In the article we will tell with the help of a photo about reproduction budgerigars at home. This is a little story about how a budgerigar hatches from an egg, develops, becomes an adult and prepares to leave the nest.

How parrots breed

The reproduction of budgerigars begins from females and males that are physiologically in a state of reproduction and mating.
The first egg is usually laid by the female about 10 days after successful mating, and then each subsequent egg every other day. The female budgerigar sits in the nest box most of the time and the male feeds her. Approximately 18-23 days after the first egg, a chick hatches.
Parrots grow quickly, you can see it in the following photos. We continue the description of how budgerigars breed at home. These photos show the older parrot on days 3, 7, 10 and 12 respectively.

How budgerigars breed

After two weeks, the chick begins to grow feathers. He looks at first "spiky" and very funny, but soon begins to look like a "real" budgerigar. The eldest of the little parrots is different from his younger brothers and sisters. You can see it in the following photos. There he is 13, 14, 16 and 22 days old.
At the age of 23 days, the parrot is almost feathered, and only some small areas are not covered with feathers, in the next photo he is 26 days old. After 29 days, the whole body is completely covered with feathers and he is ready to start exploring the world outside his nest. At 31 days old, he looks a lot like a young budgerigar that is sold at a pet store.

The chick is now old enough to start thinking about leaving the nest box for good. He will usually do this somewhere between 28-35 days from birth. Somewhere up to 38-42 days, the male will still feed him, after which he becomes very independent and able to eat and drink on his own.

When the chick budgerigar is 6-8 weeks old, you can start thinking about moving him to another cage, or releasing him into an aviary, or selling him if you choose to do so. Never sell or give away a small budgerigar before it can eat and drink without parental help.
I recommend that you watch a video about the breeding of budgerigars.

Without knowledge and experience, it is quite difficult to breed several types of birds for sale at once. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the category that is characterized by high demand and minimal investment.

What is the initial investment

Not many birds are able to breed in captivity, which means that you must create a comfortable room for parrots. It is desirable if it is separate and soundproof. They keep birds in cages, while you need to have both one common aviary for free movement, and isolated cages for couples with chicks and lively males. A typical average parrot cage starts at $10. You can make a common aviary with your own hands from a metal mesh and improvised materials.

The initial investment includes the purchase of the parrots themselves. It must be several pairs of birds. To save money, you can take two males and several females if the characteristics of the species do not require the formation of permanent pairs. For example, lovebird parrots choose a mate for life.

The cheapest are the Budgerigars. Their prices start at $8. A pair of Lovebirds costs about $20. Birds of the Corella species have a price of $ 15, Rosella and Kakarik from $ 50, and the Kalita breed from 80 conventional units. Rare species of large parrots require big investments. So, the price of Senegalese is from $ 300, and the talking Jaco will cost you at least $ 1,000 for one bird.

Features of the selection and preparation of livestock for breeding

In order for the offspring to be healthy and strong, you need to form pairs from different families. The age of readiness for reproduction in most breeds occurs at 1.5 years, and the maximum productivity occurs from 2 to 4 years. This means that it is better to acquire chicks than old birds. Guessing the sex of a parrot can be difficult even for a breeder, and therefore it is very important to have several pairs.

Before buying expensive species, a mandatory consultation with an ornithologist and a veterinarian is necessary. All parrots must be healthy and, if possible, vaccinated. If there are no vaccinations, you can perform them yourself by calling a doctor at home. This should be done even if you are breeding regular Budgerigars. Vaccinated against the following diseases:

• Bird flu;
• diphtheria;
• Newcastle disease;
• Smallpox skin.

In addition, it should be treated against insect damage (bird fleas, lice). Each newly purchased bird is placed in a two-week quarantine in a separate room. medical examination and preventive measures will allow you to avoid the sudden fall of all the birds.

Arrangement of cages and nests for offspring

When you have decided on the species, before buying pairs for breeding, you need to prepare the cages. The minimum dimensions of the space for keeping parrots should be 0.6 meters in length and 0.4 meters in height. Otherwise, the birds will not breed well.

For example, Budgerigars for active rearing of offspring must live in a flock, which means it is better to choose a common large cage for all pairs.

A common cage will also be required so that the Lovebird parrots can choose a mate. To do this artificially, simply by choosing on your own, will not work.

The interior of the cage should include:

• Wooden perches;
• Several feeders for different types stern;
• Several drinkers, at the rate of one for three or four birds;
• Toys and swings for games and exercise;
• Twigs for sharpening the beak.

The arrangement of nests deserves special attention. They come in three types of designs:

• Horizontal- a box elongated in width, the height of which ensures the movement of the parrot only horizontally. The disadvantage is the possibility of accidental loss of chicks.
• vertical- a box elongated in height, which ensures the movement of the female vertically. The main disadvantage is the likelihood of accidental damage to eggs and brood by the female.
• Combined- a large box that allows birds to move in all directions. The disadvantage of such a nest is that it takes up a lot of space in individual cells.

The nest box is hung outside the cage, having previously completed the inlet, or to its ceiling at a distance of about 20 centimeters. The bottom of the nest box should have a recess, which allows the eggs to be constantly in one place. Sawdust is used as an insulating litter, but only for those species of birds that need them. The number of nests should correspond to the number of childbearing pairs.

This is what a nest for lovebirds in an aviary might look like

Food and care costs

Apart from initial investment, the parrot business has a daily cost of food and vitamins. It is also necessary to ensure suitable and stable climatic conditions.

The diet of parrots includes the following types of food:

• Dry grain mixtures;
• Sprouted grains of wheat and other cereals;
• Cottage cheese or special crayons for birds;
• Vegetables and fruits;
• Vitamin and mineral complex supplements;
• Pure drinking water.

An average temperature of 20-25°C is sufficient for normal keeping of birds. It will be artificially required to maintain it only in the periods before and after the heating season. During the hatching of the chicks, the temperature should be raised to 30 ° C, gradually lowering from the 10th day of the life of the hatched parrots. Considering that, on average, birds can give birth up to three times a year, additional heating equipment with a good thermostat will be required to maintain the desired climate.

When breeding some species, for example, the Corella parrot, the chicks require not only additional heating, but also lighting. Since they mainly breed in winter, it is necessary to ensure daylight hours at least 14 hours a day.

Parrots should be fed a variety of nutritious foods containing all the necessary vitamins, micro- and macroelements - only in this case they will be healthy and attractive to buyers

Difficulties of registering a nursery for breeding parrots

Business legalization is a painstaking process, but without it, you will not be able to trade through shops, import and export birds from the country for international trade or participation in exhibitions.

You can register a parrot breeding business as an individual entrepreneur (PE) or LLC. Unfortunately, separate legislation regarding decorative birds not at the moment, and therefore, when choosing OKVED codes, it will be rational to choose the item “Breeding various kinds animals." An important point is the presence in the staff of veterinarians with education, which can combine the position of the head.

