Here is a some information on breeding parrots.
When I first started breeding parrots I knew nothing.
We didn't have Internet yet and there where few to no
breeders where I lived. I made ALLOT of mistakes..but
soon learned. Thank goodness we had Internet the next
year!!!!! I spent HOURS looking up information
contacting other breeders. There where so many willing
to give much needed advice. One of the main things they
told me was "LEAVE" your Breeder Pairs alone. I found
this to be true. I think this is one of the most common
made mistakes when breeders are new. Birds ( except
for maybe cockatiels and smaller birds may be more
tolerant) unlike other critters they want there privacy if
you are peaking in the nest boxes or trying to feed them
treats all the time you are going to have problems. Again
they like there privacy. I go out to my breeder birds once
a day and do what I have to do then leave. Problems that
can occur if you are messing with them all the time are
busting eggs, leaving the eggs to soon, if they do hatch
babies and you peek baby mutilation is not uncommon,
infertile eggs or just plain wont go to nest. Basically what
I am putting on this page are things I have found out
personally....so these are mistakes I have made and am
just passing on the information I have learned. Not every
pair of birds are the same some are more tolerant but
and there is always a but:) I have found out better to be
safe then sorry and I just leave them alone.
When I first started breeding parrots I knew nothing.
We didn't have Internet yet and there where few to no
breeders where I lived. I made ALLOT of mistakes..but
soon learned. Thank goodness we had Internet the next
year!!!!! I spent HOURS looking up information
contacting other breeders. There where so many willing
to give much needed advice. One of the main things they
told me was "LEAVE" your Breeder Pairs alone. I found
this to be true. I think this is one of the most common
made mistakes when breeders are new. Birds ( except
for maybe cockatiels and smaller birds may be more
tolerant) unlike other critters they want there privacy if
you are peaking in the nest boxes or trying to feed them
treats all the time you are going to have problems. Again
they like there privacy. I go out to my breeder birds once
a day and do what I have to do then leave. Problems that
can occur if you are messing with them all the time are
busting eggs, leaving the eggs to soon, if they do hatch
babies and you peek baby mutilation is not uncommon,
infertile eggs or just plain wont go to nest. Basically what
I am putting on this page are things I have found out
personally....so these are mistakes I have made and am
just passing on the information I have learned. Not every
pair of birds are the same some are more tolerant but
and there is always a but:) I have found out better to be
safe then sorry and I just leave them alone.
The birds I raise or have raised are Macaws, Amazons, small Africans, Conures and Cockatiels.
In the beginning I tried raising them in the house:( I soon found out this was a "HUGE" "HUGE"
mistake! The dust the mess the "NOISE" all became to much for me and also you go back to the
privacy for the birds thing.
The mess is an everyday thing. The noise on the other hand was bad.....but I never realised how
bad until breeding season hit that first year then oh my goodness they lifted the roof of my house I
swair. LOL! I soon made accommodations for them OUTSIDE my house. They got an aviary
where they had there privacy..sigh..and I had mine. Then came the ordeal of exterminating the
mice that found out I had birds in the house and an abundant never ending supply of seed.
Having to small of cages.
Please do not e-mail and tell me you are setting up a pair of breeding macaws in a
26"X35"X35" single macaw pet cage made for one bird and ask my opinion! This
breaks my heart to know. I will tell you, you are abusing your birds.
I hate small cages here you have a bird that lives for 25 to 75 years old depending on species and
they are in small cages to me this is abuse it would be similar to putting you in a closet with a light
and never letting you out. As you can tell this is a pet peeve of mine. They are also VERY
intelligent which to makes it even worse. Allot of people do it for one reason or another force
breeding, not having enough room, cost of cages but I think its wrong. Your birds can get to fat
from lack of exercise then they wont go to nest or the eggs are infertile. It can also cause health
problems and shorten there life span.
My macaws are in 4'W X 6'T X 8'D dog kennels and they still are not big enough for them to fly but
they can set side buy side and flap there wings with out hitting the sides of the cages. If you have
to go with cages E-Bay has double Macaw cages dimensions are 64"X32"X72" the prices vary
but usually run under $600.00. I paid $220 for each complete dog kennel at a local feed store.
Mate aggression:
This can be a real problem if you are trying to socialize with your birds. I have found especially
with the small Africans to the point of killing there mate and especially during breeding season.
