AGAPORNIS W RLD®
|
|
BREEDING The breeding or reproduction of lovebirds is more than pairing 2 birds, putting a nest and waiting for them to breed. Before anything we have to wonder if we have the proper conditions for the breeding, so that the birds have the perfect conditions to do it. The breeding of any type of bird without the minimum conditions, besides of being an error, it is a demonstration of lack of ethics and a disparaging attitude to animal life. Anyone wanting to start in the breeding of lovebirds has to think in first place that these birds are quite active and their singing is considered very loud by a lot of people. So, breeding these birds in apartments or in densely populated zones can bring problems with the neighbourhood in the future. If you have these conditions, the best thing to do is to start with one or two pairs, and make sure that the noise produced by the birds do not bother your neighbourhood. I bred lovebirds in an apartment and I had no problems with the noise. SELECTION OF BIRDS
The selection of birds that are going to form breeding pairs is essential for the breeding success. I’m not going to advice to buy neither in specialized pet shops nor in breeders, both one and the other you can have joy or sadness. You have to buy where you trust. If you do not have any knowledge in this area, I advice you to visit some experienced breeders. Internet is an excellent means for getting information of these birds, and to form your own opinion, because no breeder has the absolute truth neither this means that has respect for the breeding of these birds.
Select active birds, that present a good plumage and be sure that they do not have a dirty anus, because this is a signal that they have diarrhoea. Birds that are shrunken in a corner or with bristled feathers or with a bump in the eyes show the signal of being sick, and put with other birds can transmit the disease to them.
Select ringed birds, so you can know its age and origin. It is preferable to buy young birds with a few months than adult birds, mainly if they are 2 years old or older. Many times these birds are sold because they have any problem to breed, hens over all. It is also true that sometimes the birds do not breed well in our house, and they start to breed quite well when we change the environment, this occurs when they were breeding in another place, and they do not get used to our environment. If this happens, the best thing to do is to put them away from the place they feel insecure.
The most controversial question in the breeding of lovebirds is the distinction of cocks and hens (species where they are not sexual dimorphic). This is the main handicap for the beginners. Experienced breeders have also difficulties in knowing the sex of the birds when they are too young. There is very much written about this issue, but no one can assure a 100% reliable method for the sexing of lovebirds, apart from the DNA analysis, a blood or feather analysis. The exceptions are some crossings with sex-linked mutations; here we have to rely on the honesty of the breeder. This problem increases with the fact of the existence of homosexuality in lovebirds, most common in hens than in cocks. This happens when the birds have not the possibility of select a pair of the other sex. Frequently two hens behave as a true pair, building the nest, feeding each other, where one of them takes the cock role mating with the other. This fact confuses breeders that later realize that they have 2 hens due to the exaggerated number of eggs that appear in the nest, and also due to the fact that these eggs are not fertilized. When they are two cocks is easier for the breeder to realize because cocks do not build a nest and they do not lay eggs though they behave as a true pair. Adult birds are easier to sex due to the pelvic bones, being longer and rounded in the hens and closer and sharp in the cocks. Hens are also larger and they have the head and the abdomen rounder than cocks. The most effective way of forming pairs is by means of the DNA analysis, or put several birds in an aviary and let them form pairs. This process is short and we have the advantage that they join by mutual affinity, avoiding incompatibilities that sometimes appear when we force the pairs. Sometimes if we force the pairs the breeding process is retarded or even it is possible that the pair do not breed.
Breeding in colony or breeding single pairs in cages Selecting the place and the facilities Preparation of the birds for the breeding
|
|
Copyright © 2003
Viveiro Curval. |
