Breeding Pet birds -Once the chicks have hatched

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Once the chicks have arrived, make sure they have plenty of food. Young chicks eat vast amounts; in fact, you may need to double the amount of food you normally feed to your adult birds. If food becomes scarce, it is quite common for birds to kill their young or stop feeding them. The adult birds may also stop feeding their young if you clean out the nestbox. Even if it smells rather unpleasant, leave it alone. The exceptions to this rule are lorikeets, in which the nestbox can become so foul that you will lose the chicks anyway. Therefore, after a few weeks of age, you will have to risk changing the bedding in the nestbox.

Another stage to cause concern is the day that the chicks leave the nestbox. At this age, they are not very strong and not familiar with the use of their wings. As a result, they may become cold because they are not acclimatized to an outside environment or damage themselves by flying into the wire mesh. Another possible, but easily avoidable, mishap is that a chick may drown in the water dish. To prevent this happening, either remove any deep water dishes or cover them with wire mesh so that the birds can drink but not get right in. If you think that the chicks are about to fledge (i.e. leave the nest), keep a close eye on the aviary.

If they vacate the nestbox on a wet and windy day, they are unlikely to survive. In fact, keep a constant eye on the chicks, even after they have fledged, just in case the adult birds decide to breed again. In this case, the adults may start fighting with the youngsters or even keep them from their food. Therefore, during the first few weeks after fledging, be aware that something could easily and quickly go wrong.

Once you decide to remove the chicks from the aviary, take them inside and keep them somewhere warm and quiet. You will need to monitor the chicks to make sure that they are feeding properly. It is quite common for them not to feed for the first 24 hours after being taken from their parents, but once they become hungry, they will begin to eat. If you wish to incubate the eggs or hand-rear the chicks of any species, it can be done, but you must be prepared for a great deal of work.

Breeding Your Pet Birds

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Be sure to buy your stock from a well-known source, either a reputable breeder or someone who has been recommended to you. The time spent selecting good stock and paying that little extra is well worth it, because it will save you so many problems later on.Be sure that the stock is unrelated. Do not presume that the birds are unrelated just because you obtained each bird from a different source.

With parrots, for example, birds are often sold throughout a wide area in a very short space of time and it is not uncommon for people to buy a male and a female from different regions and then discover that they are brother and sister.

Once you have obtained good stock, you must be sure to feed them properly. This involves obtaining the best-quality feed and making sure that they are not needing for anything. With good, unrelated, well-fed stock, you are on the way to breeding success.

When the nesting period approaches, do not disturb the birds more than is necessary to monitor their progress. If you constantly peer into the nestbox, use the lawnmower close to the birds, let the cat or dog interfere with them, etc., this will put the birds off breeding.

Birds that have been in your collection for a few months are more likely to breed than newcomers, simply because they are settled in and familiar with their surroundings. Therefore, do not expect new arrivals to begin breeding, even if it is the right time of year; they need time to become acquainted with all that is new to them.

As soon as the breeding season arrives, keep a discrete eye on your birds’ behaviour so that you know what to look out for during future breeding seasons. This is very important, as you might experience certain problems at this time. For example, it is not uncommon for the male to come into breeding condition before the female. If this happens with a pair of parrots, the male is quite likely to attack the female, in some cases, extremely ferociously. In other cases, as with softbills, the male may chase the female around the aviary and this can result in her death. Clearly, learning about your birds’ breeding behaviour is essential.

When they begin to lay, the majority of birds will need extra calcium. Without help, a female laying many eggs can exhaust herself. You can provide extra calcium as a powdered food supplement or by placing a cuttlefish bone in the aviary. Once your birds begin to lay, you will realize that it is not necessary to look at the eggs every day; there will be very little change from one day to the next. It is best to make a note of when the eggs were first laid and then check them approximately once a week. If you fail to register this date, you are likely to find yourself becoming increasingly impatient for the eggs to hatch. It is a good idea to make a note simply so that you know what to expect and when.

Birds as Pets

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For whatever reason you wish to keep birds, whether as a pet, for display or because you are interested in breeding, never rush into buying them. Visit several pet stores and bird farms first to determine what type of bird you wish to keep and whether it is practical for you to keep it.

If you are looking for a pet bird, be sure to choose a bird that is already tame. But be careful, even the tamest of birds can turn wild for various reasons. If you wish to keep a collection of birds in an outside aviary and this seems perfectly possible during the summer months, check that the birds you choose can cope with a typical winter in your area. Some birds need to be locked into a shelter