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Last updated 26 January 2010
INFORMATION ON BREEDING BUDGIES
Breeding
age:
one year or older. They can breed at a younger age, but it is advisable not to
allow them to do so because you may have problems with egg binding in young
hens.
Clutch
size:
4-8 eggs, incubation period 18 days, young spend about 30 days in the nest.
Normally only the hen incubates.
Diet:
ready
mixed budgie seed is available from seed merchants and pet stores. Make sure it
is clean, dust free and fresh. Fresh seed and clean water must be available to
them at all times. Also provide a separate shallow bowl for bathing.
When
set up for breeding, budgies will eat softfoods for extra nourishment they need
for egg development and feeding chicks. We suggest you give them some greens
like dandelion, or a small piece of lettuce per pair and you can also sprout
some of their seed. Avi-Plus Egg Breeder with Herbs is recommended for
throughout the breeding season. It contains the right levels of protein,
vitamins and minerals their bodies need for breeding and feeding chicks. Do not
add any more boiled egg or more vitamins as it is already correctly balanced.
In
addition, we suggest you provide egg shells which you have baked at 180’C for
30 min and give Avi-Sup Soluble Multivitamins in the drinking water. Give the
vitamins daily in the breeding season, 2-3 times a week out of the breeding
season.
Accommodation:
breeding cage for one pair: 1m long x 50cm wide x 50cm high. Nest box wooden,
vertical, with a base of 12,5cm x 12,5cm and height 23-28cm. Entrance hole about
5cm in diameter. Top should be hinged to allow nest checks and easy cleaning.
The bottom of the nest should be slightly hollowed so eggs do not roll around in
the box. No nesting material is required.
Budgies
can breed all year round, but it is best to give them a break in the winter and
not to allow them to breed more than three times a year.
Breeding
budgies one pair per cage is more economical because you can keep accurate
records of their breeding.
If
you wish to breed in a colony garden aviary, supply at least two nest boxes per
pair. The size of the aviary can be anything, depending on space, and it is
important not to over populate a communal aviary. Often when the babies leave
the nest they get very cold on the floor of the aviary and are exposed to
diseases as their bodies are stressed. In a communal aviary one cannot determine
which pairs breed well.
A
nice idea is to hang cages in an aviary so the birds have the feeling of being
in a group, but the pairs are not worried by others and you can keep accurate
records of how each pair performs. We suggest you hang the nest boxes on the
outside of each cage for easy inspection and also make your access to feed and
water bowls easy so you can manage a whole lot of cages by yourself. One of the
reasons why very few people breed budgies commercially is because they do eat a
lot of seed, they waste a lot by feeding messily and they require time and
labour. To top it all, the breeder normally only gets about R10-R20 per budgie
wholesale.
SOMETHING
ABOUT PET COCKATIELS
Cockatiels
are a flock species and are therefore not always content to be kept singly,
unless they get regular attention and companionship. You could buy two hand
reared birds of the same sex, handle them frequently and they should easily
share their affections with you and their feathered friend.
Personalities
vary greatly in cockatiels and not all birds make good pets. To make sure you
get a good pet, ask the breeder to give you a bird from a particularly
gregarious and friendly pair or family.
When
you bring a new bird home, bring with it some food from its previous home and
details of its care and feeding. Out him in a cage for a day so that he becomes
used to the voices and appearance of his new owners, the new environment and the
other animals in the house. If there are several children, then it is
recommended only one adult and one adult work with the bird at a time. A room
crowded with unfamiliar people can panic birds. And a bird that is scared,
bites!
I am
not sure just how much a cockatiel can understand when it comes to discipline,
but you obviously don’t want the bird to bite because if he continues to do
so, you cannot build a relationship of trust and love with him. You will fear
your bird and the bird will be confused and lack respect for his owner. A bird
who is permitted to bite his owner sees himself dominant over that person.
Solving
the biting problem depends on one factor: understanding your bird. Birds bite
most often out of lack of discipline, fear, jealousy, territorial defence,
neglect, as a result of being teased, and, in mature birds, during what should
be their breeding season.
I
think your bird is just plain scared of the unfamiliar, and perhaps just a
little that way inclined!
Biting
should be stopped at the outset. Do not permit him to nibble at your fingers.
Normally when they do this as young birds, it does not hurt, so we allow it.
Later it is difficult to teach him not to do it any more because it now hurts!
Your
movements must be quiet and calm and deliberate so that the bird gets the right
vibes and feels nothing threatening in your behaviour. Even your fear of them is
threatening and confusing.
Work with him in an atmosphere of calm and peace and have patience. Hopefully he will clam down as he becomes less fearful and more familiar with his new home.