The premises for birds must comply with sanitary and veterinary requirements, as well as fire safety(especially if autonomous heating and lighting is installed). It must contain ventilation hoods, a plumbing unit and disinfectant mats (disinfectants). A separate room for the quarantine of birds must be provided without fail.

Breeding parrots at home as a business also requires an agreement with a pet waste disposal company. All documents on birds (certificates, checks), especially species included in CITES (Convention on international trade endangered species of wild fauna and flora) should be preserved for the period of operation of the nursery from the moment of its foundation. If the birds are listed in the Red Book (for example, the Macaw parrot), you must have documentary evidence of its appearance in captivity or importation into the country, otherwise its sale is punishable by law.

Upon completion of the visit to your nursery, all commissions issue an act that allows you to breed and sell parrots. The document needs to be updated annually.

A legal cattery is very often subject to inspections. If there is an epidemic of psittacosis or bird flu, it is necessary to immediately prepare evidence of the absence of contact with wild birds. Otherwise, your business will be closed. Monthly laboratory tests are required to confirm the absence of diseases.

The cherished desire of the owners of budgerigars is to receive offspring from them. In the future, you can consider their breeding as a business. By doing this at home, it is quite possible to achieve effective results. Undoubtedly, in order to start breeding parrots at home, you need to properly prepare.

For this you need:

1. Choose the right pair (parrots for a girl and a boy), based on the following criteria:

• birds must be healthy;
• the age factor is important;
• the couple must not be related;
• psychologically match each other.

2. Provide suitable conditions for the birds:

• daylight hours;
• sufficient air humidity;
• optimal temperature of the content;
• comfortable cage and place for a nest;
• feeding.

If you are considering breeding budgerigars as a business, then you need to take the choice of a pair seriously (this also applies to lovebirds and cockatiels). It is necessary to make sure that the boy and girl are not related to each other, have different parents. The offspring as a result of inbreeding are in most cases not tenants. Other selection criteria are also important - the age of the future parents and their state of health. It is impossible to get strong, viable offspring from birds with poor health or those that are no longer young.

It is important that between the couple there is affection for each other, attraction. If there is sympathy between a male and a female, then they will live together in unison. An unusual sense of loyalty is present in the relationship of lovebirds. The fact that they are psychologically suitable for each other is evidenced by their tender relationship with each other, which is manifested in courtship, cleaning plumage. For parrot breeding as a business to be successful, you should simultaneously breed several varieties of birds.

The most suitable age for breeding offspring in parrots is 1.5 years. When a bird reaches the age of 2-4 years, it is at its most productive. An important feature of budgerigars is that they, like lovebirds, are considered flocking birds and prefer to breed at the same time as other birds in the flock. The presence of several pairs instead of one gives a high probability of getting chicks in a short time. This property of birds should be remembered if the breeding of parrots at home is supposed to be turned into a business.

Under what conditions should parrots be kept

The chances of getting chicks from budgerigars (also lovebirds and cockatiels) in cramped cages are almost zero. For birds, you need to choose a convenient place to keep them. It should be spacious, preferably rectangular, elongated in length. For all birds, except cockatiels, a cage with a length of 60 cm or more, a height of 40 cm or more is suitable. To keep Corella parrots, you will need housing wider and freer.

If the birds are kept for the purpose of their further sale and this occupation is a business, then it is preferable to place them in an aviary. For example, keep necklace parrots in a cell is not possible at all. In the interests of business, one should remember and apply the property of synchronous reproduction in budgerigars and lovebirds.

Thus, it will be possible to achieve offspring from many pairs of birds, while getting chicks with plumage of different colors, this will only spur and benefit from the business. It is most effective to engage in the withdrawal of offspring in summer period when daylight hours are at their longest. The second favorable argument in favor of summer is the large presence of various vitamins and essential macronutrients. And this is important when keeping and breeding budgerigars is carried out at home. Difficulties of incubation and feeding of chicks are much more easily tolerated by birds in the summer.

seasonality

Of great importance for business is the possibility of obtaining offspring throughout the year. In this case, some effort is required. It is required to provide daylight hours of 14-16 hours. In winter, this is done artificially, with a consistent increase in the day by half an hour - an hour. The optimum temperature should be at around 20-24 degrees, and air humidity - from 60 to 70%. To keep abreast of these indicators at home, you should buy a thermometer and a hydrometer. In order for the parrot breeding business to prosper and be successful, it is necessary to comply with the most suitable conditions for birds, then they will be alive, lively, capable of breeding. And healthy, active parents have strong, tenacious chicks.

Feeding

The diet during the breeding season should be as vitamin and complete as possible. Most of all, young branches of apple trees, lindens, birches, mountain ash, and dandelion greens will be needed. In addition, the diet should include a lot of different foods: vegetables, fruits, cottage cheese, sprouted grains, an egg (you need to give it several times a week). To prevent vitamin D deficiency, a drop of fish oil should be added to the feed. Also, with growth, the body will need calcium and phosphorus. To do this, you need to finely crumble the egg shell and chalk, and gradually add this powder to the feed.

Nest selection

The choice of a nest site should also be taken seriously. Properly chosen nesting site favors the reproduction of both budgerigars and lovebirds. Nests are of different types:

• vertical;
• horizontal;
• combined (compromise).

A compromise nest combines all the best borrowed from other types of nesting. In such a place, it is spacious enough for the chicks and it is reliable in terms of safety. The main disadvantage of compromise nesting is that it requires a lot of space. Your choice should be stopped on wooden nesting houses.

Lovebirds will need a larger nesting area than budgerigars. In the nesting house, disinfection should be carried out using special preparations or a hot soda solution. In order for the lovebirds to build a nest, the birds must be provided building material. Budgerigars in this case use sawdust. The layer should be about 2-3 cm thick.

In order to disinfect, you need to add a small amount of dried pharmaceutical chamomile, about 1-2 teaspoons. Nesting is best placed outside the cage, higher. Install the nest at the second entrance, if there is none, you can unscrew a few bars of the cage. Lovebirds and budgerigars need a nesting box with a roof that can be removed for easy cleaning. All actions should be carried out when there is no female.

The appearance of offspring

If the pair is chosen successfully, suitable conditions for breeding at home are created, the birds will begin to produce offspring. After 8-10 days, the female parrot will lay the first egg, then new eggs will appear at intervals of a day. They are oval, with a thin shell, the weight of each is about 2 g, the length is 19 mm, and the girth is 15.5 mm.
In wavy birds, you can initially find out: an egg with a fruit or an empty one; in cockatiels and lovebirds, it is not possible to see this. The matte-white egg makes it clear that the chicks will hatch in the near future. Often the laying of eggs has 6-8 pieces, but sometimes 10-12. The female sits on the eggs, the same happens with lovebirds. During incubation, the male is engaged in feeding his girlfriend, while accompanying him with beautiful chirping.