If you are going up and talking to a particular pair and the other comes up and starts to beat up
the other just LEAVE them alone. The male usually is trying to drive the hen away from you
because he thinks you are a threat.....this is his job to run all threats away. He either thinks you
are trying to steal or hurt his mate.........just leave them alone! I talk when I am in my aviary but I
do not give my pairs individual attention because of this. I have also had people tell me they have
there breeders in cages and have multiple pairs and leave the birds cage doors open the birds
come and go as they please. I have never done this............................will it work? They can and
do seriously injure each other if appropriate measures are not taken. I wouldn't think this would
work. When mating season comes your going to have territorial wars. We as care takers have to
use common sense and try to our best ability to make sure our birds remain safe even from
themselves.
Mating Season:
This is the season to be wary!!! Your breeding pairs will become HORRIBLY aggressive towards
you at this time. I have a pair of Meyers the little male is terrible he is aggressive all the time but
breeding season comes along and he is like a rabid chihuahua it would almost be funny but I have
scars from the little love muffin from getting in his cage to feed. Needless to say I have feeders on
the outside of his cage now so I don't ever have to go in it ever ever again. As aggression goes
from a scale of one to ten-ten being the highest form of aggression he is an 11 LOL, Amazons a
10 most of my macaws are a 9 except a pair of scarlets that I got last year thinkin they are a 10! I
have my Macaws in 4'W X 6'T X 8'deep dog kennels and have found I have less aggression
towards me with the bigger cages I think because they can get away from me but not the Scarlet
pair as soon as I open the door to feed now he is flying to get to me thinkin he doesn't want to
give me a kiss! They are the only pair of Macaws that I have that do this. They are a good
candidate for outside feeders:) Don't get mad or even this is his job this is what you want....it
shows me breeding season is on and if I LEAVE them alone I will probably have babies.
Knowing When Your Hen Has Gone To Nest:
When she disappears in the box and is never to be seen again she has probably gone to
nest.......do not peek.....what good will it do? What to do is right down the day she went to nest
figure out how long it takes for that species to hatch..........it may be 21 days, 24 days or 26 days
depending on species. Now these days given are an average your birds eggs may take longer.
When To Pull Babies:
Just before the eggs are to hatch I take a quick peek to see how many eggs they have so I know
how long I have to pull babies after they hatch. When I do peek its quick..no touching eggs,
messing with the hen just an egg count. Some people at this time will candle the eggs I do not I
don't think it does any good. Plus if I did I know my macaws.............I wouldn't have an egg left
they would smash and eat them.....why take the chance. Believe me you will know when you have
babies they are so vocal I can hear them when I walk through my aviary door about 16 feet from
the nest box. I peek just before hatching because my macaws lay there eggs 4 days apart so this
is what happens. Egg 1 hatches 4 days later egg 2 hatches 4 days later egg 3 hatches or your
hen may not sit the eggs till she lays egg #2 if this happens both babies will hatch around the
same time. You have such a difference in size you have baby #1 and then you have babies 2 and
3. Baby #3 is a tiny baby compared to #1 which is eight days old now. At 10 to 12 days I pull
babies if I don't they will start to lose weight. Even though the parents are getting fed seed, pellets
and 2 fresh food plates a day the younger babies are not getting as much as baby #1 and I don't
want to lose baby #3 due to getting smashed or not getting fed good. Anyway peeking at this time
tells me when I have to pull babies I wright it on my calendar so I have everything set up and
ready to go. Also when I pull I take all babies and eggs if there are any unhatched. Anything left
behind will not be there the next day.
The Challenge Of Pulling Babies:
Pulling babies can be a challenge I try to do it when the hen is out of the box. I feed them on the
floor of the cage and every year I have been lucky that between the 10th and 12th day after
hatching she starts coming out to eat. When she does this I "BEAT" it back to the nest box and put
up a piece of wire to block the hole........ this is my chance and believe me if I am not quick she will
beat me back to the box! If you have to pull babies and the hen is in the box.............its not fun she
will attack you have to be quick you can't mess around if you do you take a chance of them
( because at this point sometimes the male will come to assist her) stomping babies or trying to
grab them and get them as far away from you as they can. If this happens and the hen is in the
box then you have to go in the nest box with something and push them off of you and the babies
( a small net, rolled up news paper, a piece of wood but you also have to be care full not to hurt
your hen) its not for the light hearted. If you are afraid and timid your going to get hurt and so are
the babies.
