All about breeding parrots

Keeping parrots at home is easy, because it represents minimal care and financial investment in various accessories. But breeding parrots is a difficult process, and requires some effort on the part of the owners. Read more about the conditions necessary for the reproduction of parrots, this article will tell.

Raising parrots is an interesting and fascinating matter, but much depends on the breed of bird itself. Consider the best varieties of birds capable of simple and quick reproduction.

Perhaps there are no people in the world who do not know or have not seen budgies. Representatives of this species of birds are cheap, in addition, their maintenance does not require special conditions. For breeding, it is best to choose a male and a female of the same age, but not older than one year. It is noted that the color of individuals does not affect their mutual sympathy or antipathy to each other. Budgies often choose their own feathers to build their nests.

In the natural environment, budgies begin to breed in June. During the breeding season, it is necessary to feed the birds with a grated shell or chalk. This is the rare case when unfertilized eggs need to be removed from the nest, as sometimes the female can lay many eggs, most of which will not bring chicks.

Especially for them, as a nest, you need to install a house measuring 20x20 cm, and put several dozen branches there. The female will build her nest from the branches, splitting them into fibers. The average hatching period is a little over three weeks.After 40 days, the chicks are chased by their mother from the nest, but she continues to feed them for the next couple of weeks. Typically, breeding periods are from February to May or from August to October. These birds do not tolerate increased dry air.

They are small in stature and weight, but can be aggressive. First of all, this is manifested in the killing of their offspring in the absence of proper conditions. Usually, the male is engaged in the destruction of the chicks, so such a violent individual must be isolated in time in a separate dwelling. For the same reason, it is best to choose young parrots for breeding. The egg hatching period is 20 days, after another 30-35 days the chicks feed their parents (not all males kill the chicks). The chicks are later driven out by their mother, but she still feeds them for the next three weeks.

One of the clear advantages of breeding and keeping parrots at home is a greater number of laid eggs, and therefore, chicks. For example, if in the wild parrots lay up to five eggs, then at home - from ten to twelve. It is worth noting that parrots breed from about the third or fourth year of life. It is by this time that you need to try to create good conditions for successful breeding.

The first thing you need to equip a bird house is a nest. If a pair of birds live in a cage, then only one nest needs to be installed, if several pairs, then the corresponding number. The egg-laying place may look like an ordinary nest, but it can also be built in the form of a small house, a mink or a mini-shed. Design can be chosen to your taste. It is important to equip the socket with a removable cover.

The optimum temperature for breeding birds is from 20 to 24 degrees. Humidity should be high - 70%. To create such conditions, you must additionally purchase a lamp, put sponges with water on the cage, and, of course, purchase a thermometer with a hygrometer. Of course, the cage itself should be spacious for birds. They should be able to move freely along it, without risk of injury to the wings on the rods.

The most important requirement for breeding birds, which must be satisfied, is to pick up a pair. Birds need to be settled together, and if after some time they began to clean each other's feathers or “kiss”, then we can assume that they will soon lay their eggs. If the relationship did not work out for them, then you need to resettle them in different cells as soon as possible.

Parrots are monogamous, and with their chosen partner remain for life. Of course, it would be best if the parrot chooses a partner for himself. But if the breeder chose the partner, then there is nothing wrong with that - it will be enough to make sure that the individuals like each other.

An interesting fact: in the natural environment, parrots begin to breed only in the presence of suitable climatic conditions.

As already mentioned, these birds can begin to breed at the age of three or four years. But in some breeds, reproduction can begin in a year and a half. It is worth noting that puberty in large breeds as a whole comes later than in small parrots. Parrots usually begin to mate around mid-spring. This period can last until the end of summer.

Ideal conditions for the mating season are: 15-hour daylight hours, a temperature of about 25-26 degrees Celsius and an abundance of vitamin-rich feed. It is necessary to gradually increase daylight hours for parrots. For these purposes, you need a lamp. The temperature also needs to be gradually brought to the desired.

During the mating season, the male feeds the female, while she can defiantly open her beak asking for food. This is a kind of courtship period.If the female squints her eyes and is always near the male, then we can assume that soon both individuals will prepare for laying eggs.

To understand that there is an active preparation for masonry, it is possible by a certain behavior of individuals. The male sings, but quietly sings, and the female begins to drag in material for the construction of the nest and actively sings it. Usually the “material” for the nest is small sticks, dried grass. After about two weeks of the start of the mating season, the female is already able to lay the first egg.

After the female lays eggs, she hatches them from 17 to 30 days. All this time, the male is next to the female and brings her food. After this difficult period, blind chicks of parrots with a cannon hatch. It is worth mentioning that the female lays one egg a day, and later the chicks also hatch in this order.

