If the purpose is to breed with your budgies, it’s all about getting them fit to breed – and that means two things – feeding them properly and giving them the right conditions to prepare them correctly.
Let’s look at feeding
Basic feeding with small non-exhibition budgies is about giving them a mixture of canary seed and millets – that’s exactly what
Haith’s budgie mixes contain. Offer a bit of
cuttlefish bone, a bit of grit – fresh water and those small, fine-feathered budgies will probably breed quite well. If we are trying to get the very best from our budgies, especially the larger exhibition-type birds that carry lots of thick feather, they need a far more nutritious diet to get them fit for breeding. That’s where Haith’s foods score so well! Quality exhibition budgies need careful preparation for the breeding season and Haith’s food help with that massively.
Feather is all about protein – feather is made up of protein, so a diet lacking in protein is never going to allow our birds to achieve their full potential. That means feeding a good quality budgie mix like Haith’s Bravo! Budgie Mix.
Budgerigars need that bit extra in the feeding, to bring them into breeding condition and there is nothing better than adding
Haith’s Budgie Tonic Seed Mix to the diet. Tonic seed is probably best fed in a separate dish. We don’t need to know all the details of the nutritional value of Haith’s Tonic Seed but it's high in vitamins and minerals, and those special seeds contain the oils that help to bring the birds into top breeding condition. It’s those oils that will help to give that special muscle-tone to the hens that will avoid egg binding problems. Add Haith’s Budgie Tonic seed to your budgie's diet before the breeding season and it will help them come into excellent breeding condition to get them ready to produce lots of healthy youngsters. Keep feeding it right through the breeding season to keep your birds at peak fitness while they are breeding.
Before the breeding season, budgies appreciate what we call egg food or softfood. It helps to bring them into top breeding fitness and they learn to enjoy the food because it’s so good for the hens when they are rearing youngsters. In advance of the breeding season it's worth feeding twice a week!
Haith’s PTX softfood is a great food for budgies and it’s one of the many Haith’s foods that give that bit of “extra feeding” to bring your budgies into top breeding condition. It’s also a high protein food for hens when they are rearing chicks.
It’s not just about feed – budgies need
Haith’s Mineralised Grit for the range of minerals needed,
oystershell grit for the calcium the birds need for healthy bones and it’s the mineral the hens need for producing those egg shells.
Cuttlefish bone is high in calcium too and the birds love it. Haith’s sell those popular Iodine/Mineralised blocks and these are a welcome addition to the preparation of your birds for the breeding season. Never forget all budgies need access to fresh water.
If there’s one last tip to bring budgies into top breeding condition it's making sure they get a light spray with warm water a couple of mornings a week for a month or so before you intend to start breeding. It’s amazing how a light spray brings the birds into breeding condition.
Written by Fred Wright
1 comment
Have only recently started keeping budgies in an aviary and hoping that they will start breeding soon.