My 6-month budgie laid eggs with her father. Are chicks at risk?

Thanks for reaching out about your love birds. There is an increased risk of hereditary complications with siblings, as recessive genes can come from both parents, allowing clinical signs to appear. Replacing with dummy eggs might help but will probably continue to lay eggs. Even if separated, the female might be stimulated to lay eggs, although infertile. Health risks of multiple clutches and dietary deficiencies must be addressed. If concerned, a veterinary visit is recommended. Good luck.

Thanks for your question about your budgies. It isn’t typical for the pair to start fighting, but it wouldn’t be unheard of either. I didn’t see if this was their first clutch together, but sometimes that can make a difference. I would recommend ensuring that there is a great deal of space for them to get away from each other, and lots of resources available. Multiple food dishes, numerous hiding spaces, etc. Also, keeping any additional stress to a minimum would be important - things like new people coming over, loud sounds, etc. I hope this gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

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.

Laying so many clutches of eggs and raising that many chicks can be taxing on a bird. Ideally, a breeding hen should have no more than two clutches per calendar year. Remove the remaining chicks from the cage if they are eating on their own. Remove the nesting box as well. Separate the male and female. Drop room temperature by a few degrees and gradually limit her amount of daylight she is getting. This may get her out of "breeding mode" and stop her egg laying. She should be seen by an experienced avian veterinarian to make sure the inflammation around her vent is not infection.

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.

I've attached some articles about budgies and egg laying. If mom is tossing eggs out of the nest something in the environment is not conducive to her sitting on them. Make sure the cage is big enough and that they have an adequate nest box. Make sure they are on a high quality food- seeds are not sufficient for an egg laying bird. She needs pelleted diet, fresh foods and calcium supplementation. It's recommended not to let her have more than 1-2 clutches a year to prevent health issue for Boo Boo. http://budgieplace.com/breeding.html https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/egg-laying-affects-pet-bird/