The main food of parrots should be green food. In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, it is necessary to give them birch and linden leaves. It will be useful to diversify their menu and nettle and dandelion leaves. Some breeds well absorb germinated crops, and even boiled eggs. They make up for the lack of vitamin D, and a small weekly dose of fish oil improves the general condition of the body of parrots.

Chalk and crushed shells help individuals with calcium and phosphorus deficiency. Vitamin K, which is necessary for birds just before laying eggs, also needs to be added to the diet, after purchasing it at a pharmacy or pet store.

As a rule, thin individuals do not feed their chicks, and often do not even hatch eggs. Therefore, before the mating season begins, it is best to feed the birds, but not bring them to the state of individuals with large excess weight. Separately, it is worth noting that the male and female should be active and not have an untidy appearance. Constantly wet or disheveled feathers indicate poor bird health. In this case, you should not rely on healthy and viable chicks. It is sometimes possible to restore the health of sick birds with proper nutrition.

After 10 days of hatching, you can see which eggs are fertilized. To do this, it is enough to enlighten each egg with a flashlight. The embryo will be clearly visible in the fertilized eggs. Usually at that time it is an accumulation of pulsating vessels. If you find an unfertilized egg, then you do not need to throw it out. It is able to warm the rest of the eggs. Thus, you can find out the approximate number of future chicks. In large breeds, this is usually from two to four parrots, and in small breeds, from four to eight. Eggs heavily smeared with natural bird waste must be washed gently under water.

Chicks begin to peck an egg from the blunt end. It is quite rare, but a case is possible when two chicks (twins) live in one egg. Parrots begin to feed their cubs 12 hours after the first hatch. It is usually not difficult to feed chicks for adults at home. The female burps the absorbed food in the beaks of the chicks. The misconception about the great appetite of chicks is widespread. In fact, they stop asking for food as soon as their goiters are filled.

As already noted, the eggs are laid one at a time, and after the chicks hatch in the same order as the eggs were laid. After hatching, the chicks are blind and have no feathers. A week later, they begin to see, after another 5-7 days, feather rudiments form on them. After half a month the parrots are covered with fluff, and another month later with feathers. All this time, individuals feed their chicks with goiter milk.

Usually, the average length of the chicks in the nest for small breeds is a month, and for large - up to four months. 40 days after the chicks “left” from the nest, they can be transplanted into a separate cage from their parents.

If you grow parrots in purely domestic conditions (a small apartment), then in no case should you touch the nest with the chicks before they are at least 10 days old. In aviaries for professional breeding of parrots, this is allowed, but only in extreme cases.

If you decide to breed parrots at home, you need to take into account a few more tips.

• Some species of parrots can be quite prolific, and hatch several times a year. This can bring both inconvenience and become a good source of income for the owner.
• An interesting fact: if you remove the nest from the cage, then the reproduction of parrots can be nullified.
• In some parrot breeds, the male is also involved in hatching eggs. He only replaces the female for a while.
• The larger the parrots, the less often they breed. Typically, the largest breeds breed chicks once every two years under suitable conditions, and sometimes even less so.
• It is necessary to remember the elementary hygiene of the habitat of birds. Including attention should be paid to regular replacement of water, washing of water and feed tanks, collection of garbage and waste products, as well as replacing sawdust. Try to disinfect the cage or aviary as often as life can allow parrots.
• In most parrot species, males become sexually mature before females. For example, in budgies, the male is able to give offspring as early as 10 months of age, while the female is only 12 months old.
• Almost all types of parrots do not tolerate drafts. This does not mean that the room in which the aviary or cage is located cannot be ventilated. It is only necessary to ensure that the birds do not fall under the draft.
• It is undesirable, as in other animals, the crossing of closely related individuals. And, on the contrary, the distant kinship between the male and the female is capable of giving more healthy offspring.
• Sometimes it happens that even if all the conditions are met, the birds still do not breed. The reason for this may be loud noises, noise and the presence of strangers or animals. The cage should be placed in the corner of the room and, preferably, in a quiet and secluded place, but in no case do not deprive the pets of light. Try to bother the birds less.
• If the number of eggs is too large for the female to be able to warm them evenly, hatching, or she abandoned her nest, then some breeders use specially equipped incubators in which the necessary temperature and humidity are provided around the clock. In this case, the chicks will also be on artificial feeding.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that the key to good offspring in every sense is healthy parents. Therefore, you also need to include in your life and regular checks with a veterinarian.

See how to breed parrots in the next video.