When 17-18 days pass, the first-born chick will appear, the next parrots will hatch at an interval of one day. After 7 days, the chicks open their eyes. By the 10th day of life, plumage stumps will appear on the back and head, 3 days after that, the young growth will be completely covered with downy plumage. At the age of one month, the chick is completely covered with feathers. At 35 - 40 days of life, parrots fly well, feed themselves, so they need to be transplanted into another cage.

Business performance

During the year, 2-3 egg layings can be expected from parrots, which are the norm for birds and will not lead to a weakening of their health. When breeding budgerigars, it must be borne in mind that birds need to rest. Successful engagement in this type of activity can be gradually turned from a hobby into a profitable business and make a good profit. At the same time, it should be remembered that the success of the event depends on the provision of suitable conditions for keeping the birds, quality care for them and a sense of affection for the wards.

If you want to start breeding your own pair of wavy, you should know that this is a very complex and responsible process. It has a lot of nuances. To get started, take a closer look at your parrots and answer one very important question: do they love each other? In nature, parrots from many individuals of the opposite sex find their soul mate and stay with her until the end of their lives.

In apartment conditions, birds do not have such a choice, they sometimes have to endure for the rest of their lives next to someone who may not like it at all. From such pairs of offspring, you can not wait at all. Mutual love is immediately visible: the couple is constantly with each other, sorting out feathers, feeding a partner, and if they swear, it is very rare. Usually, if a nesting house is placed in such a pair, then the female will immediately climb into it and begin to equip it. It often happens that in a loving couple, the female tries to find a place to lay eggs and does not wait for the house to be hung. She can even lay eggs at the bottom of the cage. This should not be allowed, so watch your birds and be prepared for anything.
The next question you need to answer before you start breeding parrots is about the age of the birds. In nature, parrots are ready for breeding as early as 5-7 months, but at home it is absolutely impossible to breed them before 1-1.5 years. Otherwise, the female may die trying to lay the first egg. Wavy are able to breed up to 5-7 years, and with good care and up to 8-9 years.

Inbreeding is dangerous

A prerequisite is the absence of family ties in a pair of parrots. Inbreeding can result in the death of embryos in the egg or in chicks with stunting or birth defects. Often, lovers do not understand why closely related crossing is dangerous, because unfertilized eggs are always possible in the clutch, and sometimes the chicks die. They raise chicks, sell them, and then the chick dies at the new owner for unknown reasons.

Preparing for nesting and incubating eggs

Budgerigars can breed all year round. However, it should be remembered that for successful breeding, parrots need a long daylight hours (up to 16 hours), in winter you will have to maintain it with the help of artificial lighting. Also, in winter and spring, there is not that excess of vegetables, fruits and greens that is in summer and autumn, so you will definitely need to give liquid multivitamins that are added to the drinker or feed. by the most best time breeding is considered summer and early autumn.
The air temperature in the room with breeding parrots should be at least 20 ° C and not more than 30 ° C, otherwise the eggs may die.

In nature, wavy lay their eggs in the hollows of trees. At home, this is provided for, which are not much different from ordinary birdhouses. The house must necessarily be made of wooden boards. There are three types of nests: vertical, horizontal and compromise (see fig.).

Each type has its pros and cons. Vertical: a high-lying notch eliminates the early exit of chicks, takes up little space, however, due to the small size of the bottom, the female, jumping onto the clutch, can damage the eggs and chicks, and if the clutch is large, the chicks will be cramped. Horizontal houses exclude damage to the masonry by the female, because. it is more spacious. However, the low location of the notch can lead to the fall of the chicks, which are not yet ready for independent life. In an attempt to combine the advantages of vertical and horizontal houses into one, a compromise type of nesting was created: they are spacious, like a horizontal one, and the entrance is located high, like a vertical one. Their only drawback is their large size.
In the bottom of the house you need to make a recess for the eggs so that they do not roll. It should be 2 cm deep and 10 cm in diameter. You also need to provide fasteners with which you can hang the house. The nest cover must be removable in order to inspect the masonry and clean inside. Two weeks before hanging the nesting house, parrots should be transferred to enhanced nutrition and gradually lengthen daylight hours. Parrots need to start giving an egg mixture consisting of boiled eggs, carrots and semolina. Increase the amount of vegetables, fruits, greens. In addition to the mineral mixture and sepia (mineral stone), the cage must contain crushed eggshells and crushed chalk, which can be replaced with crushed calcium gluconate tablets.

Usually nesting places are placed outside the cage as high as possible. To do this, either the cage must have a second entrance, or you will have to remove several rods. Many females do not pay attention to the houses, standing at the bottom of the cage or suspended from the lower entrance to the cage, as unsafe. The size and shape of the cage is very important in breeding. It should be rectangular in shape and elongated in length, not height. The minimum length is 60 cm. In small cages, there is almost a 100% chance that the female will start beating the chicks that have left the house.

Inside the nest, it is imperative to pour dry hardwood sawdust with a layer of 2-3 cm; for disinfection, you can add 1-2 teaspoons of dry pharmaceutical chamomile.

Ideally, if all the conditions for parrots are created, then the female almost immediately begins to be interested in the house. At first, it just gnaws at the entrance, checks its strength, later it starts to climb inside and prepare a place for masonry, taking out sawdust in its beak. Usually the first egg appears 2-3 weeks after hanging the house. However, it often happens differently: the male and female are in no hurry to lay eggs. If even after a month the female's interest in nesting has not appeared, then it should be removed and wait another month so that the female does not perceive it simply as part of the interior.

Since in nature budgerigars sit on masonry with the whole flock at once, it is much easier to make several pairs at once breed. But this requires a large enclosure and there should be one more houses than breeding pairs. But even in this case, it is possible that two females will like one house and they will start fighting or destroying each other's clutches in this house because of it. So it's best to keep each breeding pair in a separate cage. If there is only one pair, then it is necessary to create a constant little noise in the room with parrots. It can be just the radio turned on, music, but it is best to record the voices of budgerigars. To do this, it is enough to record the singing of your own parrots.

Once you have set up a house, you need to keep communication with parrots to a minimum. Ideally, the cage should be in a quiet corner of the room where there are no people, since nothing should distract the couple from the masonry. For the same reason, they cannot be let out of the cage to fly. After the female prepares the nesting house, she becomes more favorable to the male. The act of mating can occur several times a day, but usually this happens in the early morning. Sometimes it only takes a few matings before the first egg is produced to successfully fertilize the entire clutch. But more often, mating continues for longer, until the female lays all the eggs.

A couple of days before the appearance of the egg, the female plucks the place around the cloaca, the amount and size of feces increases, and the tail begins to twitch in rhythm with breathing. The expectant mother becomes more cautious, she does not make sudden movements and spends more and more time in the house.

After the appearance of the first egg, all additional feeding should be removed from the cage and only the main food and the mineral mixture with eggshell should be left. Otherwise, the number of eggs will be large, but their quality will be greatly reduced.

