My budgie is breaking eggs. Did touching them cause it? Separate?

If the aviary is too small to handle multiple breeding pairs it may be that they are competing for nesting space, even if there are multiple nests. One nest may be seen as "ideal" and thus everyone is fighting over it. Usually, birds are separated into individual breeding groups per cage to avoid competition and ruining of eggs, as well as reduce overall stress for the breeding pair.

Thanks for reaching out about Nanu. Was the egg broken in the nest or did she lay it from a perch and fell? Sometimes birds know the egg is not fertile and will break it. Stress might also cause behavioral changes where they break/eat the egg. Maintain a good diet as laying lots of eggs is a huge calcium loss and they need to replenish. Good luck.

If you are hoping to raise babies, then providing nesting material for the parents is best so that they can make a safe nest where the eggs are less likely to fall or break. The parents may also break eggs or discard them if they aren't viable or they are young parents that don't know what to do. Because the eggs need to be incubated, they need to remain in the nest with the parents in order to hatch. You can keep letting both parents try to raise a clutch (and be sure to provide a calcium supplement for the mother), or, if you don't wish to raise babies, can just remove and discard any laid eggs.

She will lay eggs with or without a male present. Provide a suitable nesting box to keep the eggs secure. Any eggs she lays in the next few days may be fertile. Most birds lay one egg every 24 hours until a clutch of 4-6 eggs is in the nest, then incubation will begin.

It would be best to separate each pair into their own cage as the birds may begin to fight over territory, food and water, perches, and shared nesting areas, which could lead to injury. If you don't wish to have babies, removing the nesting material and any eggs should resolve the issue. If you do wish to breed them, making sure the birds have a calcium supplement such as a cuttle bone can help prevent egg binding and produce healthier eggs in addition to a regular balanced diet.

It is not recommended to breed your budgie too soon after having a clutch because this can deplete her calcium reserves. Separating her from the male would be the best way to prevent further breeding. If she has already mated with the male, adding a calcium supplement to her food or water may help her to restore her calcium levels.

It is not unusual for all eggs from a clutch to not hatch. However, if your budgie actually broke the egg in order to eat it, then it may develop that habit and never raise a clutch again - instead eating all her future eggs. The egg itself is not bad for her and will not hurt her, but it is an undesirable trait for her to eat her eggs. Thank you for using pet coach.