I'm going to start breeding!

[jakeandnikko]

I know most of ou are against breeding except b registered ppl or proffesionals. I however want to start breeding. Now, I am going to do this whether an of ou think its ok or not. I won't be breeding for awhile but i do want to be prepared so if you are viewing this to be helpful than fine but i can do without all the rude comments and remarks. I am not breeding for certain colors or genetics but i want the babies i most likely will not sell the babies. I will keep all but mabe one or two. So here are my questions: What is the cage dimensions needed for ONE pair of breeding budgies? What tpe of nest box do you prefer? I have heard that around 1 1/2 - 2 years is when you can start breeding is this correct?
Those are really the only questions I have know. I have alread saed it but i will sa it again i would not appreciate rude remarks. If you have a concern you can ask me nicely or state it nicely please. Thanks.

[javi]

maybe breed english budgies. and sell them as pets instead of normal budgies. they would be easy to sell since most breeders use them for show and will not sell young.

[jakeandnikko]

Well I actually wanted to breed nikko. Thats why I said I wouldn't be breeding for along time because nikko is only like 10months old and i'm gonna wait til hes like 1 1/2 - 2. I wanna wait for man reasons the biggest one though being health. I also wanna make sure i have ALL the info needed. Is there any other reason to breed english budgies other than because most breeders don't sell them young?

[Kerry C]

I am not breeding for certain colors or genetics

HOLD ON.....When you breed ANY animal you breed the best quality to the best quality so you DO have good, strong, unrelated genetics. You don't want to continue a line of budgies that is prone to develop tumors or other just as bad problems.

I would suggest you purchase books on breeding and not take tips here and there from those who may know or may not know about breeding on chat boards. Those who are breeders HAVE done our reading and continue to read up on bird care, breeding etc. Learning NEVER stops and new information is always being updated.

The subject of breeding has been widely covered in book form for years. You owe it to yourself and your breeding stock to understand EVERYTHING about breeding BEFORE you put your birds to nest. If you don't have a pet store with a good supply of books I can HIGHLY recommend http://www.abebooks.com If you do end up having problems you need to have a basic understanding of what breeders or a vet will tell you or even to describe your problem. I will tell you there is nothing more frustrating than someone who unwilling to do a minimal amount of homework and expect to be ‘spoon fed’ information. You would feel the same way if you were worked hard to understand a subject/book and were trying to tutor someone - if they had not bothered to read the book/chapter etc. and want you to tell them all about it so they could ace the test.

You need to KNOW what it looks like when a hen is in distress. You need to have a good avian vet to help out if your hen ends up egg bound. Breeding does not ways end up with cute chicks. Death is always a reality.

You need to have a plan if the hen is turns out to abuses her offspring. Do you have other prs set up and breeding at the same time to foster off to? Are you equipped to hand feed yourself, do you even know how?

You need to have a weaning cage on hand to hold up to 9 - 10 birds. This is NOT the same thing as the breeding cage. Very happy budgies can produce up to 8 or 9 eggs, you need room to move dad or an extra cock or two over to help out in the weaning process.

Before you even put the birds up to nest you need to know - if they ARE healthy, not just look healthy. They need to be on a well established diet of fresh veggies, fruits, whole wheat bread, make your egg food and sprinkle hand feeding formula in it. Providing Crazy Corn is also a great soft food. If your pet shop does not carry it you can order it on line. http://www.crazycorn.com. Many of add brewers yeast to the formula as well, but you have to be careful and let not the soft food sit around, it will spoil.

You will only get out of your birds what you are willing to put into them. As someone who has been breeding birds for about 30 years I have been on both sides of this subject. Breeders and vets are way more helpful if you can have an intellegent converstation about the problme/s.

Kerry

[jakeandnikko]

I didn't expect to be "spoon fed" I have been reading A LOT on the breeding of budgies. What I meant by " not breeding for color or genetics" was that i was looking for certain traits not that I intended on breeding a bunch of sick tumorus birds. I also did not intend to breed birds that were related. As far as the foster homes or whatever you called them YES i do have a friend that lives directly across the street from me and who also has been wanting a bird and been doing his research. I don't know if you caught this part or not but I said that i wanted to know EVERYTHIN BEFORE I START BREEDING! in my first post. I have a few books on budgies and they all have chapters on breeding. Does this satisfy you?

