We have put this article together to give anyone considering breeding some things to think about, and some basics to cover before you set your pair up.

It sounds like a very rewarding experience to raise a clutch of healthy baby budgies, and that is the absolute truth to say that it is. But raising that clutch of healthy babies is not going to happen unless you make it happen. These little creatures are only going to do what comes naturally for them, and when we provide the right circumstances in our homes for them to breed we are responsible for the outcome. 

Please carefully and honestly consider and answer each of these questions when trying to decide if you are ready for this big step, or if you still need some more time to do more research and preparation before hand. These are just the basics, if you do not know these things then more research and preparation is needed as there are many, many more things that can go wrong or happen then just these.

These are only some of the basics, can you answer these questions about-

Your Pair And Their Well Being
Do you know of a qualified avian or other vet close to you for help when you need it?
How old should your pair be before breeding? Are they are unrelated?
Are you sure they are healthy?

A Basic Breeding Set Up
Do you have a proper breeding set up?
How many cages do you need?
What is a acceptable nest box?
What should you use and not use as nesting material?

Their Diet And Condition
What is a good breeding diet?
Can you identify a male and female in breeding condition?
How can you condition them?

Egg Laying And Incubation
What is egg binding? How can you help prevent it?
What is uterine prolapse? How can you help prevent it?
How long is the incubation period for budgies?
How long should you wait before tossing eggs that have not hatched?

Care Of The Chicks
Do you know how to hand feed a chick? And what supplies will you need to do so?
What causes Splayed legs?
What can cause Beak and leg deformities?
What should you do if the mother or father are attacking the chicks?
What will you do if one of the parents dies?
How old should a chick be when they come out of the nest box with out a danger of them
chilling?

Weaning the Chicks
What age does a budgie chick usually wean at?
How can you tell if they are not loosing too much weight during the weaning process?
How old should they be when you separate them from their father?

Resting Your Pair
How do you prevent your pair from having another clutch when they have had more tha one already?
How long should you rest your pair before you breed them again?

Do you know of a qualified avian or other vet close to you for help when you need it?

Your closest avian vet should be one of your birds best friends. They are the ones you will need to go to when you have a problem and often times it will be a life threatening one when you are faced with rushing them to one.

If you do not have an avian vet in your area, please find the closest other vet that at least has some idea of how to care for and treat birds. Any vet is better than none at all! Here are some links to help you find the closet avian vet in your area-
 
http://www.aav.org/search/index.php
http://www.parrotmag.com/vets
http://www.birdvetsnearyou.com

How old should your pair be before breeding? Are they unrelated?

Just because your pair have been though a molt and are showing signs of breeding condition does not mean they are physically and mentally ready to raise a family, just as the fact that humans can become parents at 8-12 years of age does not mean they are ready to become such. Give them at least 1 year to mature and grow. If you got them when they older than babies wait until you are sure they are at least 1 year old and not older than 4, not knowing for sure does not mean guess and hope for the best. Only breed with pairs you know the age of.

Obviously as well you want to breed unrelated birds, if you have purchased your birds from a pet store make sure that they are from different stores, and ask where they get their birds from to make sure they are not from the same source. Many chain pet stores get their birds from large scale commercial breeders who inbreed their birds, so again please be sure they are not related by getting them from different places at the very least.

If you are getting your pair from a reputable breeder please be sure to specify you are looking to breed them so they do not give you related birds as well.

Are you sure they are healthy?

It might sound basic, but I have seen many people disregard this simple yet essential thing.

If you do not have a 100% healthy pair, you will have weak and malnourished sickly babies. Please make sure they are mite free, a good weight and not showing any signs of sickness. If you are in doubt, that is a white flag to hold off until you are 100% sure.You also want to make sure they are not in the process of moulting or are expecting one soon, as this in itself is very exhausting for them.

Do you have a proper breeding set up?

You will need a cage that is big enough for your pair and the babies that are going to soon come until they are weaned. 30x18x18 is the ideal size for one pair, smaller cages can cause fighting and the pair to attack their chicks when they have no where to go for their own space.  You will need secure perches of different sizes to make sure they will mate successfully and have fertile eggs, and to exercise their feet during the time they are breeding. 

Make sure you have plenty of dishes of different types to supply all of the food and water they will need for themselves and their chicks. Chicks often like to eat out of shallow dishes on the floor when they are first out of the box and learning to perch, so having a few of these for seed/pellets and veggies and egg food and water will help in their weaning.