Infertile Eggs:
Even if the eggs are infertile you need to leave them in the box for at least two weeks after the
day they where to hatch. Pulling eggs earlier then that I believe can ruin your hen she will learn to
lay her eggs and get off them before they are due to hatch. You can leave them longer but I don't.
There are allot of factors that can go into having infertile eggs. Small cages, lack of
exercise,inadequate feeding, Long toe nails then hen will not appreciate getting poked in the
back. Not enough perches close enough together to give them balance. Some birds breed in the
nest boxes some breed on the perches you just have to be set up for both.
Perches:
Perches are important I use native mesquite its HARD and is twisted and knotted its great. You
need the different textures to keep your birds feet healthy. There feet can atrophy if they are on
something the same size like dowels or 2 X 4's. Manzanita is good to its just expensive and my
GreenWings go through it like its butter. Before I moved to Pahrump I was in Wyoming and had a
constant supply of cottonwood and russian olive.
In the beginning I tried raising them in the house:( I soon found out this was a "HUGE" "HUGE"
mistake! The dust the mess the "NOISE" all became to much for me and also you go back to the
privacy for the birds thing.
The mess is an everyday thing. The noise on the other hand was bad.....but I never realised how
bad until breeding season hit that first year then oh my goodness they lifted the roof of my house I
swair. LOL! I soon made accommodations for them OUTSIDE my house. They got an aviary
where they had there privacy..sigh..and I had mine. Then came the ordeal of exterminating the
mice that found out I had birds in the house and an abundant never ending supply of seed.
Having to small of cages.
Please do not e-mail and tell me you are setting up a pair of breeding macaws in a
26"X35"X35" single macaw pet cage made for one bird and ask my opinion! This
breaks my heart to know. I will tell you, you are abusing your birds.
I hate small cages here you have a bird that lives for 25 to 75 years old depending on species and
they are in small cages to me this is abuse it would be similar to putting you in a closet with a light
and never letting you out. As you can tell this is a pet peeve of mine. They are also VERY
intelligent which to makes it even worse. Allot of people do it for one reason or another force
breeding, not having enough room, cost of cages but I think its wrong. Your birds can get to fat
from lack of exercise then they wont go to nest or the eggs are infertile. It can also cause health
problems and shorten there life span.
My macaws are in 4'W X 6'T X 8'D dog kennels and they still are not big enough for them to fly but
they can set side buy side and flap there wings with out hitting the sides of the cages. If you have
to go with cages E-Bay has double Macaw cages dimensions are 64"X32"X72" the prices vary
but usually run under $600.00. I paid $220 for each complete dog kennel at a local feed store.
Mate aggression:
This can be a real problem if you are trying to socialize with your birds. I have found especially
with the small Africans to the point of killing there mate and especially during breeding season.
If you are going up and talking to a particular pair and the other comes up and starts to beat up
the other just LEAVE them alone. The male usually is trying to drive the hen away from you
because he thinks you are a threat.....this is his job to run all threats away. He either thinks you
are trying to steal or hurt his mate.........just leave them alone! I talk when I am in my aviary but I
do not give my pairs individual attention because of this. I have also had people tell me they have
there breeders in cages and have multiple pairs and leave the birds cage doors open the birds
come and go as they please. I have never done this............................will it work? They can and
do seriously injure each other if appropriate measures are not taken. I wouldn't think this would
work. When mating season comes your going to have territorial wars. We as care takers have to
use common sense and try to our best ability to make sure our birds remain safe even from
themselves.
Mating Season:
This is the season to be wary!!! Your breeding pairs will become HORRIBLY aggressive towards
you at this time. I have a pair of Meyers the little male is terrible he is aggressive all the time but
breeding season comes along and he is like a rabid chihuahua it would almost be funny but I have
scars from the little love muffin from getting in his cage to feed. Needless to say I have feeders on
the outside of his cage now so I don't ever have to go in it ever ever again. As aggression goes
from a scale of one to ten-ten being the highest form of aggression he is an 11 LOL, Amazons a
10 most of my macaws are a 9 except a pair of scarlets that I got last year thinkin they are a 10! I
have my Macaws in 4'W X 6'T X 8'deep dog kennels and have found I have less aggression
towards me with the bigger cages I think because they can get away from me but not the Scarlet
pair as soon as I open the door to feed now he is flying to get to me thinkin he doesn't want to
give me a kiss! They are the only pair of Macaws that I have that do this. They are a good
candidate for outside feeders:) Don't get mad or even this is his job this is what you want....it
shows me breeding season is on and if I LEAVE them alone I will probably have babies.
