First published in Variegated post 1970, reprinted 2001.
The third in our series on pieds deals with actual breeding. There is not a lot that I can say that has not appeared in other articles. Breeding procedure with pieds is pretty well the same as that with all other budgerigar varieties with exactly the same pitfalls to watch out for and the same routine to follow. I only want to bring out here some aspects not always generally emphasised and what to do under certain conditions that may occur when breeding at this time of the year.
In the first place, if the parent birds are not of equal size, egg Danish Pied X Normal, choose if possible for the hen to be the bigger bird, as it is undoubtedly easier for her to bear the lighter weight of the cock whilst mating than if the size and weights were reversed. An important precaution is to ensure that the cage perches are really firm and do not revolve at all as it is surprising how often these work loose during the breeding season unbeknown to the breeder who often blames the birds for their suspect infertility! It should also be common policy to seal up the entrance hole of the nest box for the first few days so that the birds do not spend too much of their time in their, usually chewing up the woodwork! The main reason, though, is to ensure that the pairs will do their mating on the perches and so give their best performance.
Of Course, No birds should be used that are not in breeding condition and birds that are generally active, alert and calling to one another are obvious candidates. Any birds showing wet or messy droppings prior to pairing up should certainly not be used as they obviously have a stomach condition of some kind, which requires treatment. “Dionymol”, a mild stomach antiseptic, usually clears this up in most cases but if deep seated enough to require antibiotics, their use usually means that the birds may not be much use for breeding for a month or two.
All breeding hens pass wet or copious droppings prior to egg laying, the smell of some varying in intensity and offensiveness than others and which should be removed accordingly. In hot weather, a wary eye should be kept for red mite appearing suddenly, playing havoc with laying hens as well as making life miserable for the cocks. They usually are found at the end of perches and in cracks in the nest-box and can be treated with concentrated ‘Dettol’ but at the same time inconveniencing the pairs as little as possible. Another common hot weather hazard is Scaleyface, which affects the face and feet of the birds, and which can upset breeding pairs if not treated. This usually comes from having dirty perches covered in excreta in which the mite breeds and transfers on to the face when the birds use the perch to scratch their faces. Cleaning the perches with a hot water Dettol solution and treating the faces and feet of affected birds with the appropriate veterinary product is an obvious remedy, although I have found ordinary medicinal liquid Paraffin obtainable from chemists and good pet shops and a very worthwhile substitute for the latter.
Another danger for beginners are sudden drops of temperature in summer so that when windows left open for ventilation can create draughts in the birdroom that can be deadly for sitting hens and which can result in deserted nests (I know, as I got caught out myself only just recently!) As can be seen, anything and everything can happen in the birdroom to put us on trial but 99% of all troubles can be averted by reasonable vigilance and attention on the part of the breeder. There is little doubt that the reason why so many come and go in the Budgie fancy is not only because they have troubles in the first season or two but also because they expect the birds to do all their work for them. There is most certainly far more to breeding Pieds or other varieties f Budgerigars that just replenishing seed and water and leaving the birds to get on with it! – They won’t!
As eggs are being laid and hatched, keep an eye on the water supply as fountains and pots are easily contaminated in hot weather and which can bring disaster as the birds need a lot of clean fresh water at this period.
A useful aid for feeding youngsters is P. Sluis CLO Rearing food, made by Coombes of Chatham for canaries, etc. but which Budgies will take. In my opinion this saves on having to mix Cod-Liver-Oil with seed, a messy job not always beneficial. P. Sluis food soaked sparingly and offered in finger drawers saves a lot of strain on the feeding hen and often makes it possible for cocks to feed the youngsters a few days after hatching.
If any pairs fail to feed their young and the first chick or two dies, don’t panic, but foster out the remaining chicks or eggs immediately and substitute if possible slightly older chicks as these are rather more insistent on having their needs met and thus trains the parents to fulfil their duties. Once budgie pairs have a little experience in this way, some go on to become good parents next time. One has to give them a chance to make good once in a while.
If fostering has to take place, be sure to preserve the identities of the chicks taken out as failure to do this can make a mess of all the breeding records. A good check is to put chicks out to nests that are of a different colour or variety to that of their own so that identification can be sure after feathering. Better still, if possible, is to foster out after ringing and noting the ring number before doing so, but in the same case of every young chick or eggs, this may not be practical.
It is quite possible that soon after ringing we can have some idea as to whether the chicks will be Pieds or not. Australian and Danish Pieds are usually readily picked out by the irregular light and dark patches appearing on the wings of the chicks. Identifying Clearflighted youngsters may take a day or two longer as their wing extremities are less definable but the early appearance of the clear head spot soon settles it. Clears are easy to spot by the lack of any colour variation at all in the wings, although these cane and often do turn out to be lightly marked Danish Pieds.
Breeders vary in the time they allow the young to stay with their parents, but there is little doubt that the sooner they can be removed, the better. Once it is seen that the chicks are feeding themselves on a millet spray left on the cage floor, they can then be transferred to a stock cage with what other youngsters there may be. This is where they can be trained for the show bench when they are usually at their tamest. Nervous youngsters may need a longer stay than others, as although this condition is seldom cured completely, they will not be quite so bad as if released out into the flight before they have really got used to people.