Budgie2

Aviary Notes: I have successfully bred budgies for many years. The budgie is one of the easiest birds to breed and keep thus making it very popular as a pet. The larger type, the show budgerigar, is a little more of a challenge. The only problems that are maybe encountered from beginners when they start breeding, is that they will fight each other if there are to many birds in a cage and not enough nest boxes. This problem can be easily fixed by providing additional nesting boxes. Some budgies will not only eat seed but can become accustomed to almost any diet. See feeding. Budgies also mix well with other small birds making them even more popular. I have bred budgies in a mixed aviary quiet well, with large and small parrots, even with finches, but found that most times they would interfere with the finches eggs and either eat or kick the eggs out of the nest. You should not find many problems, as long as your aviary is of an adequate size. An aviary of approx 1m Width x 1.8m Height x 2m Depth would be an adequate size for one or two breeding pairs. Yes they need a lot of space, you know to spread those wings. We as Show budgerigar exhibitors prefer a breeding room with independent breeding cages to that of colonial breeding

Diets: Here in South Africa we find the birds do well on a good balanced seed diet with a soft food supplement at breeding time. We use 25% Canadian Canary 25% South African Canary 20% White Millet 20% Japanese Millet and 10% Oats or Groats Soft food can be almost any thing to supplement feeding. I give Sunflower, Sweetcorn, eggs, Chicken or Lamb, Cuttlefish, Grit, Spinach, Carrots, Chickweed, Endives, Sprouted Wheat Or Oats, Solvit, Carrosol, Nestum or Cerelac, Breakfast Oats, Raw Wheat Germ, Soya Milk Powder, Calsup, Wheat Germ Oil or Cod Liver Oil, Fruit: eg apples, pears, banana and grapes. My birds even get Cheese, Milk and bread. I don't feed all every day but this is just a few of the thing my birds like.
Breeding: Breeding budgies is very simple and honestly any one can do it. All that is required is a suitable pair of mature birds (opposite sex), a stress free environment, good diet and a nesting box. Budgies can be kept in a single breeding pair or colony bred very easily. They will breed all year round if you let them but, it's best to give them a rest every second round.
Here are some Suggested points that might help to boost breeding.
1 Provide extra boxes
2 Provide a good nutritional diet.
3 Rest you old hens for longer so they can build up strength.
4 Check all eggs and through out all unfertile ones. If you mark your eggs you can move them, to form a full clutch of four chicks.
5 maintain a good worming program to help eliminate further problems to the bird's health.

Eggs per clutch: 4-8 have had some hens lay up to 9 eggs per clutch

Incubation period: 18 Days

Nest box size: approx 22cm D x 15cm W x 20 cm H, with an opening lid. The entrance hole size should be about 5.5cm in diameter. The base is concaved to allow all the eggs to stay together for the incubating hen.

Noise level: Budgies are not a very quite birds. A pair or two will chat to them selves not make much noise at all. On the other hand budgerigar in a breeding room can be quite deafening when they all start competing with each other. A pet inside the house they can be kept without a worry, they do not scream and there sound is quite welcoming.

Budgies as a pet? Budgerigars make great pets, with enough information available to get started in bird keeping and breeding. With more than 20,000 exhibition budgerigar breed each year in South Africa. They are one of the most commonly kept birds. Be it for inside as a pet, or for an aviary in the garden, your pet budgie will always pep up the place with their chirping sounds. They have a very good character and usually pretty friendly once tamed. You can even teach them a few tricks. Budgie can also be taught to say and few words even a couple of sentences have been taught to these marvelous little birds.