There is a
common misconception with regard to allowing budgie parents to raise only one
chick, for whatever reason, per nest. Most of us assume that, in the case of
only one or two chicks, the babies would be very well fed and cared for. The
underlying thinking is that the chicks would not be competing amongst a nestfull
of youngsters to be fed by overworked parents. What usually happens in these
situations is that the resulting chicks are either disappointing or even sickly.
They never reach the size or the potential they should, even when from your best
pairs. This happens because, in a clutch of this size, there isn't enough
stimulation for the hen to produce enough crop milk to feed her young. The
small amount of crop milk that is produced is not the rich-in-nutritional-value
food that the growing chick needs for proper development and full growth.
Whenever possible, clutches of this size should either be fostered out to other
pairs or be added to with other chicks, being careful to keep accurate records
though if this has to be done. The begging cries for feeding from other mouths
in the nest will stimulate the hen to produce the proper type and amount of crop
milk. So while a pair of birds should not be allowed to raise too many chicks;
it should be remembered that too few chicks can also present problems.