The female immediately proceeds to incubate the egg. Although often, if the female has the first clutch, she begins to incubate eggs tightly only after laying the second, or even the third. Do not worry about this, since the development of the embryo in the egg will begin from the moment of incubation. The male during this period feeds the female, sits near the entrance to the nesting area, sings songs to her. The second and subsequent eggs appear every other day. There may be 4-8 eggs in a clutch, but sometimes it reaches 10-12. Young females usually have fewer eggs than older ones.

Chick care

The eggs hatch approximately 17-19 days after incubation begins. The chicks that have appeared are more like small worms than future birds.
They have an absurdly large head, long neck and legs. They are born blind and begin to see only after a week. By the 9-10th day of life, the first stumps of feathers appear on the back. At 2 weeks old, the chicks are already completely covered with fluff and feathers are already forming on the wings and tail. By the color of the fluff, one can judge the future plumage of the chick. If it is gray, then the parrot will be with a normal color, and with white fluff - with a light one. Every day the chick will have more and more feathers, and by the age of 3 weeks it will already look like an adult.

If, 21 days after the last egg was laid, there were still eggs in the house, then they were not fertilized or the embryo died. In this case, empty eggs should be thrown out. I would not advise beginners to check the fertility of eggs for beginners, because. the eggs are very fragile and any shaking can cause the egg to die. In addition, in order to be sure of fertility, you still have to wait until the hatching period has passed.

You need to check the masonry at least once every two or three days in order to provide timely assistance, if any. A week after the appearance of the first chick, it is necessary to clean the house. To do this, you need to catch the moment when the female leaves the nest and remove it. At the time of cleaning, the chicks must be carefully transferred to the box, remove the old sawdust and pour in new ones, and then return the chicks. It is better to clean the house with gloves, because if the female is wild, then she may not tolerate someone else's smell and will begin to pluck the chicks.

During cleaning, you need to carefully examine each chick, paying attention to the paws, as droppings often stick to them, which can interfere with the proper development of the fingers. To clean the paws, they need to be soaked in water and remove dirt.

Cleaning must be done quickly so as not to force the female for too long to be nervous and not to overcool the eggs. They should be handled with particular care, as the embryos are very fragile and any shaking can lead to their death.

The house should be cleaned about once a week. It is ideal to have a spare nesting place for this, in order to simply transplant the chicks into a new house. If the female is wild and, with any intervention (cleaning, touching the eggs and chicks), begins to pluck the chicks or even abandons the clutch, then it is better not to clean the house, but simply sprinkle clean sawdust with chamomile on top.

For the first two weeks of life, the mother feeds the chicks with goiter milk, which is formed in the muscular ventricle of the female, gradually transferring them to adult food softened in the goiter. If there are many chicks, the female feeds the older ones first, and then the younger ones, since in the goiter of the female there is grain on top, and goiter milk below. To help the female, it is necessary to give sprouted grain, which contributes to the formation of goiter milk.

Later, the male also joins in feeding the chicks. After the chicks leave the nesting house, only the father takes care of them, since the female is usually already engaged in the next clutch.
The chicks leave the nesting area 30-35 days after hatching. They differ from adult birds only in size. If the female is not aggressive towards the chicks that have left the house, they can be left in a cage with their parents. However, it is better to transfer the chicks to a separate cage as soon as they learn to eat on their own. Especially if the owner does not have a capacious cage in which the entire brood can fit.

If a couple is allowed to make as many clutches as they want, then the female can make 4-5 broods. But this should not be allowed, since more than 1-2 clutches in a row will greatly deplete the female, and the chicks appear weak and often die. Therefore, immediately after laying, you need to remove the house, even if the female has already laid eggs in it. Place the female in a separate cage, gradually reduce her daylight hours to 9 hours (10 minutes a day) and transfer her to grain feed, without additional feeding. This is necessary to stop laying. It is ideal to allow the female to make either one clutch every six months, or two clutches in a row, but once a year.

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Most breeders mate parrots in winter, in December or January. However, some bird breeders are of the opinion that parrots are best mated in the fall, in September or October, since this is the period when they nest most actively.

For successful breeding of parrots, three basic conditions must be met: proper feeding, sufficient daylight hours and the presence of a nesting house of a suitable size.

There is a third opinion on this matter: birds should be mated in spring or summer, since chicks raised in winter are often weakened.

In any case, to ensure optimal external conditions, it is necessary to carefully prepare for the nesting season.

Hygiene plays an important role in the successful breeding of parrots. Cages, cages, nest boxes, drinkers, feeders, baths and perches should be washed and disinfected.

An equally important role in preparing birds for breeding is played by good nutrition.

Pairing

You should not mate with each other parrots that are not ready for the nesting season, as well as birds weakened by diseases. When selecting producers, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the color, but also to the physical strength of the birds, the absence of any diseases and injuries in them.

It is undesirable to mate closely related birds. Such breeding is called inbred, and the offspring obtained from such mating is called inbreeding.

Different parrot breeders have different opinions about how birds should be paired. However, many parrot breeding manuals describe the following method of pairing.

After all the necessary external conditions have been created (cleaning, disinfection, hanging nesting devices, etc.), in the morning on the day the nesting season begins, a female can be placed in a cage or cage, and a male is placed next to her in the evening. This allows the female to get used to her new "house", to the nest box and feeder, and also to feel like a hostess before the male appears.

In order for the offspring to be full and strong, active, healthy, mobile and mature birds are selected at the age of 12 months to 4 years. Old parrots do not give very good offspring or are generally barren.

Pair of lovebirds

Too young are also not suitable for reproduction, because they themselves are not yet fully developed physiologically. Weak and skinny birds, as a rule, do not sit well on the eggs and feed the chicks inadequately. The pairing of lovebirds should be approached with special attention. Lovebirds, as the name suggests, never separate from their partner or change him. Perhaps that is why they choose their mate very carefully, which presents certain difficulties. Quarrels and even fights can arise between unsuccessfully matched male and female. In this case, it is recommended to seat the parrots and hold it for a while, and then settle it together again. As a rule, after such a maneuver, the birds begin to live together. If not, it is recommended to replace one of the partners.

Breeding room equipment

In the usual breeding of parrots, you can use a common aviary or a large cage where several pairs of birds can raise chicks.

With planned breeding, that is, when breeding, taking into account color and other signs of the breed, it is necessary to place parrots in separate cages. Moreover, in each cage there should be only one pair of birds.

For breeding parrots, it is necessary to equip a room. Before proceeding with the equipment of a cage, aviary or cage for breeding birds, it is advisable to consult with experienced breeders or study special literature.

Aviaries or cages should be equipped in such a way that they can be quickly cleaned and disinfected from time to time. In addition, it is necessary to provide that feed, water, sand and mineral supplements are placed in a convenient place.

In a room for breeding parrots, there should be sufficient lighting not only in the daytime, but also in the morning and evening. Therefore, to provide the necessary intensity of illumination for 12–14 hours, it is necessary to install additional illumination in the aviary or cage. Most breeders use fluorescent lamps controlled by a clock relay for this purpose.

Every breeder needs to take care that mice and other rodents do not enter the breeding room.

