242



A. G. Butler—Budgerigar Breeding



one of the large white earth grubs, the larvae of a beetle plentiful about

here. It was the size and thickness of a big finger, and with its powerful

pincers had bitten into the throat of the baby Kagu and so caused

its death.


If I am lucky enough to escape the “flu” and other ills and my

birds keep well I hope to be able to tell a more satisfactory story of

the breeding of the Kagu next year.



BUDGERIGAR BREEDING


By A. G. Butler, Ph.D.


There is no difficulty in breeding these birds provided that you have,

as Mr. Seth-Smith says, “ a good-sized outdoor aviary. Here some

half-dozen or so pairs will produce anything up to a hundred young

in the course of a year.”


Gregarious birds like Budgerigars breed most readily in aviaries

sufficiently large to accommodate several pairs without crowding,

but they should be provided with a choice of breeding receptacles,

exceeding the pairs of birds in number so as to avoid disputes. It is

possible to breed Budgerigars in indoor aviaries, or even in attics if

large enough to give the birds plenty of exercise ; but undoubtedly

the best results are obtained in outdoor aviaries with covered-in and

draught-proof retiring compartments, against the walls of which the

nesting receptacles should be fixed. Being very active birds exercise

is necessary to keep them in vigorous health, therefore the larger the

aviary the better for the birds. An enclosure which is only 3 feet wide

and the height of which ranges from 5 ft. 5 in. to 6 ft. 6 in. hardly gives

even one pair a fair chance, and in my opinion three pairs at least

should be kept together if one wishes to breed these birds successfully.


When nesting stale bread soaked in water and then pressed as dry

as possible in a cloth should be given in addition to the usual seeds ;

the latter should consist of canary or canary and millet. I found that

a slight admixture of oats was also acceptable.


I bred Budgerigars some years ago, but in an indoor aviary, and the

foolish creatures selected the winter (their proper breeding season,

I suppose) in which to increase and multiply. The result was that the

young were more delicate than they otherwise would have been.



