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By Marcy Covault
Birds are
NOT like dogs and cats. Most parrot species bond to one mate (though not necessarily for life), and the
environment and diet have to be right for them to breed and rear chicks successfully.
Part 2 of 5 — Breeding Birds
When I started investigating breeding in suspended flights, one
of the first things I was told by a breeder with an outdoor setup was that you wanted
a large flight for exercise, a sturdy perch for breeding, and a nestbox to be the
focal point of the pair.  Toys were distractions from their main activity-breeding.
I wasn't convinced then, and I'm sure that was incorrect advice now. Birds are
intelligent creatures, and in the wild they have not only lots of area to fly, but
also lots of fauna and flora to explore, as well as variety in food and play objects.
For birds that are indoors, I provide an overhead fluorescent light
fixture with "full spectrum" lighting (specifically for birds, not plants, because
of the different UV requirements). I change bulbs with each new season, as the lights
diminish in effectiveness over time.
Because flight space is necessarily limited in a home aviary,
particularly if we are setting up individual breeding pairs, making flight setups
as interesting and stress-free as possible can be a challenge – but it is in their
best interest, as well as promoting a more productive breeding environment. I
believe we have an obligation to provide environmental enrichment for all our birds' well-being.
Of course, there are also survival issues from predators. In our home aviaries,
they do not have to worry about predation if we can make the areas safe from night marauding
creatures, such as opossums, raccoons, ringtailed cats, ferrets, owls, rats, coyotes, snakes,
etc., and daytime predators, such as hawks and domestic or feral cats.
Cages – Because of the fact that many breeding pairs are not
very human – oriented and may be stressed by frequent handling or nearby activity, my
breeder pairs with this temperament have their own areas, with larger flights because
they don't get out as often, and with privacy from human "living" areas. Those pairs
that enjoy human activity may be in the living room, but they usually will have a private
corner, because they may be disturbed by evening noisy flock activity or human gatherings.
Feathered neighbors and visual barriers – Many species are
sensitive to their neighbors, rather like people. A quiet person probably doesn't appreciate
a super-noisy neighbor. Same thing with birds. And in the case of pairs set up for breeding,
noisy neighbors can mean no eggs, infertile eggs, broken or eaten eggs, killed or maimed or
deserted chicks-not exactly a pleasant scenario! For some species, sight barriers are
necessary for less stressful breeding, and I provide those. I usually hang a thin piece
of plywood or opaque acrylic in between two cages for a visual barrier.
Nestboxes, inspections/intrusions – I use either bootboxes
or vertical grandfather nest boxes for my birds, appropriately sized for the species,
and providing them as much privacy as possible, e.g., facing the entrance hole to a wall
or at least away from other birds, if at all possible.
I also give my breeding pairs in the nestbox as much privacy and freedom from
intrusion as I can. Different pairs are tolerant to different extents to nestbox inspections. 
The key is to know your pairs, and that only comes with experience with them, unless you have
a good background on them when you bought them. Even then, a change in environment can bring
about a change in behaviors. A formerly proven and producing pair can refuse to even lay for
a year or more in a new environment!
There is often a necessity for a judgment call, which becomes better with
experience and knowing your pairs-when to monitor nestlings closely and when to just let the
parents do their job. No one can make that call for another-just advise what they might do
in that case. It's tragic to make a decision to check and have a parent bird kill a chick
right in front of you, but it's also tragic to not check and have parent birds not feeding
or mutilating chicks, when you could have seen a problem and removed the chicks. We don't
always in our own lives make the best decisions, no matter how much life experience we have,
nor should we expect perfection in our birdkeeping. We do the best we can and realize that
nature sometimes throws us a nasty curve.
Diet
Product names mentioned are examples of well-known brands, but are not
necessarily endorsements solely of those brands, as there are many good avian-specific
brands on the market today, unlike even as recently as a decade ago.