COCKATIELS
- PROBLEM PARENT INJURING CHICKS
I am afraid things do not always go perfectly right with every single pair of birds. Some are good parents and others not. It is difficult to establish why your two pairs are not successful breeders, because there are so many things that can happen.
You should get rid of the pair
that does not breed successfully, and replace it with a new pair. The pair
that has damaged chicks may be better off in an aviary on their own. Then you
can also see if they are hurting their chicks or if it is other birds that are
doing it.
When we have problem parents,
we just take out the eggs or chicks and put the eggs under good pairs or hand
raise the chicks. Cockatiels are not that easy to hand rear and they are even
more difficult at weaning time.
SCREAMING
PET COCKATOO
Question:
I own a Medium Sulphur-crested cockatoo, male, age 17 yrs.
He is a dominant
alpha-male bird, in the prime of his life. He has a fair vocabulary and loves to
perform. I can handle him, but he has become more aggressive of late, sometimes
attempting to fly at me from the top of his cage.
He
spends his days in a 2 meter dia. aviary in the garden, at night he is in a
smaller
cage
in the house. We used to have a female Ducorps’s and they bonded and
socialized well
together, but
we removed the Ducorps’s from the property because the birds became
hostile
to
humans, focusing only on each other. We felt that by removing the
Ducorps’s the cockatoo would rebond more closely with humans; that objective
was only partially achieved.
Unfortunately
the bird has also become extremely noisy over the last year, even more so after
the separation, causing friction with our neighbours. He has developed this
high pitched screech, which can go on for lengthy spells on some days, yet on
other days he can be totally quiet.
What
can I do about this problem? I have packed his cage with toys, to little avail.
Will
buying a mate solve the problem? Should he be placed into a bigger
colony of birds?
What can you suggest or recommend? Is there anybody out there with the same problem? I would like to hear from you.
Sven
Weisswange, Johannesburg
Answer:
Cockatoos make wonderful pets. They are beautiful, intelligent and they love to
be cuddled. They “are wonderful companions while they are immature, perhaps
2-5 years. Thereafter they need an amount of tactile social interaction that
most human households can’t provide.” Sybil Erden, Director of Oasis, the
largest parrot sanctuary in the USA. (PsittaScene, February 2003).
Let
us look at the causes for screaming that have been recorded by breeders and vets
and bird behaviour experts:
Nancy
Vigran, in her article “The Challenge of Cockatoos”, Bird talk Nov 2001,
writes that it is natural for cockatoos to scream. Cockatoos, like most
psittacines, are naturally noisy during the early morning and at dusk, their
natural feeding times in the wild. Cockatoos can also become day-long screamers
when they are spoiled and then abandoned. “The best way to avoid a cockatoo
becoming a screamer is through consistency. Do not give a new pet any more
attention than you would be able to afford later on. “
It
is believed that the reason for screaming has a lot to do with feeling lonely,
neglected, bored and insecure. As soon as a pet parrot screams, he gets a
reaction for his owner, and thus it becomes a way for him to get attention !
Many
parrots scream in response to certain noises. The television, radio, vacuum
cleaner, music, running water can all cause a screaming response in parrots.
Possible
suggested ways of dealing with screaming parrots:
Parrots
must be guided and disciplined from the very beginning, and they must learn that
you are their boss ! Author and breeder Rosemary Low (The Loving Care of Pet
Parrots) suggests that if your parrot screams, “don’t ignore him but don’t
go rushing to the cage. Look up or turn around from what you are doing.
Call out to him reassuringly and carry on with what you are doing. However, with
that glance make sure that all is well. That he has the basic needs in his cage;
food, water and a toy. If you rush to him every time he calls out, even if you
are going over to the cage to tell him to be quiet, the equation in his mind is
simple: Scream out = human comes running. He has manipulated you !”
A
suggestion made by Chris Davis (Bird Talk, USA, Nov 2001) is to partially cover
the cage and leave enough material to allow you to cover the whole cage. Turn
off the lights (make sure the room is dark) or cover the cage with a cloth the
moment the bird begins to scream. Do not say a word, and position his cage so,
that he does not see you approach or switch off the light. Leave him covered for
5 minutes or so, then uncover the cage or turn on the lights (still unseen).
Repeat the procedure until he understands why he, a social creature, is being
denied view of his surroundings and his friends when he screams.
While your bird is taught that screaming is not permitted, talk to him, interact
with him when he is quiet. It is not enough to tell him what he is doing wrong.
It is even more important to clearly teach what behaviours are desirable.”
Chris
Davis suggests that “ Even wild birds are bound by the rules of the flock and
are happiest when they clearly understand what is expected of them. Although the
work involved in modifying behaviour is time consuming and inconvenient, it is
well worth the trouble to create a happy and well-adjusted avian friend.
