Good Breeding Stock
You need healthy parents to get healthy young. In other words, the parent birds must be selected with care. Not to discourage you, but just because you acquired a male and female lovebird doesn’t mean you can count on a successful breeding season. First of all, it’s no foregone conclusion that birds will accept the partners we select for them. In general, birds bred in captivity won’t present much of a problem in this respect. My preferred method of pairing birds up is to place open rings of different colours on a number of males and females, then place them in an aviary and watch who pairs off with who. If you see two birds that consistently keep each other’s company, remove them from the group and put them in a separate breeding cabinet or aviary, nature will take care of the rest( HOPEFULLY ).
Birds must be of breeding age. They must be at least 10 months old ( 12 or13 months is preferable ). Birds older than 5 – 6 years of age should be retired from breeding.
I colony breed my birds in a good-sized aviary. Do not skimp on space where possible, the more room the better. Never put unpaired birds into the aviary for this leads to trouble.
Birds need the right kind of feed to come into good breeding condition. You must get your birds in the best condition possible for the best results and that means a good balanced diet.
Provide privacy in outdoor aviaries. Grow plants along the outside and hang basket plants on the corners to create the peaceful atmosphere that’s needed to make your birds feel safe and secure.
If you don’t place the nest boxes in direct sunlight, you won’t have to worry much about the humidity. If there is a long spell of dry or warm weather, gently spray the nest boxes with the garden hose each day.
The best breeding results come about if you have chosen good stock, prepared this stock and provided a suitable environment.
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