Breeding pairs get extra calcium BEFORE they start the breeding season,
so that the hen can build up her reserves for egg-laying. My pairs have a mineral block
and piece of cuttlebone (and their preferences vary for these) in their flights. In
addition, I will either sprinkle an avian-formulated calcium supplement with Vitamin
D3 (the "sunshine" vitamin, which assists in calcium utilization by the body), such as
CalciCare, on soft foods two or three times a week, or put a few drops of liquid
calcium supplement, such as CalciBoost, in their drinking water. Since hens use calcium
reserves out of their own bones if they are deficient, health problems with the hen or
with soft-shelled eggs will result if sufficient utilizable calcium levels are not maintained.
During incubation, I provide a good diet with plenty of fresh water (including a bathing bowl
for the hen, as she will get her chest wet and instinctively regulate humidity in the nestbox).
When the parents are feeding chicks, I add plenty of fresh, nutritious foods that are easy for
them to take to the chicks, and I check that food at least 3 times per day, as they will go
through a bowl of fresh foods quickly when the chicks are developing.
Handfeeding Decisions
Taking a clutch to handfeed – Deciding when to start handfeeding
depends on the species. The age of the chicks when you remove from the nest to handfeed
varies with species and what you intend for that clutch. For example, most small conures
can be taken up to 4 weeks old and are still very tractable. Parrotlets and Indian ringnecks
usually need to be taken for handfeeding before 3 weeks old (and preferably at about 2 weeks old)
to maximize their pet potential. Regardless, handling and socializing are more important than just
handfeeding for a quality companion parrot. That cannot be emphasized enough!
Co-parenting babies – Unless one has a parent pair that
is very tolerant (and many are NOT), handling the chicks enough in the nest to ensure they
will be tame is difficult. This method can be more labor-intensive than just taking a clutch
and handfeeding from a young age, as you have to deal with the protectiveness of the parent birds
in addition to the handling of the chicks.
What is Co-parenting?
Co-parenting is a term used to apply to some degree of joint rearing of chicks from hatch to weaning –
depending on the situation, the temperament and setup of the parent birds, and the schedule of the person
doing the co-parenting. It includes, but may not be limited to, the following three methods:
- Supplementing handfeeding morning and evening, handling/playing with the babies, and leaving in
the nest box through weaning;
- Handling/playing with the babies for a daily period of time (usually 5 to 15 minutes) without
handfeeding, and leaving in the nest box through weaning (and even beyond); and
- Handfeeding in the morning, handling/playing with in the evening, and pulling from the nest box
at or near fledging for handfeeding (and/or co-feeding with parents).
Some smaller aviculturists have been experimenting with variations of co-parenting for many years.
Co-parenting can also be useful when first-time parents are not quite tending the babies as well as
experienced parents would. The breeder can supplement feeding, also handling the babies for early
socialization, while leaving with the parents (provided the parents tolerate this intrusion).
U.C. Davis did a study years ago on orange-winged Amazon babies, basically using
method #2. They had rigged up a way to shut the parents out of the box, so there wouldn't be a problem
with aggression toward chicks or handlers during the interactive chick play times. Follow-up studies on
generations-level effects are being conducted. These hope to discern the adult temperament impacts of
the co-parented birds themselves (as distinguished from either wild caught or handfed from an early age)
as parents. It may be a few years before results are published.
Parent raised babies – If you want to raise only breeding birds
and are not concerned with tameness, then parent-raising is an option, IF your pair are good
parents and will rear to weaning and beyond. Some will and some won't! Also, you must be vigilant
in removing weaned parent-raised babies from the flight with many species, as parents may pluck
or otherwise attack fledglings in that confined environment, particularly if the parents want to
go back to nest. Fledglings, even if tolerated, may also destroy eggs or kill new babies. This
isn't true with all species or all pairs, but it's better to err on the side of caution than
walk out to a chewed up baby on the floor of the flight!
Part 1 — Parrotkeeping
Part 2 — Breeding Birds
Part 3 — Handfeeding and Raising Youngsters
Part 4 — Selling Birds
Part 5 — Legislation and References
(Copyright) Marcy Covault: No part of
this article or its photos may be used for any reproduction without the
written permission of the author.
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