot more to breeding birds than just getting what you think is a pair. You need to read read read and do some of that before getting on here and asking just how to start. Make sure you are in fact ready to start. You have everything you need and then come back for questions. We'll be glad to help you.
No dont quit at all. Budgies are a great way to start in Aviculture. Just start off right by doing your homework, becoming a RESPONSIBLE breeder, and assuring great homes for your babies because if you create them - you owe it to them. Do Not dive into water when you cannot see how shallow it may be.

[Lisa B]

huntress, thank you for pointing out some of the things that need to be researched and learned, before one can considering breeding.