If possible, plumbing is brought to the aviary or cage room. Cages and breeding aviaries should be well ventilated, but even with fixed ventilation, it is advisable to ventilate the room well several times during the day.

Many breeders breed parrots in the basement or build free-standing "houses" for their pets, for example, in the garden. If it is possible to build a separate room for birds, then you need to pay attention to the following:

› In addition to special boxes, the bird breeding room must also have an open space where the parrots will fly;

› cages placed indoors must be lined with wood at the bottom and covered with wire or mesh at the top;

› walls of enclosures or cages that are not covered with mesh should be made of easily washable material with a smooth surface;

› Perches in aviaries or breeding cages should be attached to boards set at a 45° angle, 23–28 cm apart.

Sadki

Cages in which pairs of parrots of small species are placed during breeding should measure 80 × 45 × 45 cm. Of course, it is possible to achieve success in breeding birds in smaller cages, but it should be remembered that parrots spend several months in cages per year, and if the cage in which they live during the nesting season is small, the birds may become overweight.

Cages intended for breeding parrots must be closed on three sides. As a rule, the front wall is closed with a lattice with vertical bars, having one or two doors. If several cages stand side by side, it is recommended to make movable partitions of transparent material between them so that the parrots can see each other while hatching. In addition, later it will be possible to use some cages as cages for young animals.

Breeding tank

In the cages, at least two perches are installed, one of a circular section and one of a quadrangular section, 20 mm thick.

The cages can be either with or without a drawer. However, the former have whole line advantages (facilitate the process of cleaning and disinfection) in comparison with the latter.

The most convenient are drawers made of plastic or high-quality tool steel.

In pet stores and on the market, cages made of plastic are available for sale. Such cages according to the modular principle can be mounted in whole nesting walls.

Bedding at the bottom of the cage is preferably made of straw, shavings, special paper or sand.

Nest boxes

Since in their natural habitat many species of parrots nest in closed hollows, in order to stimulate birds to breed, special nesting boxes (hollows) made of planed outside, dry, well-fitted boards are hung in a cage, aviary or cage hardwood 1–2 cm thick.

nest box

The nest box should be spacious enough: it should be borne in mind that, in addition to the parents, the chicks should also fit in it. However, it shouldn't be too big either. When buying a ready-made nest box, you should pay attention to the fact that it is accessible for monitoring parrots and for cleaning.

Currently, three types of nests are used for breeding parrots: vertical, horizontal and the so-called compromise. The latter, according to experts, are the most optimal for successful breeding of birds.

The design of the horizontal nest box prevents damage to the masonry or chicks by an incoming female. In addition, not only the female, but also the chicks can enter and exit such a nest box. This circumstance worries some fans who fear that the chicks, which have not yet grown strong, may fall out of the entrance. That is why experts recommend using nesting nests of a compromise type for breeding budgerigars.

The internal dimensions of the vertical nest box are as follows: bottom - 15 × 15 cm, height - 25 cm, a notch with a diameter of about 4.5 cm (located about 3 cm from the top edge). The bottom of the vertical nesting box is made of a thick board, in the center of the bottom it is necessary to make a tray about 1–2 cm deep. 5 cm. The end of the perch inside the nesting box will allow the female to calmly go down.

The internal dimensions of the horizontal nest box are as follows: the bottom is 25 × 15 cm, the height is about 15 cm, the notch is 4–5 cm in diameter. The perch in the horizontal nest box is not allowed inside. Instead, a step 3 cm high and 10 cm wide is attached to the side wall from the inside.

The design of a compromise type nest box combines the advantages of the first two, so most breeders use these nest boxes for breeding parrots.

The internal dimensions of the compromise type nest box are as follows: length - 26 cm, width - 17 cm and height - 20 cm. In addition, the nest box must have a removable lid or an opening back wall; holes must be made in its upper half to ensure air circulation.

The most important part of the nest box is the nest tray, about 100 mm in diameter and 20–25 mm deep, in which the female will incubate her eggs. It is advisable to make the tray from hardwood so that the birds do not damage it with their beak.

The notch (exit hole) should be located in the upper third of the nest box, opposite the tray. The diameter of the notch should be at least 4–5 cm. A perch perch can be installed under the exit hole, although this is not necessary. Outside, the perch should protrude 10 cm, and inside - 1.5 cm.

It is undesirable to use plywood boxes for nesting, as they quickly fail when treated with boiling water.

Improving air quality

Even if there is good ventilation in the parrot breeding room, it is desirable to further improve the air quality.

Most simple solution is an indoor installation for breeding an ordinary air purifier. However, such a device only purifies the air without improving its quality characteristics. Therefore, breeders advise installing in the room where the cage or aviary with parrots is located, an air ionizer - a small electrical device that charges particles in the air with electrostatic electricity. Attracted by oppositely charged particles, dust particles settle on the walls and on the floor of the room.

Under the action of the ionizer, the proportion of particles suspended in the air, fungal spores and pathogens is reduced.

To control the humidity and air temperature, each breeder must have the appropriate measuring instruments - a hygrometer and a thermometer. In the breeding room, the temperature should not fall below 15 °C, and the relative humidity should be between 60-70%.

Nutrition during breeding

3-4 weeks before the start of the nesting season, producers should be transferred to a special diet.

The most important nutrients, which are quite scarce in cereal mixtures, are amino acids, vitamins A, B and D, and various micronutrients.

Pet stores sell powdered preparations that contain all the vitamins and substances needed by parrots in preparation for the nesting season. Such a drug in the amount specified in the instructions is mixed into the egg mixture.

To meet the requirement for vitamin D, fish oil is sufficient for birds. However, when buying fish oil, it is necessary to pay attention to the date of its manufacture and shelf life, since during long-term storage the extremely fatty acids that it contains are destroyed, forming peroxides. Peroxides, on the other hand, are known to destroy vitamin E and can cause hypovitaminosis in parrots.

The composition of the grain mixture, which is given to parrots during preparation for the nesting season, as well as during the laying and incubation of eggs and raising chicks, should be as follows:

› canary seed – 50%;

› Japanese millet – 16%;

› Senegal millet – 16%;

› millet “fee” – 16%;

› oilseed – 1%;

› hemp – 1%.

In addition to the main feed, producers need to give egg mix, green fodder, vegetables, fruits, sprouted grains. In addition, there should always be chalk and various mineral supplements in the breeding room.

It is worth noting that egg food should not be given to the female daily. Producers are fed with an egg mixture 2-3 times a week, and from the moment when the female begins to incubate the eggs until the hatching of the chicks, this food is completely excluded from the diet of the breeding pair. The fact is that the consumption of egg feed contributes to the laying of a large number of eggs, which can lead to exhaustion of the bird. In addition, most of the eggs in such a clutch will necessarily be unfertilized.

A few days before the appearance of chicks, it is advisable to exclude fruits, herbs and hemp seeds from the diet of parrots.

