Abstract
Introduction
In this article we will explore our experiences in hand-raising peach-face lovebirds and parakeets. We will be talking about the different aspects of breeding and hand-raising along with such items as food, supplements, cages, equipment, etc. This article is broken down into parts for simplicity. These parts are (I) The Feeding of the Parent Birds, (2) Equipment and Cages, (3) Feeding of the Baby Birds, (4) The Nursery, (5) The Results, and (6) A Summary.
Feeding of the Parent Birds
The feeding of the parent birds is a very important aspect, not only during the breeding season, but throughout the whole year. Let us first examine the parakeets basic diet for the whole year. Our parakeets are fed the following:
Parakeet Seed consisting of canary seed, millet, & hulled oats
Dry Kiblet Dog Food (this is put into a blender and ground to a power substance)
Wheat Germ Oil
Cod Liver Oil
Vitamins (everytime the water is changed)
Carrot Tops
Petamine
Hard Boiled Egg Yolks Grit & Gravel Cuttlebone
Lettuce
Apples
Parsley
During the breeding season the following items are increased: Wheat Germ Oil, Petamine, and Hard Boiled Egg yolks.
The feeding of the parent peach-face lovebirds is the same as the parakeets except, that the sunflower seeds and a mixture of wild bird seeds are added. The mixture of wild bird seeds consists of millet, milo, sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and cracked wheat.
Analysis of the Parakeet Seed
Crude Protein 12% minimum
Crude Fat 4% minimum
Crude Fiber 8% maximum
Ash 8% maximum
Moisture 12% maximum
Analysis of the Wild Bird Seed
Crude Protein (MIN) 10%
Crude Fat (MIN) 4%
Crude Fiber (MAX) 14%
Equipment and Cages
With this section, the size, type, etc. of cages and equipment may vary because of personal tastes, space that is available to you, etc. We will only attempt to explain to you what has worked and is continually working for us. The cages for the parakeets vary from a cage that is 2 feet long by 8 inches wide by 3 feet tall to a cage that is 2 feet long by 2 feet wide by 3 feet tall. In these two examples of cages we have had equal success. Only one pair of parakeets is kept to a cage. The nest box for the parakeets is the standard parakeet nest box, which you could buy from your pet shops or make yourself. The cages used for the peach-face lovebirds vary from one cage that is 2 feet long by I l/2 feet wide by I l/2 feet high to a cage that is 2 feet long by 2 feet wide by 3 feet high. Again, as with the parakeets, we have had equal success with each of the cages. The nest boxes for the peach-face lovebirds is the standard lovebird nest box, but we have had equal success using a cockatiel nest box.
Feeding of the Baby Birds
The baby formula is the same for the parakeets as it is for the peach-face lovebirds.
Here is our formula:
I;4 cup of yellow corn meal
1/2 cup of High Protein Baby Cereal 1/3 cup of Petamine
1/3 cup of Parakeet Conditioning Food
I cup of Sunflower Seeds
The sunflower seeds are hulled and they are ground in a blender until they are powder. All of these ingredients are mixed together and put into containers for
storage. Only enough formula is taken out for each feeding. Each feeding is a new batch of formula. At each feeding a few drops of ABO EC Baby Vitamins is added to the formula, along with a few drops of warm water to mix the formula up. Once every 2 to 3 days a few drops of cod liveroil is added to one feeding. Once every 3 days hard boiled egg yolks are added to one feeding. If any of the formula is left over from the feeding, it is placed into the nursery until the next feeding. This helps to encourage the baby birds to start eating on their own faster than not putting it into the nursery at all. If there is any formula that is still left over, it is then discarded. The formula is fed to the babies in an eyedropper until they are full, and before they arc returned to the nursery they are checked to make sure that all the air is removed from their crops. We prefer to use a plastic eyedropper, but if you can not find one, a glass eyedropper will suffice if adequate caution is taken in using it.
Parakeet seed mix and Finch seed mix is introduced to the babies at 4 to 5 weeks of age. Again, as with the left over formula, we are trying to get the babies eating on their own. The babies are closely watched and they are still subsidized with feeding of the formula if they need it. As they improve on eating on their own, small amounts of water are introduced into the nursery. They are closely watched from the time the water is introduced until the time it is taken out. This is a safety measure to insure that none of the babies are injured by the water.