adding budgies to my aviary

[TheExtremeCraftsman]

This question is for the budgie keepers. I have three pair of breeding budgies in a huge aviary. If I put more in the aviary will it be ok or could it disrupt the breeding. I'm thinking of adding quite a few more.

[lovezebs]

TheExtremeCraftsman

Hi Rick.
How big is your Budgie aviary?
I would hesitate to add new kids into an existing flock who are presently breeding/ nesting. My guess would be, that your current birds would feel that their home is being invaded, and that they need to go into protection mode, which would take them away from egg/baby duties.

What kind of budgies do you have/breed , and what kind are you planning on getting?

Elana

[TheExtremeCraftsman]

Actually I am new to budgies and I just got them. 3 totally bonded pair. They aren't in their aviary yet as I had to move it. They will be going in on Tuesday. they are the kind you find in pet stores. Under these circumstances would it ok to add the 3 pair and a few more at the same time. I will be putting the breeding boxes in at the same time. What do you think?

[Sally]

TheExtremeCraftsman@lovezebs I'll move this topic to the All Things Hookbill forum. I can't help with advice though, as I haven't had budgies since my one parakeet about 60 years ago!

[lovezebs]

TheExtremeCraftsman

Hi Rick.
Ok, got you.
If these guys are all new, then as far as I know, they should be ok to go in together. Personally, I would let them all get aquainted, before putting in any nest boxes. This way, you can observe the dynamics between them (to see who's who and how they interact together as a flock). Sometimes you'll have a trouble maker in the bunch, and you want to know who it is, before you go into nesting, eggs, and babies.

Good luck, and I'd love to see some pictures.

Elana

[TheExtremeCraftsman]

Thank you very much Elana. that makes good sense.

[vinay]

If your budgies are all new , adding a few more isn't a big deal ...... unless they're nesting .
It will help if they're introduced to each other over a common area (like your new aviary) . You can avoid territorial arguments this way. There will be initial squabbling to establish dominance but it shouldn't be too serious.

Breeding is hard work and very energy draining for the parents. You must condition them with a highly nutritious diet for at least a month before adding any nest boxes.
Allow your birds to settle in and then think about breeding.


Just a word of caution - Budgies generally don't do well in colony breeding situations. The females are quite nasty when it comes to nesting spots and can fight each other to the death over nest boxes. They could even enter other pairs' boxes to smash eggs or attack babies. Keep an eye out for any signs of aggression among the females.

The best way to go about it is to separate breeding pairs into individual cages during breeding. You can even keep the cages within the aviary but out of reach of the other birds.
Once the pairs are done breeding , you can return them with babies back to the aviary.

[TheExtremeCraftsman]

Hello and thanks Vinay. The moving around thing is the part I don't get. When and how often do you breed them? Is it like breed in cages during the spring and summer and then put them in the aviary during the fall and winter. If the aviary is out door should the breeding cages be out door as well so they stay acclimated ?

[cindy]

Personally I would not colony breed your budgies, pull individual pairs to breed, rotating the pairs to breed and free flight them during resting. I bred English show and the hens can be an issue, if some even sense that another hen may be a threat they can bloody a male, bloody the young and even destroy young beyond your recognition. If the keets feel there is not enough food or their source is threatened they will stop feeding or destroy the chicks. Some hens will keep their young from fledging if they feel threatened by other keets, even destroy them even if fledged.

How big is the enclosure?

We are going through a very wet season, damp... keets are prone to yeasts and bacterial infections. I would not introduce them outside right now but in the spring... unless these birds are already acclimated to the outdoors.

Breeding in Florida outside in nest boxes is generally done in late September/early October and late March early April. Breeding usually stopped during our winter months and our summer... boxes down by June and down by December.... the boxes during out peak summer months are to hot for hens to roost, incubate in and chicks can be abandoned or die of the heat. The humidity is also an issue.

Mosquitoes in the summer can be dreadful in areas, with mosquitoes come disease like West Nile Disease which can be deadly to a bird. Proper precautions need to be taken to prevent mosquitoes from getting to your birds.