Help - Disaster!

[Animalzoo]

Hi Guys,

Disaster struck 2 days ago. We have an outside aviary with 14 birds, 6 bonded pairs with 4 pairs actively breeding (on eggs and with new hatchlings).

Without explaining the hows and whys, 3 of our prized cock birds escaped. Leaving 2 hens with eggs and hatchlings all alone. We were devastated. Its our first time breeding too

State of play is both hens have 3 babies, newest hatching today (or over night). I checked at 9am this morning. Both at exactly the same stage. they had 4 eggs in total, all fertile that I can tell. One hen is experienced and the other is her first time.

I've put food up high so the hens don't have to go far for food and both mornings since I've provided fresh eggs and salad (spinage, lettuce and celery). There is various different seed types, Millet, supplements and cuttle bone. EVERYTHING they need! Both hens are in and out their boxes a lot eating.

The first time hen hasn't fed the newest hatchling yet and its 4pm now. The other new hatchling has a very small quantity of food in the crop. Generally the babies in the first time hen's box arent having the crops filled as much as the other more experienced hen.

Now to go on, I have another couple sitting on eggs who are due to hatch Monday on wards. The male is present. Could I foster any new hatchlings to this pair?

In addition, I have an experienced hen with a first time cock who I don't think has managed mating as she has eggs at 7 and 5 days old that I've candled and they are not fertilized. Obviously i'm waiting on more time to test the newest 2 eggs. Could I add to her eggs the 2 as yet unhatched eggs from the other hens so when they hatch she thinks they are hers? Coud I even foster the new hatchlings to her? I dont know if she would take to them as shes only been incubating for about 7 days.

I'm so nervous about acting too early but scared too of leaving it too late and finding the youngest babies dead. So bottom line I have 2 spare hens incubating, can I foster out to them to help and if so is there a good way to do it?

Help!

[Animalzoo]

Sorry I forgot to say this is for Parakeets/Budgies.

Also as an update, I decided to move one of the youngest unfed chicks. It was nearing sunset and I thought well it wont last the night anyway so what the hell. It was from the first time mum hen.

I've put it in with the other first time hen (who has her mate). She has 5 eggs due from Monday next week onwards. I've then moved one of her eggs to the experienced hen who doesnt have any fertile eggs who has only been sitting for about a week. I was worried about moving the chick to that one as it felt too soon from when she had started laying. I assumed she may reject.

Good news is I checked them over before sunset which was about 40 minutes from when I put the chick in and there was a very small amount of food in the crop. I also looked at the other hen and she had also fed her youngest chick a very small amount too. Shes the more experienced hen.

So I'm going to bed tonight somewhat settled and hoping I'll wake up to the same number of lively chicks.

On a separate note, the single first time hen is constantly chasing away other birds from her nest, one hen in particular who isn't breeding. Shes doing this more than eating and feeding her brood. Is this stress and panic over losing her mate?

[lovezebs]

Animalzoo

Hey Sue.
I have never bred Budgies, so can't give much advice there. Moms in many species can manage to feed chicks on their own. If you have hens who will willingly foster, then by all means.

Other than that, handfeeding would be your only option.
I'll tag cindy for you. She breeds Budgies, and might be able to help you with advice

[cindy]

Budgies can be a bit tricky, the hen chasing all the birds away could cause injury to the other birds and to he young. I have had experienced budgie hens turn on their chicks, destroy their chicks if they feel threatened. I always separate cage bred, never bred in a colony for that reason.

Other hens not paired or mated hear the babies and can be nosey and look in the box or try to take over and you may have a conflict, what this very closely.

I had one hen, a great mom that felt threatened by another hen in the next cage, there was some bantering, hard chattering exchanged from the hen in one cage and the mom...the mom climbed in the box and destroyed her baby. Never had it happen before but it did and it is just the nature of budgies, they can turn on a dime. They will even attack a mate and not allow him near the box.

If this gets intense you may want to consider moving the mom and the box to a 30x18 cage n a quiet area to let her raise your young, she will be fine and can mange fairly well, watch when they fledge to make sure the mom continues to feed or you may need to supplement or finish them by hand feeding (after fledging they take to a bent spoon better than a syringe.)

As far as veggie you listed, celery is mostly water as is lettuce (if you are using head lettuce, it is nutritionally not good, mostly water), spinach should be fed sparingly. Anything watery will loosen droppings. Try Romaine, chopped grated carrots, Kale dark leafy greens for folic acid.., also get some dried egg food and let the parents have that also as a go to food, most will readily feed that to their young

[Animalzoo]

Thank you cindy

As per your veggie advice I was at the supermarket this morning and bought a Romaine Lettuce and grated carrot. I couldnt find Kale so if you can think of an alternate for folic acid that would be good. The lettuce I gave before was Gem lettuce, is that any good? Also what about brocolli?