If
serious effort is made to implement the combination of interaction and
correction, (the bird) will eventually understand. People are often pleasantly
surprised by how quickly their birds respond to the combination of abundant
praise/reward when the birds are quiet.”
Having
read up as much as we could lay our hands on, we would say that the fact that
the Ducorps’s and your pet cockatoo bonded well was great, except that it
would not have been good for them to produce offspring ! The fact that they made
a noise and were aggressive towards people, means that they behaved as is normal
for them in the wild. It also gives us an idea that your male bird could become
a breeding bird, in spite of his years of being your pet. We would suggest you
give your male bird a female of the same species as mate, but introduce them
slowly by placing them in two cages next to each other. Only when you see they
choose to sit close together, put them both at the same time in a cage which is
new to them both. Watch them very well for the first day, then keep a close
watch on them for a few more days until you feel that they are living together
peacefully. Give them a nest box that has one entrance and one exit hole and
have enough foliage in the aviary so the female can get away if the male becomes
aggressive. Do not introduce two birds to each other at the start of the
breeding season. Rather do it in the months of lowest breeding activity, which
is probably March, April and May.
If
the noise the two birds make is disturbing you and/or your neighbours, please
consider donating the bird to a local zoo, or even a nursery, where they could
live in a large cage amongst lots of greenery, and with posters which could
provide a form of education to the general public. Another choice would be to
sell your bird to a breeder who has suitable accommodation and experience to
deal with him.
In
the mean time, please provide your bird with many different natural things to
chew to keep him busy. The busier he keeps his beak, the less likely he will
have time left over for screaming and the more his time will be occupied with
chewing and ripping apart rather than screaming for your attention or possibly
plucking his feathers. Provide him with whole cobs of mealies, crisp
pieces of apple, green beans, carrots, nuts, pieces of wood, pine cones, thick
ropes etc. You will find that the variety of these items and the fact that
they are natural will be good for his intellect and his physical well being.
Vraag: Wat is die sigbare verskil tussen Medium Sulphu-crested, Lesser Sulphur-crested en die Greater Sulphur-crested Cockatoos?
Is daar enige verskil tussen die voëls is dit net verskillende benamings? Is daar 'n verskil in die kuiwe se kleur? Ek sit met 'n volwasse wyfie wat mak is en kan praat en wil haar verkoop as gevolg van haar rasery. Dit is hartseer maar moet dit doen. Sy en my mak Grey kom ook nie goed oor die weg nie en ek moet een van die twee verkoop. Ek wil haar egter verkoop aan iemand wat haar nuttig kan gebruik en sal oppas, as troetelvoël of om mee te teel.
Sy is ± 9 jaar oud. Wat is die pryse van hierdie tipe voëls onderskeidelik?
Antwoord: Kaketoes
– verskille tussen 3 soorte - kort
opsomming
Lesser Sulphur-crested Cacatua
sulphurea sulphurea
Kuif: ongeveer 5 pare lig gee; vere wat vorentoe buig, plus wit vere voor wat die helfte van die kuif bedek wanneer hulle plat lê.
Verekleed: wit, geel by die ore, onderkant van vlug- en stertvere geel.
33cm lank, 300-350g.
Oorsprong:
Indonesia – Celebes en baie ander eilande.
Medium
Sulphur-crested Cacatua galerita eleonora
Kuifvere blykbaar effens ronder en breër as C.g. galerita s’n.
Verekleed en kuif baie soos die Greater.
Effens
minder as 45cm , massa 500-550g
Oorsprong:
Indonesia, suidelike Moluccas, Aru Eilande
Greater
Sulphur-crested Cacatua galerita galerita
Kuif: geel vere wat vorentoe buig. Vere lê plat behalwe vir die gebuigde punt wanneer die kuif opgelig word, staan die vere apart.
Verekleed: wit, onderkant van vlug- en stertvere effens geel . Basis van baie van die vere is lig geel. Baie min geel by die ore. Wit oogring
50cm lank, mannetjies ±880-900g, wyfies ±780g
Oorsprong:
Australië
As die drie
voëls langs mekaar sit, is die verskille in hul grootte baie duidelik sigbaar.
Die Greater is die maklikste om uit te ken omdat dit ‘n groot, lang voël is
met ‘n spierwit oogring.
Ongelukkig
is en word daar heelwat basters van hierdie voëls verkoop. Dis seker die voëls
wat sommer net “Sulphur-crested Cockatoos “genoem word.