How many cages do you need?

You will need at least 2 and ideally 3 cages. One for your pair while they are breeding, another to move the chicks to once they are weaned, and it is always good to have an extra on hand just in case your pair starts fighting etc.

What is a acceptable nest box? What should you use and not use as nesting material?

You will need to check on the eggs and chicks daily and clean the nest box and the only way to do this safely and with as little disturbance to your pair is to have a box that is hung outside the cage. Most breeding cages come with a door specifically for this purpose, or you can trim a few bars from your cage to make a hole just big enough for the entrance hole.

Make sure your box is clean and free from any sharp pieces or hardware sticking out or paint that the hen can chew while nesting. It needs to have a concave to prevent the eggs and chicks from going all over the box, and the floor needs, and needs to be made of a rough surface so that the chicks and mom will be able to have grip.

Your nesting material needs to be non toxic, not be made from anything fibrous that could get wrapped around any part of the chicks or parents body. 

Examples of good nesting material:
Unscented pine shavings (not dust)
Aspen shavings (not dust)
Carefresh bedding
Corn cob bedding

Examples of bad nesting material:
Finch nesting material. Example: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...3&pcatid=18903
Coconut fiber
Potpourri
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Leaves or grass

What is a good breeding diet?

Their diet is one of the biggest things that is going to make healthy parents and chicks or not. A seed and water with vitamin drops is no where close to a good breeding diet.

They need to be eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies, egg food in addition to seed mix at the very least. Please look here for more information about your pairs diet- A Budgie Breeding Diet.

Can you identify a male and female in breeding condition?
How can you condition them?

Budgies are not ready to raise a family at every time during the year. They come into "breeding condition" a number of times a year, this is when they have increased hormone levels and breeding drives that are essential to raising a clutch. In the wild they come into condition when food and day light hours are at their peak.

Please see this thread for more detailed information on this- What Is Breeding Condition?

Some signs that your hen is getting ready to lay eggs are increased calcium intake, larger droppings, and an enlarged lower abdomen (egg bum). Once she begins she will typically lay an egg every other day until she has completed her clutch. Watch out for hens that have irregular laying cycles as it can indicate a hormone imbalance and possible other problems that can result.

Make sure you have lots of extra calcium available to her at this time, and exposure to sun light so she can absorb it.

What is egg binding?
How can you help prevent it?

An egg bound hen has formed or is forming an egg inside of her, but because of a poorly formed shell from lack of calcium and a good diet well before she is set up to breed, still being immature and not having a fully matured reproductive system and muscles, or from an internal deformity she can not pass the egg.

Signs to look for in egg binding:
Sitting on the floor
or in her nest box fluffed up.
Labored breathing.
Plucking the feathers
around her vent.
Passing mostly liquid droppings.

Again make sure your hen is mature before you let her get to this point! Hens that are too young or old to breed are more prone to egg binding. Make sure she is on a good high calcium for a number of weeks before you set her up with a nest box to help prevent this. Once she begins showing signs of being egg bound it is in the advanced stages , get her to an avian vet as soon as possible as she will not last more than a number of hours in this state.

There are few more painful deaths for a bird than dying from egg binding! Please do your best to help her in this situation with the help of a vet.

What is uterine prolapse?
How can you help prevent it?

The prolapse of a hen is again a sign of poor diet and condition before encouraging egg laying in most cases. It happens when the hen does not have enough energy and calcium to push the egg out normally, and her cloaca that is supposed to be inside comes out.

When this happens it is essential to get your hen to an avian vet as soon as possible! Increase calcium in the mean time to help with muscle tone until you can get her help, surgery is often required as the weakened muscles do no have the strength to.

More information of prolapse and egg binding-
http://www.avianweb.com/Prolapse.htm
http://www.birds-online.de/gesundhei...legenot_en.htm

How long is the incubation period for budgies?

Each egg has a normal incubation of 18 days, this is from the time the hen has actually started incubating not from when the egg was laid. Some hens start incubating right away, some wait until a few eggs are laid.

How long should you wait before tossing eggs that have not hatched?

If you have not candled the eggs to know for sure if they are fertile or still developing, wait at least 7 days after the egg was laid before considering tossing it. Some will take longer than we expected, and the last think you want to do is throw away a developing chick!