As soon as the chicks are born, the egg mixture should be reintroduced into the diet of parrots. After the chicks leave the nest, the amount of egg food should be gradually reduced, accustoming them to eat food intended for adult birds.

Egg laying and incubation time

Parrots are social birds, and often lack the sight of other pairs of birds to stimulate reproduction. Therefore, experienced breeders, when oviposition is delayed, place another cage with a pair of parrots next to non-breeding pairs. In this case, pairs of birds must be able to see each other.

A good stimulus for nesting pairs is the chirping of other birds nearby, such as in an aviary or cage. By the way, many breeders record the chirping of parrots on a tape recorder, and then turn on the recording in the room where the nesting pair is located.

However, in most cases, a suspended nesting site serves as an incentive for a pair of parrots to breed.

So, to start the nesting process, it is enough to equip a breeding room, hang a nest box to the cage, form a pair of parrots and provide them with complete food.

After a nest box appears in the nesting room, the male will begin to lek. This process is difficult to confuse with anything: the parrot flies or runs around his girlfriend, making various sounds. In addition, the current male puffs out his cheeks, taps with his beak on the perches and other objects in the cage. During this period, feathers rise on the male's head.

The male takes care of the female all the time, sorts out her feathers, making characteristic sounds, and constantly feeds her from her beak. The female reciprocates: bows her head, sits with half-closed eyes; birds often kiss.

Kissing budgerigars

It should be noted that young females behave like males: they dance around the cavalier, peck perches, behave aggressively towards other females. But in old females it is quite difficult to determine the readiness for breeding, as they behave much calmer, sometimes not paying attention to the male.

Usually after 8-10 days (sometimes after 2-3 weeks) the first egg appears in the nest box. The female lays the following eggs at intervals of 1-2 days. In the laying of parrots of small species, there can be up to 12 eggs, but usually no more than 5–6.

When mating two specific parrots, you should wait until both birds are ready for this. If only one sire is ready to mate, it is possible that the female will lay unfertilized eggs.

Parrot eggs are most often dull white, oval in shape, with a thin shell, about 19 × 15.5 mm in size and weighing about 2 g. Young females usually lay fewer eggs, older ones much more, but there are exceptions.

The eggs are incubated by the female, while the male performs the duties of a breadwinner (if there are several pairs of parrots in the nesting room, the male guards the nesting area, driving away other birds from it). Periodically, the female turns the eggs over, simultaneously shifting them from place to place, which eliminates the fusion of the shell of the egg and the embryo, and also ensures uniform heating of the clutch (the temperature of the eggs lying on the edge and inside the clutch is very different). The female leaves the nest box only a few times during the day, only to empty her intestines. Interestingly, the weight of the litter of an incubating female is approximately equal to 10% of body weight. Only at the end of the nesting season, the frequency of bowel movements and the weight of excreted feces return to normal.

The time of incubation (incubation) of eggs is on average 18 days. At the same time, it should be taken into account that various external factors can reduce or increase the time of embryo development. Females begin to incubate eggs immediately after laying the first egg, as a result of which the chicks hatch at intervals of 1–2 days and leave the nest box at the same interval.

Australian ornithologists measured the size of the eggs of budgerigars living in wild nature. Table 6 shows that the sizes of eggs of wild and domestic budgies of the exhibition type are somewhat different.

Table 6Budgerigar egg sizes

Every breeder needs to be able to distinguish fertilized eggs from unfertilized ones. Fertilized eggs are dull greyish-white in color, unfertilized in most cases slightly yellowish (sometimes spotted).

Each egg, after being laid by the female, should be marked with a soft pencil or felt-tip pen, carefully putting on the shell the serial number in the clutch or the day it was laid.

Experts recommend checking the eggs with an ovoscope after a week of incubation. This device is quite simple to make at home from a small cardboard box with a hole slightly smaller than the size of the egg. Inside the box is illuminated by a low-power light bulb. The developing embryo looks like a dark spot with vessels diverging from it.

All unfertilized eggs must be removed from the clutch, since the female wastes her energy on incubation. If more than 5-6 eggs are fertilized in one clutch, then extra eggs can be placed in other pairs that have fewer or no fertilized eggs.

If one or more eggs are severely damaged and their contents have leaked out and contaminated the entire clutch, then it is necessary to rinse the nest box and eggs with warm water.

It happens that young females stain their eggs with droppings. In this case, the eggs must be carefully removed from the nest box and washed thoroughly. To do this, they should be put in warm water (35-40 ° C) and left in it until the dirt dissolves. Unfortunately, these manipulations also wash away the thin layer of protein that is present on the shell. After removing this protein layer, the permeability eggshell rises sharply and in 50% of cases the development of the egg stops. Embryos often die due to a violation of moisture regulation, as well as due to the fact that the shell becomes permeable to various microorganisms.

It happens that the embryos die in the process of egg development. When it comes to isolated cases, then you should not worry. But if the embryos die often enough, then, most likely, there are genetic reasons for this.

Most likely, at the moment of fertilization, the combination of genes created a lethal factor leading to the death of the embryo. There is another phenomenon: a fully formed chick dies in the egg. Parrot breeders have put forward several possible causes such a phenomenon:

› infection of the embryo with pathogens;

› insufficient supply of nutrients to the egg;

› lethal factors formed as a result of closely related mating (inbreeding);

› Ingress of toxic substances into feed or water.

If the chicks of the first brood pollute the eggs of the second clutch, the eggs are laid on other females and left in the nest until the chicks leave the nest box.

Many amateurs when breeding parrots face another problem: at the first, and often at subsequent clutches, the female lays only unfertilized eggs. A similar phenomenon can be caused by the following adverse factors:

› long plumage covered the cloaca area and prevented mating (it is advisable to trim the parrots in the cloaca area);

› the perches in the cage were loosely fixed (the perches must be designed in such a way that the female can be firmly held on them);

› the feed of the producers was insufficiently nutritious and fortified (it is necessary to include protein feed, vitamins and minerals in the diet);

› the pair did not rest after the previous nesting season (it is undesirable to mate the birds more than 2 times in a row, after 2 nesting seasons it is necessary to let the birds rest for at least six months);

› the temperature in the breeding room was below 15 °C (increase the temperature in the parrot room);

› the breeders were unhealthy (you need to call a veterinarian or examine the pets yourself).

rearing chicks

Parrot chicks of all kinds are born bare and blind. Hatching chicks, with the help of a special outgrowth (egg tooth), damage the egg shell, and then break out a piece of it. Having stuck its head out, the newborn parrot rests, and then gets out of the egg.

During the first days after the chicks hatch from the eggs, the female feeds them with a yellowish-white liquid, which many breeders call crop milk. However, in special literature this protein-rich mass is called the milk of the anterior stomach.

If the nesting place is not cleaned, then a large amount of droppings accumulates in it, humidity rises and a smell of decay appears. In such an atmosphere, parrots grow very poorly, and the younger chicks die.

After 3-4 days, the female begins to give her chicks solid food (the male feeds the female sitting in the nest box, and she passes the food to the chicks) - semi-digested grains. It is best at this time, along with the grain mixture, to feed the parrots with germinated seeds.

