I have two budgies who have had 5 beautiful chicks, but before the babies were 6 weeks old dad once again mated with her. The first hatchling are now 8 weeks and now mum has laid more eggs and two babies have just hatched. How can I stop her having another lot to give her a rest?
Hi Veronica,
You definitely need to put a stop to it or the hen will end up dying from laying too many eggs. Laying eggs is very hard on the hen – it depletes her calcium and protein, and is also hard on her internally. Parakeets and other parrots are not intended to lay eggs over and over like chickens. The 8 week chicks should already be removed from the cage – they should definitely be eating on their own by now and they can’t stay with the parents, especially with new chicks. The parents are likely to kill the older chicks. Keep an eye on things and if she lays any more eggs, take the eggs away and discard them. As soon as these chicks leave the nest box, take the nest box down. Once these chicks are weaned, they also need to be removed from the cage. You may have to take the male out, too. It’s important to find homes for all of the chicks, or keep them separated by gender. You should never let related birds breed, and they don’t know any better. In the wild the parents would make them leave and they would disperse to other areas. Do not put the male with the chicks if you have to take him out, or he will mate with them, and you don’t want young parakeet hens trying to lay eggs too young – this can end up killing them. I would not let this pair breed again for a year. Really they need to be rested for 6 months between clutches, and limited to two clutches per year to remain healthy. Below are some changes you can make to discourage more breeding. They do not need a nest box or any type of nest to sleep in – nests are only for breeding.
You need to do all of these things to discourage egg laying & breeding. Keep in mind that to lay eggs, she needs longer daylight, warmer weather, abundant food, and a quiet, private environment. Your goal is to reverse these conditions.
Limit her light to 8-10 hours by covering the cage early each evening
Do not give her anything to use as a nest – no bird huts or tents, no box, bowl, etc. If she decides to sit in a food bowl, remove it and replace with smaller cups.
Do not give her anything to shred such as paper or cardboard.
Rearrange the toys in the cage frequently.
Move the cage to a different place in the room. Move the cage about once a week, or whenever she shows signs of nesting – settling on the cage floor for example.
If she is let out of the cage, do not let her get in any dark cozy places and don’t give her free roam.
When you handle her, limit any petting to her head and neck – do not pet her on the body.
If there is no metal floor grate, then do not use any bedding or paper in the cage tray – leave it bare and clean it daily.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