[Breadpazoid]

Jake, there is no need to be sassy and defensive (as you have been from the start of this thread). Kerry of all people would know the best way to go about this. I would get some dedicated bird breeding books (not books that have a chapter or two on breeding), and follow Kerry's suggestions.

Also, one thing you need to have is an open mind. We are not trying to discourage you from breeding but we are trying to discourage you from starting out all wrong. If you start right and commit yourself to learning, you will have the best possible results right from the gitgo.

[jakeandnikko]

I wasn't trying to be sassy or anything and i apoligize if i was. I said i didn't want any rude comments or whatever because i didn't. I wanted advice on how to go about breeding not people telling me that they're against. I have an open mind. Thats why I asked the question to get other peoples oppinons and to get advice from experinced breeders and not from books that i can't ask questions. I asked if it satisfied her because i wanted to know if I was going about it the right way. I wasn't trying to be defensive.

[Pea's Mom]

I am against breeding, but if you chose to do so, then atleast you seem to want to take the time to learn.

Education is your best defense against having a horrible experience. So good for you for wanting to know. But remember that as you learn you might learn that breeding isnt right for you and your situation. I wanted a hedgehog for over a year, i researched for 6 months and then realized that no matter how much i want one, its not a pet that my house can handle fairly right now. The hedgehog would not get what he deserves (even though i know almost everything there could be to know!), and my current pets would not get what they deserve.

How old are you? Do you have a job? Do you rely on others for support of your current pets? If you have your own job, with the economy the way it is, is it stable? Avian vets are very expensive and alot of times people who live with their parents and rely on their parents, their parents dont understand what the animal means to the child (meaning their child, not calling you a child). And alot of people in the older generation (my mother is a prime example) thinks that animals are disposable things.

I am glad that you are trying to find out as much as you can about doing this before you jump in, but please keep an open mind that the more you learn you need to be honest with yourself that breeding might not be right for your situation.

I am just an animal owner and we have a special account, the minimum balance of that account is $500. if it dips then we dont do anything (eat out, movies, rent movies, go anywhere) untill that account is back up to par. That is being a responsible owner, now your talking about bringing lives into this world and it should be a calculated decision that you make after you know all about it.

I hope i didnt offend, i was really trying to help you on your journey for knowledge and be fair with my questions and posts.

[Melza]

read kerrys post again, and again and again! i think it is fantastic.

i am a bit confused as to why you want to put more bugs on this earth? please reitterate.

[mighty mouse]

Didn't Nikko come from a pet store? If so, you have no idea what his genetic history is, and really shouldn't breed him. You have no idea what genetic quirks you might bring out in breeding that could be very detrimental.

[Foxjxa]

You have no idea what genetic quirks you might bring out in breeding that could be very detrimental.

I don't think there's any more that I can add.

[jakeandnikko]

Yes nikko did come from a petstore and I want to breed just for the experince of raising the birds and hand feeding some of them and just the whole thing sounds good to me. I do have a job that starts in the summer( won't be breeding before than) and Ends in october. When september 22nd hits the local petland alread said they would hire would me but i had to be sixteen. I volunteer there and know them all very well and I'm already guranteed a job. The summer job is through our local oppurtunity center and I have it every summer til i'm 21 and i'm getting the petland job so that will be my source of income. I know I need to learn A LOT before even getting the female budgie. I am planning on doing a lot of research and have already told my local vet about the breeding and he gave me an emergency line and his home number. Just incase i do end up breeding i have already started nikko on the pellets i got in the male and i'm going to find out which ones he likes best so that he will be very healthy when it comes time to breed. So thank you all for your post more are welcome.

[Pea's Mom]

What do your parents think of this? Will they loan/give you $700 if your two breeding birds need to go to the vet? What if you had 5 babies and all 7 of the animals needed to go? Would they loan you $1500? If it was a decision to pay for expensive drugs/sugery or euthainasia, would your parents agree to pay the money?

Your a minor, and unfortunatly minumum wage will probably not cover emergencies. (espeically im assuming your a normal teen who wants to go to the movies and maybe save up for a car). This needs to be a calculated decision that you make with your parents, and you need to know where they stand on these situations. If they are not willing to loan you money that might be the ice breaker to ethical breeding then maybe you need to reconsider untill your on your own.