By the end of the 1st week, the eyes of the chicks open, and feather stumps begin to grow on the back and head.

By the 11th-13th day, the chicks are completely covered with down feathers, after which the stumps of the flight and tail feathers grow in them. Only on the 16-17th day, the flight feathers reach a significant size, and the chicks begin to become covered with stumps of covering feathers, becoming like small bristling hedgehogs. Feathers on the back, head and wings appear in young parrots by the end of the 3rd week of life. By the age of one month, the chicks are fully feathered.

By one and a half months, the parrots leave the nesting place and no longer need the care of their parents.

For the first 2 weeks, parrot chicks grow and gain weight very quickly, then this process slows down a bit.

The change in the weight of chicks in the 1st month of life can be traced in Table 7.

Table 7Weight of budgie chicks during the 1st month of life

1st day - 1.0 g.

2nd day - 2–2.2 g.

3rd day - 3–3.3 g.

4th day - 4–5.1 g.

5th day - 5–6.8 g.

6th day - 7–9.2 g.

7th day - 9-10.6 g.

8th day - 11–13.3 g.

9th day - 13–17.5 g.

Day 10 - 16–19.1

11th day - 19–24.4 g.

12th day - 22–31.4 g.

Day 13 - 24–34.6 g.

Day 14 - 26–37.4 g.

Day 15 - 28–40.6 g.

Day 16 - 30–44.7 g.

Day 17 - 32–48.8 g.

Day 18 - 34–49.4 g.

Day 19 - 36–49.9 years

20th day - 37–50.8 g.

Day 21 - 38–51.4 g.

22nd day - 39–53.3 g.

Day 23 - 40–56.1 g.

Day 24 - 40–53.6 g.

Day 25 - 41–56.6 g.

Day 26 - 40–56.1 g.

Day 27 - 39–55.8 g.

28th day - 38–55.6 g.

29th day - 38–55.4 g.

Day 30 - 38–54.9 g.

Day 31 - 37-55

The chicks reach the greatest mass by the 24th day, and then their weight gradually decreases. This is due to the fact that from this time on, young parrots begin to move vigorously.

Change appearance chick in the first month of life

If, during the first 3–4 days, the female chicks are fed grains, and not “milk”, it is necessary to transfer the chicks to another nesting site, where the parrots that have just been born are also located.

It happens that the female does not feed the chick in the first few hours after it hatches from the egg. Because of this, you should not panic: the chick has a certain reserve of nutrients in the yolk bladder and can live for several hours without receiving food.

If the claws of the chicks are glued together with droppings, then they must be carefully cleaned to prevent anomalies in the development of claws and fingers.

In the event that even after 2-3 hours the female does not feed the chick, this means that the parrot that was born is either too weak to receive food, or the feeding instinct did not work in the female. If you are faced with a similar problem, move the chick to another nest where the newly hatched birds are located or put a 4-5 day old chick from another nest to the “careless mother” so that he encourages her to feed with his squeak.

Cleaning and disinfection of nesting devices

In addition to daily cleaning and periodic disinfection of the breeding room and cleaning of nesting devices, it is necessary to inspect the nest box daily (and preferably several times a day). Quite often it happens that the chick dies, and if it is not immediately removed from the nest, then due to high temperature inside the box, it will quickly begin to decompose.

Usually, the first general cleaning and disinfection of the nesting area is done when the youngest chicks are 12 days old. Chicks should be transplanted into a box. After cleaning and disinfecting the nest box, it is necessary to pour new sawdust there and transplant the chicks back. If there is a new nesting site (it must be an exact copy of the old one), the parrots are transplanted into it.

The next cleaning and disinfection is carried out in a week, and then, when the chicks begin to leave the nest, you can clean the nest box daily.

Chick watching

For a novice poultry farmer who first achieved offspring from a couple of his parrots, watching the growth and development of chicks is very exciting. As a rule, the female does not mind the daily control of the owner of the brood. Many birds simply remain quietly sitting on the clutch or brood, not reacting to outside interference.

In this case, it is recommended to postpone the inspection to another time, although experienced breeders simply push the female aside or even take her out of the nest. However, inexperienced poultry farmers, who are still poorly versed in the behavior of parrots, should not move the female away, and even more so pick her up and take her out of the nest, since it is possible that the bird may abandon the masonry or chicks.

Therefore, to observe the nesting pair and chicks, it is better to choose the moment when the female is not in the nest at all. Many birds get used to the daily control of the owner to such an extent that when a person opens the lid of the nest box, they themselves move aside or simply leave the nest.

Artificial rearing of chicks

As mentioned above, some parrot breeders are faced with the fact that the female does not feed the chicks. If there is no opportunity to find “foster parents” for the chicks, then you can try to save the birds by artificial feeding.

Experts advise using the following method. Dilute baby food (the mixture should be relatively liquid) and heat it to 35-37 ° C. Then take the chick in your hand, put it on its back, lower a small brush into the prepared mixture and bring a drop hanging from the end of the brush to the side of the parrot's beak. If the chick is not very weak, he will swallow a drop of food. Feed the chicks should be until full, every 2 hours (and at night too).

From 10-12 days of age, chicks can be fed with semi-liquid oatmeal porridge, cooked from the Baby formula.

Unfortunately, this method can only be used as a temporary solution to the problem: infant formula is designed for the needs of the baby, not the chick, and it is not recommended to feed the latter for more than 2-3 days.

There is another method of artificial feeding of small parrot chicks. For feeding, you will need disposable insulin syringes. In a syringe, draw 1 part of aminine (a solution of amino acids with electrolytes, glucose and B vitamins), 1 part of baby food, 2 parts of millet broth and 1 part of oatmeal broth.

Formula is recommended to be prepared just before each feeding, warmed to 36–37°C in a baby bottle warmer, and injected directly into the chick's crop using a flexible (rubber or plastic) cannula with a round head. If this liquid mucus is dripped into his mouth, the chick may choke and suffocate.

From the 7th day of life, chicks can be fed every 3 hours and only from 6-7 to 22 hours. Day by day, the dose of food must be increased and, in addition, baby cereal mixture should be added to it.

In addition to good nutrition, fledgling chicks left without parental care need to create an optimal temperature regime. The breeder who undertook to feed budgerigar chicks should be aware that the temperature in the nesting place should be about 35 ° C.

In order to maintain the required humidity inside the artificial hollow from flower pots (about 60%), the nesting site should be periodically sprayed with clean (preferably boiled or filtered) water.

You can create the desired temperature conditions with the help of two clay flower pots. At the bottom of one of the pots, lay more paper and place the chicks in it. Cover the resulting nest from above with another pot, in which you first beat off a piece of the edge in such a way that a gate-shaped hole is then obtained.

The entire structure should be covered from above with a heating pad with a thermostat. Place a thermometer in the open hole, which will show the temperature inside the artificial hollow.

