If you have pet budgies/parakeets you would dream of seeing these little fellows breed. One can’t imagine the feelings of seeing eggs and listening to chicks sound from the cage. Budgies usually produce chicks with a variety of colors which is quite fascinating.
“Do budgies breed all year around? Best season for budgies breeding? Do budgies breed in winter? How many eggs budgies lay in one clutch?” are some common questions in the mind of beginners which I am going to discuss in this article.
Budgies breeding season
In the wild, budgies breading season starts in summer when it rains. Rain increases the productivity of the environment by producing different food sources (i.e. grass, seeds, and fruits). It is suitable for budgies to breed in this season as there is no shortage of food.
Long days of summer with more than 13 hours of light have enough time to perform different breeding activities. Short nights followed by long days help budgies to feed their young properly.
In captivity, breeding can be induced artificially by fluorescent lights. A healthy pair will breed all year round provided enough food and space. Female budgies lay eggs all life till death.
How Much do Budgies Cost? | Budgies Price
Do budgies breed all year round?
Yes, in captivity healthy pair breeds all year round. You may be greedy to have maximum output in a year but it is not a good practice. You should give rest to your birds as continued breeding is not recommended by the experts.
Budgies are adults at the age of 4 months and may start breeding. They breed throughout their entire life until they die. Put your budgies for breeding when they are 1 year old to get maximum results and good healthy parents.
One clutch takes a lot from the female. Females incubate eggs for 21 days and then feed young till they are mature enough to feed by themself. Eggs suck different minerals from the female body (i.e. calcium) and birds need some rest before the next clutch.
Rest is compulsory to maintain their body’s nutrient level to normal. Deficiencies of nutrients make parrots vulnerable to disease, like calcium deficiency causes egg binding in females.
It is recommended to breed the budgies 2 to 3 times a year to keep them healthy and live longer.
Is Budgie a Good Pet? | All About Budgies
Best time for budgies breeding
The fertility of eggs and the mortality rate in chicks are two factors on which the results of breeding depend. Weather conditions affect these factors which include humidity and temperature.
The ideal humidity for maximum egg fertility is 60 percent and the temperature is 37.7 C / 100.5 F. During the last couple of days of incubation, more humidity is required to make sure easy cracking of the egg. A dry environment makes the egg layer hard, and the chick fails to come out of the egg and dies in the shell.
Have a look at these factors in your region in different months of the year and then decide when to put your budgies on the breed. You can also customize these conditions for your birds by keeping them indoors.
Can budgies breed in winter?
Budgies prefer to breed during the summer and spring seasons when the temperature is ideal for egg incubation. But as we said earlier you can make them breed anytime around the year by providing them artificial environment.
If you are thinking that your budgie will breed out in the cold, that’s not fair to the little fellow. The female will fail to maintain egg temperature at 37.5 C and the babies will die in the shell.
To make your budgies/parakeets breed in the winter, keep them inside in a room with a temperature ranging from 20 to 25 C. Artificial lighting and water spray are used to induce breeding in the winter.
11 Reasons Why Budgies Break And Throw Their Eggs
Budgies /parakeet’s breeding cycle
The breeding cycle of budgies is not too long and they can breed multiple times around the year.
Interestingly, these colorful fellows take only 4 to 5 months to become sexually mature.
Budgies are monogamous (have only one mate at a time) and start breeding within a few days after finding a partner.
First, they need a good space for breeding. You must provide them with a box including a soft bed.
Females lay 4 to 6 eggs and incubation starts. Females incubate the eggs and males feed them in the box. After 6 to 8 days of incubation, you can do a fertility test by putting eggs on a torch one by one. Eggs in which blood veins are visible are fertile while others with no veins are not fertile.
It takes 20 days for the first egg to hatch. Chicks break the eggshell and come out one by one.
Both parents will start feeding chicks until they are mature enough to feed by themself. Period of feeding last about 40 days and cute, colorful, adorable little fellows are part of your aviary. No doubt it is captivating to see them moving around.