Lessers verkoop teen sowat R6000 elk
Mediums ± R6,500-R7000 elk
Greaters seker deesdae R10 000-R12,500 elk
Grey
Peacock Pheasants
Question:
I have 2 Grey Peacock Pheasants which are in their 3rd year. They
have laid fertile eggs. Do they need shelter? There are little bushes in their
camp. Would they need a roof instead? Do they have special dietary needs? They
get chicken laying mash, fish meal and mealworms. What do the babies get once
they hatch?
Answer:
These pheasants are very hardy but a good dry shelter is advisable for them.
They are delightfully friendly, always displaying regardless of people, and
breed freely. The two eggs per clutch are best brooded under Bantam hens. If
they are incubator hatched, you have to hand
feed the baby chicks with mealworms or with hard boiled egg, which you make into
fine crumbs and sprinkle on the floor in front of them while they are feeding,
to trick them into thinking it is live food. Once they can recognise food and
eat it, give them Avi-Plus Pheasant starter for the first two weeks, plus
mealworms.
Eensame Blue-fronted Amazon benodig ‘n maat
Vraag:
Ek
besit nou al vir drie jaar ‘n pragtige Blue-fronted Amazon wyfie wat ek in
2000 handgrootgemaak het. Sy was nog altyd dierbaar – maar net met my ! Sy
praat, fluit en pronk al te woes as ek in die vertrek inkom. Sy is nog nooit in
haar lewe in haar hok toegemaak nie -
sy sit altyd soet op haar terrein en loop nie rond en maak blapse of saai
verwoesting soos my vorige papegaai, ‘n Umbrella kaketoe, nie.
Ek
is a.g.v. van my werk nou deesdae baie min by die huis en dit lyk of sy nou
deesdae buierig geword het. Sy byt as ek haar wil optel , maar laat toe dat ek
haar koppie nog kan krap.
Sal
hierdie oplossing werk? Ek wil haar nie verkoop nie, maar sy kry nie meer die
verlangde aandag nie. Ek wil vir haar ‘n maat kry van dieselfde spesie en om
en by dieselfde ouderdopm, so tussen 3 en 4 jaar. Ek wil die twee dan in een van
my buitehokke sit saam met my broeipare. Ek meen dan dat sy genoeg aandag sal
kry of nie?
Sal
dit probleme gee? Sal sy doodgebyt word? Sal sy treur? Sal sy ‘n normale
papegaai-lewe kan geniet? Sal so ’n situasie werk? Sal hulle ooit tot broei
kom?
Wat
sal die beste vir haar wees, want haar gesondheid em lewenslus moet nommer een
kom!
Antwoord:
U is
reg om aan te neem dat die feit dat u minder aandag aan haar kan skenk, haar
ontstel. Jy was mos altyd haar enigste maat en metgesel, en nou skilek los jy
haar ! Die buierigheid kan ook iets te doen hê met die feit dat haar hormone
begin ontwikkel om haar liggaam broeigereed te maak.
U
kan gerus probeer om vir haar ‘n maat te kry wat min of meer ewe oud is. Daar
is geen waarborg dat sy ‘n maat sal aanvaar nie - dit blyk af te hang van hoe
sterk, indien wel, sy op jou “ingeprent” (imprinted) is. U sal dit uitvind
as u sien of sy ‘n maat aanvaar of nie.
Moet
haar en haar nuwe maat nie sommer in een hok gooi nie. Plaas haar en die nuwe
maat in hokke langs mekaar. Daar word ook voorgestel dat die voorstelling nie
plaasvind terwyl dit broeiseisoen is nie - in hierdie geval nie gedurende die
lente en die somer nie, om te verhoed dat mannetjies te aggressief is.
Laat
die hokke vir ‘n paar weke langs mekaar staan. Hou die voëls dop om te sien
of hulle mekaar se aanwesigheid en nabyheid duld. As jy geen tekens van
aggressie of wedersydse afguns opmerk nie, kan jy ‘n nuwe hok vir hulle
voorberei, met twee kosbakke, twee waterbakke en ‘n aantal sitstokke. Op die
dag wanneer u besluit om die twee voëls in hul hok te sit wat vir albei van
hulle heeltemal nuut is, moet jy hulle dophou. Doen dit verkieslik so dat hulle
jou nie opmerk nie. Bly aanvanklik vir ‘n uur naby, en dan vir die volgende
paar uur moet jy elke paar minute gaan kyk hoe dit gaan. Hou ‘n net byderhand
in geval jy een van die voëls moet uithaal. As dit goed gaan, kan u na ‘n
week of so net een bak kos en water insit. Maak seker hulle eet en drink saam
sonder om te baklei!
Ek
moet sê dat ons na baie jare nog nooit probleme met aggressiwiteit onder
Blue-fronteds (wildgevangenes, handgrootgemaaktes en hokgeteeldes) ondervind het
nie, maar ander Amazon spesies kan glo baie aggressief wees.