Does budgie mating mean there'll be eggs?

[tangerine]

Sorry for the silly question, but if budgies mate, does this mean they're likely to lay eggs? I just caught my birds doing so and I'm not sure if I should go put in a nest box or not. I wasn't planning on them to attempt to breed, so I don't have one currently, but I don't want her to lay somewhere unsafe.

 

[Lori D Pert]

How old are they? Are you prepared for babies? If you caught them and female cere is brown and crusty and they are over 1 year then it's possible. You can add a nestbox or you can replace the eggs with dummy eggs. Are you ok with babies?

 

[tangerine]

How old are they? Are you prepared for babies? If you caught them and female cere is brown and crusty and they are over 1 year then it's possible. You can add a nestbox or you can replace the eggs with dummy eggs. Are you ok with babies?

The female is one year old, and the male is three years old. I'm not sure if I would say I'm prepared- I have pretty basic breeding knowledge and they're both healthy birds on a diet of veggies and pellets, but I would prefer I'd done more extensive research before even thinking about breeding them. Unfortunately, they didn't have the same idea. The female's cere has started to turn brown around the edge as of late, but most of it is her usual light blue/tan. The brown part looks slightly wrinkled, but not really crusty. I'm okay with babies and do have the space for them + an avian vet if they or the parents should need help.

 

[Shezbug]

No not always. My budgies used to go at it all the time and I have never had eggs. My cousin on the other hand had a lone budgie very bonded to her (no mirrors) and she had lots of trouble with egg laying.

 

[Destiny]

I'd recommend doing the necessary research now, so you will be ready when the time comes. She might not start laying right away, but she probably will get around to it eventually ... and it will probably be when you are least prepared to deal with it. At least, that tends to be how these things go for me.

 

[tangerine]

No not always. My budgies used to go at it all the time and I have never had eggs. My cousin on the other hand had a lone budgie very bonded to her (no mirrors) and she had lots of trouble with egg laying.

Thanks! Am I going to want to add a nest box in case she does end up laying, or just see how things go first? Also, should I go ahead with feeding her some egg (of the non budgie variety!) in case she ends up needing it?

I'd recommend doing the necessary research now, so you will be ready when the time comes. She might not start laying right away, but she probably will get around to it eventually ... and it will probably be when you are least prepared to deal with it. At least, that tends to be how these things go for me.

That's a good idea! I just started tonight.
Knowing her, she'll probably wait a few months just to spite me.

 

[Shezbug]

You want to know everything (and more) there is to know about breeding before encouraging them or allowing them to actually hatch fertile eggs....... so many of the threads on here are for helping people who thought it would be nice to let nature take its course and for the birds to do what is natural only to end up with sick or dying babies and sometimes even adults. A lot of our companion birds have been handraised and have no idea what to do (especially with the first clutch) and end up neglecting or abandoning babies then the human has no time at all to learn about temperature, housing, hygiene, feeding formulas and instruments and many other things all while being highly stressed and sleep deprived. @Zara should be able to link you to some great resources so you can learn these things before they are needed.

 

[Zara]

but I would prefer I'd done more extensive research before even thinking about breeding them

Then research
IF you do get eggs soon, you can boil them. Remember, there is no life in a fresh egg, even a fertile one.
To remove eggs now, while you learn and prepare for chicks in the future is a good route to take. Shezbug explains that pretty well in her post.

@Zara should be able to link you to some great resources

This link covers so much, from ethics to demand, from handfeeding, brooder setup to the more common problems. It is worth investing your time to read this slowly and absorb all the information: Tips For Breeders
(To add, ignore the banding part unless it is required by law where you are located)

 

[Hankmacaw]

Please get completely ready and fully equipped before you allow any eggs to hatch. Honestly I'm so very tired of seeing people come on to this forums in a panic with their babies dying and wanting help because they just thought it would be fun to have baby birds. If you are going to breed (which I am adamantly against - with hundreds of thousand of birds in rescues and being neglected by irresponsible owners) be completely, absolutely ready and know what you are doing.

Please don't be irresponsible.

 

[Lady Jane]

You better get the fake eggs because a female budgie one year old is a little young to have babies. Two years or older is a better age.