Budgerigars that have reached the age of 14 days are already much easier to feed. Millet porridge should be added to the usual food of parrots (millet should be crushed). Starting from the 20-21st day of life, the chicks can be transplanted into a cage or a small cage and begin to be taught to take food from a long spoon inserted through a net or an open door.

Feeding a chick with a spoon

Some fanciers deliberately wean a chick at the age of 3-4 weeks from its parents in order to obtain a completely tame, completely human-oriented ward. By the age of 3-4 weeks, the little parrot fledges, and it no longer needs additional heat: in a cage with a chick, it is enough to maintain a temperature of about 30 ° C. A 3-week-old chick can already take food from a spoon. However, it is advisable for a fancier who prematurely weaned a budgerigar from the nest to have an insulin syringe with a soft cannula ready, since it will take several days to accustom a pet to take food from a spoon.

Caring for older chicks

Parrot chicks that have just left the nest still fly very clumsily: they do not know how to slow down, so they often fall to the floor of the cage. And although adult birds worry about them, but, unfortunately, they cannot prevent possible accidents. Therefore, the owner should take care of the safety of the grown chicks.

From the cage with the grown chicks, it is advisable to remove the feeder for green fodder and the swimsuit: freshly fledged parrots, frightened of something, tend to climb into dark corners. If the chick hides behind a large feeder, then the owner, moving it, may accidentally pinch or crush a small bird. And falling into a bathing suit, the chick can choke and die.

At the age of 7–8 weeks, parrot chicks no longer need parental care. However, the owner needs to constantly monitor their pets, since young parrots are more prone to injury and various diseases than adult birds.

The chicks that have just flown out of the nest are not yet able to estimate distances, deftly turn, slow down and recognize obstacles in time. Therefore, it is better not to let a young parrot out of the cage: in a room, a bird can hit a cabinet or wall, fall into a flower vase or an aquarium, fall into a gap between a wall and furniture, etc.

After the chicks have flown out of the nest, the male feeds them practically alone, because the female, as a rule, is already incubating a new clutch. Parrots begin to feed on their own only after a few days, and sometimes after a week.

Removal of chicks from parents

It is advisable to leave the chicks with their parents as long as possible. Parrot breeders believe that chicks should be removed from their parents' cage if they feed on their own, sit confidently on the perch and defend their place on it.

Usually on the 30th-32nd day of life, the chicks crawl out onto the perch. However, at this time they are not yet able to feed themselves, and their parents feed them.

Chicks are able to fly freely and get their own food on the 35-40th day of life. Just at this time, they are recommended to be separated from their parents.

If adult birds drop the chicks from the perch, and after that they confidently climb onto it again, then they can be considered independent.

In no case should young parrots separated from their parents be placed in a common aviary or cage with other birds. If you put grown chicks in a room with adult parrots, the latter will attack them, as a result of which, in addition to inevitable injuries, the chicks will also receive severe stress and may even die.

Grown up chicks for 4–6 weeks should be placed in cages or cages along with other parrots of the same age.

Diseases of chicks

Parrot chicks are more prone to various diseases and injuries than adult birds. To avoid the occurrence of infectious diseases, it is necessary to clean the breeding rooms daily, thoroughly wash the feeders, drinkers, baths, perches, etc. In addition, a certain air temperature must be maintained in the nesting rooms, to prevent drafts and an increase in air humidity. Of course, the air in the breeding room should not be too dry. To ensure the normal growth of the chicks, in addition to the main lighting, it is necessary to put in the breeding room additional source Sveta.

Anomalies of development

Sometimes chicks with so-called frog legs appear in parrot broods. The paws of such birds are cramped and turned outward. Among ornithologists, it is widely believed that this anomaly is due to a violation of the nervous system due to a lack of vitamin B.

It is impossible to cure such chicks. Many experts recommend tying the paws of sick parrots, however, such treatment, as practice has shown, does not bring success.

hypothermia

Hypothermia can have a negative effect on the development of chicks and young parrots. Usually, abrupt changes lead to hypothermia in chicks. weather conditions, temperature fluctuations, or the heating in the breeding room is switched off.

Improperly made nest boxes are a huge danger to growing chicks. For example, a nest box may have too thin walls and poor insulation, as a result of which cold penetrates through the bottom of the nesting device.

Due to hypothermia, chicks can experience a sharp decrease in body temperature, metabolic disorders and disorders of the circulatory system, which in most cases leads to the death of parrots.

Injuries

Parents often cause serious damage to chicks. For example, sometimes birds pull out feathers from chicks. As a rule, only one of the parents behaves this way, so you can try to transplant an aggressive bird and leave the chicks to be raised by one parent or transplant the young into another nest box.

Some adult parrots attack their chicks, trying to drive them away, as soon as they leave the nest, as a result of which young birds are seriously injured or even killed. If it was noticed that the parents began to behave aggressively towards their grown chicks, then young parrots should be immediately placed in a separate cage or cage.

Parrots that have just left the nest box are afraid of everything at first, and when they are placed in another cage or aviary, they beat against the net with force. In this case, teenage chicks can get serious injuries, such as a broken wing, paw or even neck.

You can not plant young parrots in common cages and aviaries, as adult birds can injure chicks.

In no case should you let untamed parrots fly around the room, as they can break on window or door glass, get very scared and die from stress, etc.

Improper nutrition

Of great importance for ensuring the normal development of chicks is high-quality and complete food. Protein feeds should be easily digestible and contain all vital amino acids in the optimal ratio.

If the diet of chicks is dominated by soft food, then this can lead over time to the expansion of the stomach and atrophy of its muscles. And an excess of protein and a simultaneous deficiency of vitamin A, most veterinarians consider the cause of gout, which can lead to the death of a parrot.

Problems also arise when the breeder gives the chicks food that contains few calories and a lot of dietary fiber. Regularly eating such food, babies grow poorly, lose weight, and sometimes even die of hunger, although they can find enough food in their goiter.

The development of various diseases in chicks is facilitated by a lack of vitamins, trace elements and mineral salts in the feed. Therefore, each amateur needs to make a diet for the chicks and their parents and, if necessary, increase or decrease the dose of one or another type of food, as well as vitamins and minerals.

Popov virus

Parrot chicks are often affected by the Popov virus, which cannot be killed with conventional disinfectants.

Therefore, to prevent this disease, it is desirable to disinfect the breeding room with iodoform or aldehydes. And equipment and walls in breeding rooms that cannot be treated with such products are recommended to be burned with a blowtorch.

The Popov virus is highly viable: once in a cage or an aviary, it retains contagiousness for a long time and can remain viable for several hours at a temperature of +56 °C. In addition, this virus cannot be killed with conventional disinfectants.

Signs of infection of chicks with the Popov virus are bloating and dehydration, as well as pollution in the cloaca.

Other signs of Popov virus infection in chicks are growth retardation and feather loss and distortion. Unfortunately, a vaccine against this disease has not yet been developed. As a rule, chicks infected with the Popov virus die.