Update chick wise, the one I fostered out survived the night, is being fed and has been accepted by the new mum. Sadly the newest chick with the experienced single mum didnt make it and died over night. It had been fed so perhaps would have died anyway. Both single mums have 2 older chicks and are all doing well. They have grown loads. One is 5 days old now and its teeny tiny eyes just started to open today.

I also since moved the remaining 2 eggs (1 per single mum) to the foster girl. I can egg swap between the foster mum and another hen on eggs and spread the load evenly as each baby hatches. That means the 2 single mums will only have 2 chicks each to feed. So much better than 3 or 4. Then the other 2 hens with their mates can have 3 to 4 each eventually as the eggs hatch. Thank goodness for fostering!!

The girl who was chasing away others has focused her aggression on one other female. That female is paired but not mated so has not chosen a nest box. I've not seen her go anywhere near the aggressive girl or her box and even when they are as far apart as possible she still flies to her and chases her. As you said, they can be funny sometimes. All the while shes just after one other bird and maintains her chicks I wont make any drastic changes re. moving her.

Thank fully I've egg checked daily since before and during their incubation so all hens are very used to me going in there and seeing as I've been checking morning afternoon and just before sunset these past few days I'm just glad they seem to be chilled and relaxed with my presence and confident they are safe.

Thank you everyone xx

[cindy]

broccoli should only be given once or twice a week

[cindy]

Sue, you wrote "The girl who was chasing away others has focused her aggression on one other female. That female is paired but not mated so has not chosen a nest box. I've not seen her go anywhere near the aggressive girl or her box and even when they are as far apart as possible she still flies to her and chases her. As you said, they can be funny sometimes. All the while shes just after one other bird and maintains her chicks I wont make any drastic changes re. moving her."

You may need to move that hen and the chicks out or the pair with the hen she is chasing out. The aggressive mom hen has targeted that hen and it can be tragic for the one being chased or the mom may destroy her chicks. The mother is raising the chicks along and that takes energy... she is also spending energy chasing the other hen away... she may wear out doing both and stop feeding her chick or worse. This can be serious... if you choose to leave things the way they are and this escalates you need to be prepared to move birds or pull those babies to hand feed... personally from raising English budgies and seeing how hens can be during breeding I would not breed multiple pairs together in a flight, I know it is done but I would not advise it. It is not worth injury or death of another bird or baby.

[Animalzoo]

Blimey!

OK I'll be able to deal with this tomorrow morning as its dark now and they're all to bed.

I can take out the hen and her mate that is being picked on and when those babies are fledged put that couple back in. I have spare cages so this is no problem and seeing as the single mum lost her husband I really want her babies to survive for his legacy to carry on. Dads colours were great so I'm hoping for a repeat.

The bullied hen has no damage but I've noticed her general state of mind is down as she spent the afternoon mostly lower down in the flight. Also, as we're coming to cooler weather, after this round of babies I am not breeding for a while. I assume removing the nest boxes will do the trick just like with the finches?

Gotta love the little ones eh!

[cindy]

I would wait to put the pair back until after the babies are weaned.

[Animalzoo]

That's what I meant...weaned. Just want them to live! Poor things.

What about best boxes, take them out to stop breeding or will they work it out themselves when it's colder?

Thank you x

[cindy]

take the boxes down when not breeding. make sure you have a heat source and protection from the cold wind and rain, young can go down fast in the colder weather if not use to it.

[Animalzoo]

Ok, morning update is good.

All chicks survived the night again and all being fed. Phew!
No new hatchlings......yet.

I have removed the hen that was being picked on along with her mate. Here they are straight from being taken out...



Already there is a sense of calm. It's left behind the 4 hens in their boxes and 2 mates and then a spare male and female (not together). These havent been picked on at all and are no threat to the others. Its all quiet in there now which is great!

[cindy]

Glad things are settling down in Budgie-ville!

[Animalzoo]

Further update....we are doing well!!

The 2 single hens are still feeding their babies and are just superstars! In the end they have finished with 2 chicks each, oldest now at 17 days old.

The hen who became the foster took to the new chick and I secretly moved eggs from the single mums to her too. Shes now feeding 3 chicks (of whom none are her own!) and I moved her eggs to another hen whos eggs were not fertile.

That hen is now feeding and rearing 3 chicks that belonged to foster mum 1. Anyhoo, long story short I have 10 very healthy very happy chicks spread over 4 nest boxes. 2 boxes with single mums and 2 boxes with complete couples.

There is one egg left overall but I'm not sure if it will hatch and all in all we only had one loss. I think this was natural and not down to the mum unable to feed him.

Thanks guys! The key was to removing that girl who was being chased. The difference was amazing when I took her out the aviary. All mums began to concentrate on food and their babies and crops were so full it was a relief.

[Babs _Owner]

Animalzoo

Nice to see it all ended up a success!