Ask Lafeber

Can chicks live with the parents?

Why is it suggested to move any chicks to their own cage?

Hi,

The parents will become aggressive towards the chicks once they reach the age of independence – typically as soon as they are fully weaned. This is an instinctive behavior and it how inbreeding is avoided in the wild. You can never allow related birds to breed. They do not know any better, so you must separate chicks from parents, and male & female chicks from each other to prevent inbreeding. While parents may initially tolerate weaned chicks, they can suddenly attack the chicks, or one parent becomes jealous and attacks the chicks. Females in particular can be extremely vicious and can kill another budgie in a matter of minutes. It’s best for all of the birds to remove chicks once they are weaned, and find new homes – definitely keep them separated by gender if you keep them.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda