VMD 513: Pet animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

Breeding of parakeets

BREEDING OF PARAKEET

• The breeding pair should be transferred to a separate inside flight or breeding cage. 
• During the breeding season, Plum-headed parakeets that normally live together in harmony may become  aggressive to wards each other.  Care is therefore required.
• The birds will use a manufactured nest box or a hollowed-out tree stump as a nesting place. 
• The nest box must have a diameter of at least 10 inches and the height of the nest box must be approximately 16-20 inches. 
• An entrance hole of, on average, 3 inches is sufficient. 
• The nest box should preferably be hung up in the night house. 
• The birds do not build nests but will use pieces of rotten wood or damp peat moss. 
• Plum-Headed Parakeets lay 4 or 5 eggs and ring necked parakeet lay 3 to 6 eggs. 
• The female incubates them alone and the young hatch out after between 22 and 24 days on average. 
• Fledging occurs when the young are six weeks old. 
• The young are then fed and nurtured for a time primarily by the male adult.
• They young only get their adult plumage when they are about 1 ½ - 2 years old and sometimes even later. 
• Before that time it is better not to try to breed them. 
• It is extremely important that the keeper should allow the birds as much peace and quiet as possible during the breeding season. 
• If they are disturbed too much, they may reject their eggs or young.