will parakeet have eggs?... HI

[feather friend]

Hi I'm feathered friend and I'm a proud owner of cockatiel named
Coco, and two Bugies, Dusty &... I havent picked out a name for him yet.
I was wondering about my parakeets having eggs... If I put a nest box in there for the pair will they lay eggs? And if they do, if they hatch, will they take care of the babies?

[charmedagain]

Hi, Firstly both birds need to be 18months or older before allowing them to breed, If they are younger than this then if they are definatly male and female then they need to be put in seperate cages until they are old enough.

If they are old enough you need to make sure that there is cuttlefish bone available at all times for them, And its also best to introduce them to soft foods such as boiled eggs crushed with the shell, boiled brown rice, boiled, pasta, wholemeal bread.
I always give my birds EMP egg food which is designed for handfeeding and weaning baby birds.
I give this everyday in a seperate dish along with there normal feed.

I never put a nest box in unless i see mating behaviour going on, Like the male doing his head bopping dance, or trying to feed the female, once i see this i put the nest box up.
Then usually 10 days after putting the nest in she will lay her first egg.

Not all birds will lay eggs and some do not hatch, Also most birds are not very good at raising there chicks and you could lose some until they get the hang of it.

Here is a link for you to read it has about feeding, breeding and even has best nest boxes to use.

http://www.birdshelpline.bravehost.com/

Mike

[feather friend]

My 2 budgies are young ones, but one is a boy (i think) , but the other one... well i am not sure. His/Her cere is still a purplish pinkish color,
butthey are birdey kissing, and preening eack other. Should I provide
a nest box for them

[charmedagain]

No as your unsure if the are under 18months old.
Breeding very young birds can cause egg binding which is a fatal condition if not noticed and treated immediatley.

I would seperate them until around springtime next year but put there cages side by side so they can still see each other..

A male budgie will have a blue cere and and a female will have either a white, puple/pink, tan, and dark brown if they are in breeding mode.

Young budgies have pink ceres so until after the first molt you would not know..

What colour mutation are the birds, Do they have black barring across the top of there heads?

Mike

[feather friend]

If I do not provide a nesting box, will that be fine? No, Tweety (male) hade his first molt not long ago, and his cere is turning blush, and his black barring is going away. Dusty (pretty sure female) did not have a barring when I got her. Will post pics of them soon.

[charmedagain]

Its fine if you do not put a nest box in as this will usually stops them breeding for now.

If she starts to lay eggs on the cage floor then you can add a nest box if you wish and with very clean hands gently place them into the nest and the female will usually still look after them..

Mike

[Chezza]

My Pepper starting laying again, and she's in with another female too. Dillbra she is..She's a shocker for it..She wants nowt to do with the eggs either..

[feather friend]

Thank you Mike. Would it be okay if I put a nest box in there next year, around spring time? Thanks again You have a wondeful website

[charmedagain]

Yeah i would wait until spring then ad the nest box that gives you time to get everything sorted out, You will need another cage to put the chicks in once they are 8weeks old and feeding for themselves.

Good luck and we here to help whenthe time for eggs comes alsong

Mike

[feather friend]

Thanks again everyone!!!!!