Do you know how do you hand feed a chick?
And what supplies will you need to do so?

Hand feeding is something best shown and not described, as it is very easy to kill a chick with one wrong move. Having an experienced breeder or avian vet give you some lessons is very wise and will help you to be much more confident! They can also give you pointers and suggestions on things you might be doing wrong.

It is important to have the basic supplies you on hand ahead of time as well. The last thing you want is to be running to different stores trying to find hand feeding supplies when you have a starving chick! Here are some of the basic supplies. Please also reference our Hand Feeding And Weaning Guide.

A brooder
Hand feeding formula
Hand feeding syringes, spoons or both ideally since some chicks prefer one over the other.
A thermometer
A digital scale

What causes splayed legs?

Poor diet- The chicks do no have enough calcium and nutrients to develop strong muscles and bones, and with so little strength in their legs they can not stay up right under them.

Lack of good traction in the nest box- If the bottom of you nest box is not a rough surface that the chicks nails can grip they can not keep their feet under themselves and develop good muscle tone in their legs, causing the legs to splay outwards and become deformed. 

The hen sits too tightly on young chicks- Having a hen that sits very tightly on the chicks with no other eggs in the nest to help take the weight off of them is another factor in splayed legs. If you have only one or two chicks be sure to leave an egg or two in the nest box even if they are not fertile to help take some of the weight of the hen off of them.

What can cause Beak and leg deformities?

Most often this happens simply from lack of good hygiene in the nest box and of the chicks. When the box is not cleaned regularly droppings build up in the floor and then get stuck on the chicks feet and legs, making it imposable for them to grow normally.

You also need to regularly check the chicks beaks and faces for any food build up especially when you have a hen that is a messy feeder. Leaving dried food on a chicks beak will prevent it from developing and cause a deformity or stunt it completely.

Both of these things are very easily prevented by simply having good hygiene practices. Clean your nest boxes as soon as they become dirty. Check your chicks beaks (outside and inside), faces, feet and legs every day. If you notice any food or droppings clean it gently with warm water and a paper towel or q-tip.

What should you do if the mother or father are attacking the chicks?

There is not time to waste if you see the chicks being abused! Usually when one of the parents are attacking the chicks it is from wanting to start a new clutch. Most often it is the hen that begins starting to eliminate the chicks, and the male soon follows.

If the chicks are 3 weeks or older removing the female is the best course of action. Putting her in another room out of earshot and sight is usually all that is needed to calm the male and for him to finish raising and weaning the chicks safely. I have never had a male hurt a chick without the female with him. If the chicks are 2 weeks or younger removing the female is still the most logical decision, but some supplemental hand feedings might be needed if the male does not willingly go in the nest box right away. There is no telling when this might happen, so again be sure you know how to hand feed at any time!

In either case put lots of extra food for the male to easily access to help wean the chicks, placing some sprays of millet in the next box if you have not already done so is also a good idea.

What will you do if one of the parents dies?

In this instance it depends a great deal on the age of the chicks, and which parent has been lost. If it is the hen and the chicks are less than 3 weeks old more you need to be prepared to step in and hand feed the youngest chicks until the male takes over. If they are older than 3 weeks most males take over raising the clutch with no problems at all as long as they have the resources available to do so.

If it is the male that has been lost before the chicks have weaned the hen will often raise the chicks just fine without her mate, but be very watchful for the aggressive behavior they can have when they want to start another clutch. Again if this happens you will need to be ready to step in and hand raise and wean the chicks yourself for their safety, do not leave them with an aggressive hen as she can and will kill them.

How old should a chick be when they come out of the nest box with out a danger of them chilling?

At 4- 4 1/2 weeks the chicks are usually fully feathered and ready to come out safely. If you can still see pin feathers that are developing on the chicks body and head they are best staying in the box for a bit longer. Sometimes a chick will fall out or get a little over curious and fall out, don't hesitate to put a chick back in the nest box if you see any signs if them not being actually ready so they will have a little more time to feather out.

If this happens watch carefully to be sure they are not getting thrown out of the nest box by the hen. If so follow the steps suggested above when aggression is shown toward the chicks.

At what age does a budgie chick they usually wean?

Most parent raised chicks wean between 5-6 weeks of age depending on how early or late they have fledged, and their own individual personalities.

