Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 4/21/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi Chrys,
I have 3 seperate pairs(in condition) in breeding cages with all the essentials. My Question is about copulation. I saw one of the pairs mating and the male would get on and then back off of her. She would try to bend forward to balance him, but he kept falling off and then got back on for a few seconds. How long does it take to fertilize her? How long after copulation should it be before I get the first egg? Do they need to breed again after each egg to produce the next? Also how large and what shape should the mating perch be? Also is there anything special that you do to help breeding? Ex: cliping vent feathers, Special food,Etc. Thanks Dave
ANSWER: Hi, Dave.

For copulation to occur, the male and female vents have to "connect" for a minute or so...it doesn't take long!  The male's reproductive organ is inside his body and when the 2 vents meet, sperm is inserted into the female.  However, the key is that the male has to be able to get his vent under the female's tail so the vents meet.  If your male isn't able to balance on the female, copulation won't take place.  A female usually "bends forward" (putting her tail up) so the male can access easier.  Sometimes it takes "practice" for birds to be able to mate successfully.  

Many times the problem is unstable perches.  Ensure the perches are secured in place so they don't move while the birds are trying to mate.  Perches are the proper size when a bird's feet fit 3/4ths of the way around the perch.  If a foot just "lays" on top of a perch, the perch is too big.  If the toes/nails touch when the bird is perched, the perch is too small.  

It can take up to 10 days before an egg is laid after copulation.  A potential embryo has to travel through the reproductive system of a female, and the egg shell is the last part to form just prior to the egg being laid.  You don't have to provide special perches for birds to mate on.    

Birds only need to mate once in order to produce a full clutch of eggs.  However, the more often mating occurs, the better chances of a full clutch of fertile eggs.  Often times, not all eggs in a clutch are fertile.

Clipping vent feathers is something that can be done if you have a pair that isn't producing fertile eggs.  This is really a last ditch effort because infertility is usually the result of some other problem.  Be aware that it's normal for some eggs in a clutch to not hatch; not every egg laid is fertile and many things can happen during the development/incubation process that results in an egg not hatching.  

There aren't any foods that will help breeding.  Birds should be fed a healthy diet regardless of whether they are breeding or not...you have to have healthy parents in order to have healthy babies.  Therefore, the parent birds need to be fed properly long before they are allowed to breed.  Then the healthy diet should continue through the egg laying process, etc.  This allows the parent birds to feed their offspring healthy, nutritious food from the start and keeps the parent birds healthy while they are feeding their brood.  Once babies arrive, it's necessary to keep the adults well fed several times per day so all birds are properly nourished.  You can supplement the adult diet once babies arrive with foods high in vitamins and minerals, etc., so none of the birds loose weight or become ill as a result of not being nourished properly.  In other words, feeding babies takes a lot of nourishment from the adults birds, especially the female (who feeds the babies), so it helps to provide additional nourishment for them.  This assumes you are feeding your birds a variety of foods, not just seed and pellets.  If your birds are on all-seed, this isn't good.  And you can't just switch them to a better diet in the middle of breeding because a diet change can upset the digestive process and birds won't eat food they don't recognize as food.  Therefore, if you need to switch your birds to a better diet, you need to do this BEFORE allowing them to breed.  If your birds are already eating a varied diet, then, yes, you can add foods like scrambled eggs, other types of egg food for protein, or anything else that is healthy and nutritious.  When my budgies have babies, I feed them soft food mix several times per day versus the once per day when they don't have babies.  This allows the parents to stay properly nourished and allows the parents to have plenty of food to feed their babies.  This soft food mix would be in addition to any pelleted food, pellet/seed mix I normally provide them.

Any additional questions, please come back.

Chrys

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Chrys,
 Thank you for the quick answer. The types of foods I give are varied. I give a seed/pellet mix called Egg-cite by Kaytee and also I give extra egg food. I give them vegetables and some fruit daily. I also give them a mix of nuts and dried fruits(crushed fine). So I think their eating well.  The copulation part is what I am worried about. She did lean forward to help him but I am not sure if It was enough?  When you say that they only need to touch vents for a minute do you really mean 60 seconds or just a few. I was told that they were proven breeders but not by me. He seems a little inexperienced. I have been seeing the females go in the nest boxes a lot more now but not the males. Is that ok? One of them has removed most of the bedding and the other a little bit. The males have been feeding the females a whole lot too.  They have all went through a cuttle bone each in less than a month. I have also been giving boiled (crushed) egg shells. Is there anything else you can think of that I am missing?  I really want eggs. I have done lots of research and spent the money for all the good stuff. I guess the only thing now is to wait. Impatiently of course

Answer
Hi again, Dave.

Are all your birds in the same cage together?  If so, this is a problem.  Your pairs should be housed in individual breeding cages.  The food you are feeding is good.  I don't know exactly how long it takes for a successful mating to occur, but I do know the male has to mount the female for more than just a few seconds.  It takes several minutes for the entire act to occur.  Just because someone told you these birds were proven breeders, it doesn't mean they were being truthful with you.  Some bird owners/so called breeders sell their birds that don't breed just to get rid of them for this reason.  However, budgies are usually quite prolific breeders if all is right.  

Usually the male bird prepares the nesting box for the female and then the female starts going in more and more in preparation to lay eggs.  Males spend most of their time after this outside the nesting box.  The males feeding the females more and more is a good sign.  You should remove any substrate you have placed in the nesting boxes...it isn't necessary or desired in most cases.  Your birds are trying to remove it...take a hint from them!!!  If they are going through that much cuttlebone, I'm wondering if they are calcium deficient.  If you are feeding corn, reduce or eliminate it.  Corn binds with calcium in the body and don't allow absorption.  You might want to try offering your birds cooked brown rice since they are used to eating soft foods.  You can add veggies and egg food to the rice mix.

As long as your birds are in individual breeding cages and no substrate in the nesting boxes, they should be good to go.  Not much you can do with a male that doesn't know how to copulate with a female except to replace him with another male.  This situation is rare, but it does occur.  Could be he's too young or the female isn't positioning herself just right.  But again, this could be why the previous owner was selling them.

Chrys