Hi, I am new here and a new budgies owner.
We got 3 budgies a few months ago and two of them already bonded and the female laid 7 eggs, in which 5 of them already hatched.
The #1 baby is getting big, about 2/3 size of the adult bird. but the #5 baby just hatched 2 days ago.
I did not have a "nesting box", but I have a regular bird house. So far the mother still can sit inside to care for the babies and remaining two eggs, but I am worried that as days go by, all the babies start to grow to BIG.. the bird house will definitely be too crowded! Plus the bird house does not have an open top so it was very very difficult to clean the inside.
So my question is, can I move all the babies to a new bigger nesting box once all the eggs hatch? Will the mother bird be upset and doesn't recognize the new box? Should I let the mother bird be familiar with the new box for a few days before moving all the babies in?

Thank you all in advance for all the help!

Welcome to the group! It would probably be very helpful to give the mother a few days to get used to the new nest before you actually move the babies inside. That way there will be less risk of her interrupting her services to the babies because she's nervous about the change.

You don't actually have to clean the nestbox if you don't want to. Wild birds don't clean the nest and it's natural for the babies to grow up surrounded by their own droppings, which might help strengthen their immune systems. But it's OK to clean the nest if you don't like the mess. With my cockatiels, I usually clean the nest every other day starting when the oldest baby is about a week old.

Will the new nestbox be one that you bought from a store, or will it be homemade? Homemade nestboxes are fine if they're well designed, and if you need suggestions we can help.

Thank you for the reply!
I will purchase a new nest box. I am debating on these two sizes:
Parakeet 6-1/4" x 6-1/2" x 7-3/4" opening 1-3/4"
Lovebird 7" x 7-7/8" x 10" opening 2"

Since I already have 5 baby birds, and hopefully 2 more coming.. i think the bigger size is better?

Also, should I wait until all the eggs hatch before I move them?

Either size should work. You need to decide whether you're going to hang the nestbox on the outside of the cage or put it inside, since nestboxes usually have the attachment holes designed for one or the other. A box that's designed to be hung outside the cage will have the screw holes on the front of the box, and one that's designed to go inside the cage will have the holes on the back or side. To hang the box outside, your cage needs to have a nestbox door of course. It's MUCH easier to check on the babies if you can hang it outside.

It's OK to move the eggs before they hatch. Be careful of course, and wash your hands first to reduce the risk that bacteria from your hands will pass through the eggshell. This is a pretty low risk anyway and most likely nothing will happen if you don't wash them.

When it's time for the move, it will probably be less upsetting to the parent birds if you put them (the parents) in a different cage first. With my cockatiels, the parents stay much calmer if I make it impossible for them to try and protect the nest while I'm fiddling with it.

I ended up using a cardboard box and it worked wonderfully. 5 of the 7 eggs hatched and the baby birds are now all grown and left the box by themselves!

One accident happened two days ago. First one baby bird escaped through the bottom of the cage (I have big cage in patio). The dropping tray was not aligned well so there was a big gap. with one bird gone, I tried to adjust the tray but their cuttle bone fell and got stuck at the bottom. When I reached in the get the cuttle bone, another baby flew away~~~

I was worried.. but guess what! they both came back the next day around noon time and eating the seeds on the floor! I managed to catch one with a net.. but 2nd one flew away so fast. Later on it came back 2~3 times, hanging onto the cage, but I couldn't get close to it.

The 2nd night passed. This noon, the bird came back again. I was happy. and I tried and tried to catch him. I actually had him in the net once the the holes were too big he escaped. but finally! this afternoon I got him! but i guess he's got a smaller body, so after i put him back to the cage and looked back.. he's outside the cage again! It scared me half to death but I got him in again.. i hope he's now feeling happy with his parents and siblings and will not try to escape anymore!

So thank you all very much for the advices and support. I am glad my birds are fine and grown

But last question... Will the color of their nose change as they grow to reveal their genders? (blue for male and pink for female).. or the color is just what it is when they are born?... i am asking because i see all of my 5 baby birds have pink nose..

Wow, how scary! I'm glad you got them back! That was a small miracle

It would be a good idea to cover up that hole so no one can escape again. You could buy a roll of wire mesh (called hardware cloth) at Home Depot or a hardware store and make a cover for the opening that's letting the birds escape. You can design it so you can take the cover off when you want to take the tray out.

Most budgies will change cere color when they get older, but there are some fancy mutations where the color doesn't change. So it will depend on what color your babies are.

If they are more than 3 weeks, if you take a picture of their ceres, depending on their mutations, I may be able to tell you the sexes of your chicks.

Yes, I might be able to tell sexes also, but I need their ceres in natural light.