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Hand Rearing African Grey Chicks

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This blog will detail hand rearing of two African grey chicks. You may read about their parents and the clutch  here . The two chicks hatched on Jan 6 and Jan 9, 2012. They were pulled on Jan 22 with one aged 13 days and the other 16 days. The chicks were close banded on Jan 22. The band id of the chicks are SAUD-202 and SAUD-203 respectively. Here is their first photo and their data. SAUD-202 (L) SAUD-203 (R) 13 and 19 days Old ID: SAUD-202 Hatch Date: Jan 6, 2012 Pulled on: Jan 22, 2012 (16 days) Weight: 129g ID: SAUD-203 Hatch Date: Jan 9, 2012 Pulled on: Jan 22, 2012 (13 days) Weight: 117g The chicks are housed inside a homemade brooder made out of an old fish tank. The bottom is covered with wood shavings and lined on top with tissue paper. The brooder temperature is maintained at 90'F. The chicks hatched 3 days apart but their size does not differ significantly. The older chick had its eyes open at the time of pulling while

Improving Hatchability of Parrot Eggs in Incubators: Tips and Tricks

Breeding parrots is a delicate process, and raising healthy offspring from parrot eggs can be quite challenging. For many breeders, incubating parrot eggs is a common practice. However, the hatchability of parrot eggs can be influenced by many factors, such as temperature, humidity, turning frequency, and ventilation. In this article, we will discuss some tips and tricks that can help improve the hatchability of parrot eggs in incubators. 1. Start with Healthy Parrot Eggs The first step in ensuring a successful hatch is to start with healthy parrot eggs. This means selecting eggs that are not cracked, discolored, or deformed. It is also essential to ensure that the eggs are not contaminated with bacteria or other harmful microorganisms. 2. Proper Storage Before incubation, parrot eggs should be stored in a cool, dry place. The ideal temperature for storage is between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, with a humidity level of 75 to 80 percent. Eggs should be turned several times a day to pr

Incubation Period and Clutch Size for Parrot Species

Following is a table of various parrot species, their scientific names, clutch size and incubation period. This is meant to be a guide for breeders. The incubation day count begins from the day proper incubation is started by the birds or in the incubator and not from the day the egg was laid. Always check eggs via candling before discarding. Species Scientific Name Clutch Size Incubation Period Adelaide Rosella  Platycercus adelaidae 4 - 7 eggs 21 days African Grey Parrots Psittacus erithacus erithacus 3 - 4 eggs  28 days Alexandrine Parakeet  Psittacula Eupatria 2 - 4 Eggs 28 Days Amboina King Parakeets  Alisterus amboinensis 3 eggs  21 days Antipodes Green Parrot or Antipodes Island Parakeet  Cyanoramphus unicolor 2 - 6 eggs  26 days Bare-eyed Cockatoo or Little Corella  Cacatua sanguinea: normantomi, sanguinea) 2 - 3 eggs 21 - 27 days Barraband's P

Alexandrine Mutations Project: Year 5 (2015)

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This post relates to my Alexandrine Mutations Project. If you are new to my blog you should start reading about this project here Male 1 This male was previously paired to a tame hen. The hen appeared to be more interested in bonding to a human mate than another bird. Therefore I decided to introduce a new hen this year. This hen is adult & wild. Age is not known but I believe she is above 5 years of age. I also did not have and information on her breeding history.  The birds were paired in August 2014. The hen started to visit the box a month later. I was hoping for an early clutch but the hen did not lay. By December she was spending most of the time in the box but still no eggs. She finally started a clutch in early March 2014, laying 3 eggs. All 3 turned out to be infertile. I removed the eggs hoping for a second clutch but it never came. Male 2 This male was paired to the same hen as last year. The hen spent a lot of time in the box but the she never laid.

Record Keeping for Bird Keepers

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Bird keeping can be more rewarding with record keeping. Record keeping for bird keepers is maintaining information about each bird, each pair, each clutch & each egg. Furthermore it's about recording your actions related to bird set up, diet, medication etc and the results they produce. Getting Started A few things that you need to get started The first thing you need is the ability to uniquely identify each bird. You must be able to identify every bird listed in your records. If you have only a few birds and their physical appearance makes it straight forward to identify them then you need not worry about this. However, if you have dozens of birds that closely resemble each other you may need a way to positively identify each bird. This process is made easy through the use of leg bands or microchips. A leg band assigns a unique number to a bird which can be used to identify that bird. Microchips may also be embedded in larger species which can be read by an electroni

Alexandrine Mutations Project: Year 4 (2014)

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This post relates to my Alexandrine Mutations Project. If you are new to my blog you should start reading about this project  here . A quick summary,  I bred two hybrid males split to ino and blue and a hybrid female split to blue in April 2012 from a pairing of a pure Alexandrine male to an Albino Ringneck hen. The two G1 male birds were setup for breeding this season and paired to two pure Alexandrine hens.  After some initial skirmishes, both pairs bonded and started  visiting the box .  Pair 1 The hen in this pair is a 2 year old,  former pet and is semi-tame. She started spending a lot of time in the box during February 2014. She would assume a mating position on the cage floor when I visited her during feeding time. The male would attempt to mount her but once on the back he didn't really know what to do next. I found a broken soft shelled egg on the cage floor on Feb 28th. I immediately started her on liquid calcium but found another soft shelled egg on March 2 outside t