Knowing When Your Hen Has Gone To Nest:
When she disappears in the box and is never to be seen again she has probably gone to
nest.......do not peek.....what good will it do? What to do is right down the day she went to nest
figure out how long it takes for that species to hatch..........it may be 21 days, 24 days or 26 days
depending on species. Now these days given are an average your birds eggs may take longer.
When To Pull Babies:
Just before the eggs are to hatch I take a quick peek to see how many eggs they have so I know
how long I have to pull babies after they hatch. When I do peek its quick..no touching eggs,
messing with the hen just an egg count. Some people at this time will candle the eggs I do not I
don't think it does any good. Plus if I did I know my macaws.............I wouldn't have an egg left
they would smash and eat them.....why take the chance. Believe me you will know when you have
babies they are so vocal I can hear them when I walk through my aviary door about 16 feet from
the nest box. I peek just before hatching because my macaws lay there eggs 4 days apart so this
is what happens. Egg 1 hatches 4 days later egg 2 hatches 4 days later egg 3 hatches or your
hen may not sit the eggs till she lays egg #2 if this happens both babies will hatch around the
same time. You have such a difference in size you have baby #1 and then you have babies 2 and
3. Baby #3 is a tiny baby compared to #1 which is eight days old now. At 10 to 12 days I pull
babies if I don't they will start to lose weight. Even though the parents are getting fed seed, pellets
and 2 fresh food plates a day the younger babies are not getting as much as baby #1 and I don't
want to lose baby #3 due to getting smashed or not getting fed good. Anyway peeking at this time
tells me when I have to pull babies I wright it on my calendar so I have everything set up and
ready to go. Also when I pull I take all babies and eggs if there are any unhatched. Anything left
behind will not be there the next day.
The Challenge Of Pulling Babies:
Pulling babies can be a challenge I try to do it when the hen is out of the box. I feed them on the
floor of the cage and every year I have been lucky that between the 10th and 12th day after
hatching she starts coming out to eat. When she does this I "BEAT" it back to the nest box and put
up a piece of wire to block the hole........ this is my chance and believe me if I am not quick she will
beat me back to the box! If you have to pull babies and the hen is in the box.............its not fun she
will attack you have to be quick you can't mess around if you do you take a chance of them
( because at this point sometimes the male will come to assist her) stomping babies or trying to
grab them and get them as far away from you as they can. If this happens and the hen is in the
box then you have to go in the nest box with something and push them off of you and the babies
( a small net, rolled up news paper, a piece of wood but you also have to be care full not to hurt
your hen) its not for the light hearted. If you are afraid and timid your going to get hurt and so are
the babies.
Infertile Eggs:
Even if the eggs are infertile you need to leave them in the box for at least two weeks after the
day they where to hatch. Pulling eggs earlier then that I believe can ruin your hen she will learn to
lay her eggs and get off them before they are due to hatch. You can leave them longer but I don't.
There are allot of factors that can go into having infertile eggs. Small cages, lack of
exercise,inadequate feeding, Long toe nails then hen will not appreciate getting poked in the
back. Not enough perches close enough together to give them balance. Some birds breed in the
nest boxes some breed on the perches you just have to be set up for both.
Perches:
Perches are important I use native mesquite its HARD and is twisted and knotted its great. You
need the different textures to keep your birds feet healthy. There feet can atrophy if they are on
something the same size like dowels or 2 X 4's. Manzanita is good to its just expensive and my
GreenWings go through it like its butter. Before I moved to Pahrump I was in Wyoming and had a
constant supply of cottonwood and russian olive.
This page is new
and under
construction
I will be adding
more later!
and under
construction
I will be adding
more later!
Parrot Breeding Information:
Some of the things I have learned over the years
about Breeding Parrots. Do I know everything OH
HECK no...I am learning all the time! Can someone
do it better........ probably!
Some of the things I have learned over the years
about Breeding Parrots. Do I know everything OH
HECK no...I am learning all the time! Can someone
do it better........ probably!
|
|
|
|
|