I am against people breeding willy nilly. However, if people breed they need to be ethical about their decisions. Breeding should not be something you do because you just want to, its a decision that puts many birds lives at stake (5-15 years). You need to be prepared for the worst case, and if you can not provide in that situation then you should wait until you can.

[jakeandnikko]

Well no matter what about me my birds come first no matter what. I won't be breeding for atleast 9 months. I have plenty of time to save up an emergency fund. IF the event would however arise then yes I could get the money. Thank you alot for your replies pea and you have been very helpful and not offensive at all so thank you very much.

[Pea's Mom]

Just keep in mind everything that you learn. If you find that your not ready there is no shame in changing your plan to wait or not breed at all.

Also something else to think about, what if your friend gets grounded and you have to go out of town with your family? Or you both get into big trouble, will your birds be punished because you make a foolish decision in life. There are many problems when you take on the responsibility of another life and your life isnt even yours yet.

I think you really need to talk to your parents and make them aware of how big of a responsibility this is. If you get caught smoking or drinking or doing something that teens do that their parents would freak out about, will they take your pets away? This is a serious issue with just your pets, but then if you have 6 babies that need to be hand fed and your grounded or have to go out of town it becomes life or death, you see?

Your birds best intrest should always be first, dont forget that, or put your wants first (ie. breeding just because you want to with birds not suited to be bred)

I am totally against it, especially since your so young, but my goal is to educate and help. I cant make decisions for other people, but hopefully you will come to conculsions on your own.

BTW, im sure you are sick of people telling you that your a kid or what ever. And im sure that your a very capable person. But your life isnt yours to live, you eat what your told, go where your told, and do what your told. Its a fact of life untill your on your own, it dosent have anything to do with your beliefs or education or life experiences, it just is.

[jakeandnikko]

I completely understand that I am a kid and I need to think about this a alot more than most adults would. I feel that i am capable but as i have said i do plan to do research and talk to my parents first. No, my mom is very much an animal person and would NEVER put my birds life in danger. Thank you for your concerns though. I have more than one friend that is willing to help not right across the street but if they are interested in helping me than they have to go to the vet with me everytime and listen to the vet when he helps me learn to handfeed. I also am asking them to read and do research and i am telling them a lot too.

[gooddkittie]

Check out this website:
http://www.officialbarrieshuttbudger...smutations.htm

This man is a very knowledgeable budgie breeder in England. You may find some good information there. He's also very willing to answer questions if you have them.

Kerry C has great information, too.

[jakeandnikko]

Thankyou so much i just read like that entire website haha its great thanks!

[Little Cricket]

If you just want the breeding experience, why not find a breeder who is willing to mentor you?

If you're dead set on breeding yourself though, at least get healthy, genetically sound birds, NOT a bird from a petstore.

[jakeandnikko]

I would gladly help another breeder but i don't know of any that are even in my county. Also Petsmart is trying to find out what they can about nikko. They sent something to there bird provider and they are supposed to send back all the records they have on nikko.

[Chickadoodle]

You said you didn't know of any breeders near you, so I found this website. I hope it helps, I don't know what county cambridge is in.

http://www.birdbreeders.com/breedersinOH.aspx

[jakeandnikko]

Thank you I ill do a wuick search and cambridge is in Guernsey county.

[jakeandnikko]

I thought you all should know that i have decided NOT to breed. I called petsmart again today and they said that the breeder could not or would not release records! I don't know why that is. Maybe because the breeder didn't keep records or something i don't know but without knowing nikkos history or nikkos family history i feel it would be incredibly irresponsible for me to breed unless I got a pair from a breeder that had records. I'm kinda bumbed but everything happens for a reason.They did tell me though that they get their birds from perfectbird?

[Pea's Mom]

I think that is a very mature decision! And i for one am happy!! I understand wanting to witness and be a part of something like that, a dream of mine is hand raise an animal from very young, I plan on meeting this goal by rescuing and being available in a just-in-case situation.

You could still do all the research and volunteer at rescues and such, and incase they have any baby birds that have been abandoned you could be there to help. Just a thought.

Again, congratulations to you. You are alot more mature than alot of adults who dont know how to control their impulses to just do what they want.

[jakeandnikko]

I plan to volunteer around birds as much as possible. I already volunteer at petland and I do a lot with the birds there and I plan on finding a rescue as soon as I get a car and am able to drive.I definetly plan on researching further because as many have stated before in this forum you can never know enough! Thanks all for your help!