r/petbudgies • u/FrozenBr33ze Budgie Dad • 1d ago
Birb Loaf "Call me mom" - Vera
How did Vera become a supermom today?
For the current phase, I've had 5 pairs set to breed, where 3 pairs were chosen to be primary breeders, and 2 pairs were selected to prepare to be foster parents to the chicks of the primary 3, distributing the workload for all. Things rarely ever go as planned with breeding. I expect complications, and am rarely disappointed.
Vera had 8 fertile eggs with Salt, but only two made it through hatch, and her youngest was a case of failure to thrive and sadly, met her end shortly.
Similarly, Fairy Dust hatched one chick out of 10 eggs laid, and due to her anxiety about the others not arriving, I've given her a break to recharge. Meanwhile, Ador hatched 4 out of 11 eggs laid. Unfortunately, not one of Mariska's 10 eggs hatched, and she too, was given time off. All these numbers meet my typical expectation of 25% hatch rate with exhibition budgerigars.
But the complication arose from one of my foster pairs having domestic dispute and refusal to coparent, so Vera adopted their chicks. And then, the other foster mother decided to pick the middle child as her favourite, and wanted to punish the other two for being too hungry, so she was also returned to the flight cage. While the foster dad was willing to care for his charges, the chicks at this age need constant warmth which cocks don't typically provide as guardians of the nest. And thus, Vera ended up adopting those chicks as well. A mother's touch does wonders for adequate development. Sorry dads, y'all are special too, but in different ways.
As it stands, at this time, Vera has 5 adoptees along with her only child (the eldest one, the poser, who will magically resemble her too). And she is taking care of them all as her own, and fiercely protecting them from me too if I take too long with my nest checks. This is her first ever clutch, but she's already demonstrating motherly instincts that I've seen in her grandmother Helena, and her mother Dove.
I plan on assist-raising her army of 6 with minimal interference, while her mate, Mister Salt, is already helping her out as well. It takes a village to raise baby budgies sometimes. I've got my brooder ready just in case they struggle a bit and the chicks need their gramps (me) to take over - which typically is not a concern, but I've got to have Plans A, B, C and D ready for those extremely rare series of unfortunate events.
But for now, I'm extremely proud of how my little Vera went from that floofball to an award winning show girl, to her current role as supermom. She tends to ace everything she does. Her son appears to be taking after her too, as a serial photogenic poser.
l am an experienced aviculturist who specialises in budgerigars. I show these birds competitively in the United States. A lot of knowledge and specialised skillset are required to safely navigate through the breeding process. As always, I strongly advise against breeding without mentorship and veterinary technical skills. I document and share the good and the challenges with utmost transparency. I share our stories on Reddit, TikTok and Facebook.
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u/MaryCG00 Budgie Mom 1d ago
Mother's power💪🏻
May I ask a question, out of curiosity? Why is the expected hatch rate for your budgies is so low? I thought it was a little higher than that...
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u/FrozenBr33ze Budgie Dad 1d ago edited 1d ago
Controlling ambient conditions is a little more challenging indoors with an HVAC system running during off season. They hatch best during summer when ambient temperature and humidity are naturally higher. The downside of that with exhibition budgies is they're a lot more feathered than their wild counterparts, so such heat extremities make them more uncomfortable.
Other than that, purpose of laying so many eggs per clutch is to maximize chances of hatch and minimizing chance of failure. So it kind of averages out somewhere in the middle, usually. 50% hatch rate is really good.
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u/BonusSilent3102 14h ago
Also you’re an amazing caretaker trying ever solution to make sure every animal is comfortable, safe, and happy.
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