The first week after they have fledged they will spend most of the time they are not sleeping tasting new foods and exploring the breeding cage. Make sure you have lots of good food in shallow dishes on the floor that they can easily reach and a shallow dish of water for them to begin learning to drink from.

How can you tell if they are not loosing too much weight during the weaning process?

It is normal for a chick to loose some weight during the fledging and weaning process. From being so well fed and getting little exercise while growing within the nest box they often weigh a bit more than their ideal weight when they do fledge. This is an advantage for them since they have a little extra reserves to go of off while learning to feed themselves.

You want to make sure though that they are not loosing too much weight during this time though. The best way is to gently hold the chick in both of your hands, and run your fingers
over the chicks keel bone on its chest. A chick that is too thin will have a very sharp keel bone that is easy to feel with very little fat or muscle on either side. A chick that is at the idea weight or just a little under will have a keel bone that is easily felt, but with good muscle tone on either side. Its a good idea to regularly feel every chick you have so you can get a good idea of what is normal for each one before hand.

If you suspect one of your chicks is loosing too much weight and the parents seem to be caring well for them a trip to the avian vet is in order to make sure there is not some underlying cause for it and for some help to figure out what is causing it.

How old should they be when you separate them from their father?

The very earliest you want to separate the chicks from their father is 6-7 weeks old. If there is no reason why they need to be separated 7-8 weeks is even better and will help them to be more confident and well adjusted adults.

If you do not have experience in what a weaned chick is like it is always better to wait a little longer just in case, they can be tricky and some act like they are eating enough to sustain themselves but aren't truly. A premature separation before they are confident enough to care for themselves can also cause them to revert to their baby ways, which is a very dangerous situation if the male is not present to feed them.

It is always better safe than sorry in this regard! There is no harm in separating them later than needed, but they will fade quickly if they are not ready for this big step in their lives. If you have heard any of them begging for food within one week of considering a separation
,think twice and leave them for at least a week longer.

In the wild they are forced to stop breeding when the conditions in their environment change. Food and water sources dwindle and fewer daylight hours cause them to stop breeding after raising a couple of clutches.

Your pair needs a good rest after raising a clutch or two. Letting them raise clutch after clutch is not only dangerous for them but for the chicks they produce as well, because in their weakened state they can barely care for themselves let alone growing babies. Do not try to push your luck with more than they can handle, if they show any signs of loosing weight or exhaustion make them rest, its your job to do so just like would happen naturally in the wild.

How do you prevent your pair from having another clutch when they have had more
than one already?

Once the chicks are nearing the 4 week mark in age you can reduce the day light hours of your pair to 8-10 or so to discourage them. After the chicks have fledged removing the nest box is an obvious thing to do. Often times thought they will try to start another clutch before the previous one is ready to leave the nest or be separated from them.

If you see any signs of another clutch such as mating, aggression toward the chicks, the hen spending more time in the next box etc and the chicks are 3 weeks old or older remove the female and let the male finish raising them. Limiting her high protein foods, day light hours and putting her in a new cage will help to throw her out of breeding mode and prevent another clutch all together.

If she lays an egg or two on the floor after foster them to another pair if possible, or if not dispose of them. It is not ideal to do so, but you must choose the lesser of two evils in this situation. By letting them raise another clutch exhausted you not only run the risk of the chicks they produce being weak and dying, but your pair themselves are in danger if becoming sick or dying from the exhaustion. They will quite literally breed themselves to death, and you need to think of their health and well being first in this situation.

How long should you rest your pair before you breed them again?

Depending on how many clutches they have had and their condition after raising them, 6 months is the shortest period of time you want to give them to rest and build themselves back up. If they raised a number of clutches in a row or seemed more exhausted 8-12 months is better.

Use your good judgment and don't rush, make sure they are in top shape before setting them up again.

I hope you will have a better idea of what is required to raise budgies and all the work that goes into doing so! It is not something that is to be taken lightly, their lives are in our hands when we bring them into our homes and give them the right conditions.

Please take this responsibility seriously! As was stated at the beginning, this article is only to help you figure out if you at least know the basics of breeding and what you still need to work on learning for the basics. Each of these subjects has books worth of information that I
could not fit in this thread, so please do additional research! There is no such thing as too much research. Anyone who thinks they have done enough is setting themselves up for mistakes and problems that can easily be avoided.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy your breeding experiences when you have done things responsibly!