The absolute basics to successfully breed four different types of the most popular pet birds. Part 3

The absolute basics to successfully breed four different types of the most popular pet birds

. Part 3

I neglected to include a description of nesting materials to use in my previous article - sorry for that - so I will mention them here before we continue:

Suitable nesting material to provide for your pet birds should include a few or the following materials at the very least: hay, straw, thin natural wood twigs, short lengths of soft natural string (approx 2 inch - 50 mm long), shredded paper, feathers, fine down, clean fur (similar texture to cotton wool), wood shavings; put the materials in the cage or aviary, and not in the nest box. Let your birds choose their own nesting materials and build their nest; this is a much more suitable option than building the nest for them as some birds, especially budgies, will turf out any items present in their chosen nest box - this is because in the wild they nest in hollow tree trunks or logs which have often been used by other birds or animals previously and natural instinct will prompt them to remove anything that could be harmful before they begin to nest.

If you find eggs have been laid in the cage or aviary (on the floor, in food containers, on feed platforms etc.) then you will know that your birds are ready to breed. Giving them what they need to achieve this was covered briefly in my previous articles, but once your birds have laid their eggs - in the right place this time hopefully - a few simple rules will apply.

Always where possible try to provide more nest boxes than are actually required (if a single pair in a cage provide two boxes to start with) and allow your birds to inspect and choose their own box. Unfortunately budgie hens will sometimes bicker and squabble over their selection of nest boxes but this rarely leads to any serious injury, eventually all will settle.

In most situations zebra and Bengalese (society) finches will lay between 2 and 7 eggs (but have been known to lay more in captivity), and both parents will take turns sitting, and feeding the young once hatched. Eggs will usually hatch within 14 to 16 days so please be patient. Young will begin to venture out within about three or four weeks of hatching, and will look full grown in about three months. They are mature enough to breed themselves from about 8 months onwards.

Usually your budgie hen will lay 4 to 8 eggs on alternate days (1 egg every 2 days) - whilst laying your female budgerigars cere will become a crusty brown colour. The eggs will be incubated by the hen for about 18 to 21 days before they are ready to hatch. During incubation and whilst raising chicks the female budgie will only leave the nest on rare occasion to go to the toilet - so to speak - and for an occasional stretch; during this time she will be fed almost exclusively by her mate. The chicks will fledge at about 5 weeks and become weaned around week later. Maturity is reached from about 4 months but I would suggest not allowing them to breed until the following season.

Cockatiels will lay 4 to 8 eggs that will take about 21 days to hatch. Unlike the budgie, both parents will incubate eggs and feed chicks. The young will become weaned from about 11 weeks. Cockatiels reach maturity at about 1 year of age, but wouldn't recommend breeding them until they are a little older (2 years or more).

With all the above birds be sure not to disturb nesting pairs unless absolutely necessary, however you should check your nest boxes every day to keep an eye on progress and to conduct any cleaning tasks, and if you find any dead chicks (unfortunately this does happen occasionally) you must remove them immediately and dispose of them in a thoughtful manner.

Please email me to reserve your copy of my upcoming bird keeping ebook, or for further information and guidance related to your pet bird.

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