Abstract
Nestled in the lush, green farmlands of southern England is the home of John and Pat Stoodley, the Broadhalfpenny Conservation Sanctuary and Bezel's Kennels. From the sanctuary buildings, familiar squawks and screeches from clutches of Amazons and macaws hang in the moist air.
Animal husbandry has been embedded in both John and Pat since their early childhood. Together they opened the Bezel Boarding Kennels in the 1950s which is one of the most prominent and popular today. They also bred and raised many prize show dogs and cats. Years back, John was quite a horseman and has ridden over much of the south of England.
Love for. birds started early as John raised canaries while in his teens. During the 1960s, John and Pat raised lovebirds, Australian parakeets and Asian parakeets. But it wasn't until they started working with Pionus, Amazons and macaws that John found the challenge and the need for research which Jed John and Pat to become two of the most noted aviculturists of today.
A permanent fondness became bonded between the Stoodleys and the Pionus genus. It was the Plumcrowned (Pionus tumultuosus) that really set John to start research into egg weights and moisture loss needed for hatchability. One hen in particular laid up to 13 fertile eggs a year, but she wouldn't sit. At the time, fostering techniques did not work. The eggs just wouldn't lose enough moisture. So, artificial incubation was tried.
In those days it was hard to find any information on incubation or incubators, so John and Pat spent a day at the Newent Falconry Centre where John took notes on information regarding their incubator and incubation techniques. From this, John was able to set out and build an incubator feeling quite confident that it could fill their needs.
The Stoodleys had the first breeding in the United Kingdom not only with the Plum-crowned Pionus, but with the Blue-headed (Pi on us menstruus), the Coral-billed (Pionus s o r d i d u s), the Bronze-winged (Pionus cbalcopterus) and the Dusky Pionus (Pionusfuscus) as well.
After a couple of years of research and weighing of eggs from various pairs that were very successful in hatching without any aid, the Stoodleys determined that a weight loss of around 15 % was required by most species for hatching. John wrote an article on these findings for the Dec/Jan 1982 issue of the AFA Watchbird. This opened new doors and helped to develop an undying friendship between American aviculturists and the Stoodleys.
The beginning of the Amazon invasion at Broadhalfpenny Sanctuary began with Pat. She acquired a collection really to keep the collection intact and to assure that the birds would receive proper care. It didn't take long for John to develop an interest in this genus as well. The Stoodleys have worked with and bred 28 species of Amazons and, in the past few years, have paid specific attention to some of the island species. John is particularly happy with the success they and others have had with the Cuban Amazon (Amazona leucocepbala). Although much more limited success has been obtained with the Hispaniolan Amazon (Amazona ventralis) he is quite proud of what success there has been with this species as well. These island species have shown to be quite aggressive and to act out aggression on their mates. However, the second generation birds, now reaching maturity, have proven to be more steady and calm in nature.
One of John's favorites is the little Yellow-faced Amazon {Amazona xantbops). They are timid and shy birds who demand a more private nesting area. It is felt that this species has great potential even though they are so temperamental. Pairs produce large clutches of four to six eggs leading to a good many offspring each year.
There are six species of macaws at Broadhalfpenny Sanctuary including the Hyacinthine (Anodorhynchus byacintbinus), Buffon's (Ara ambigua) or Great Green and Red-fronted Macaw (Ara rubrogenys). The Stoodleys have had great success in macaws as well, particularly with the Red-fronted Macaw.
At the time of my visit at the end of April, it was the beginning of the breeding season. Eggs were being laid and chicks were beginning to hatch. The most incredible remembrance is of two Great Green Macaw chicks being raised under foster parents, Yellow Naped Amazons (Amazona ocbrocepbata paruipes). Wow! These three-week-old babies were nearing the size of their foster parents and they were being fed extremely well with no supplementation. What an incredible sight!
Four years ago when John began feeling weary from being up almost around the clock hand feeding, he decided there really had to be a better way. They started to shuffle chicks around. At times, there would be one pair of birds fostering up to a dozen chicks. The chicks would be rotated four in at a time for feeding while others would be kept in the warmth of the nursery. Then they would be rotated three to four times a day with the other two clutches. Although supplementation was at times needed, it was not the amount of work required by total hand feeding. John credits the White-capped Pionus (Pionus senilis) as being the best birds for foster parenting.
"What triggers the hen into feeding is the call," John stated. "A hen can be tricked into learning to feed by exchanging her day one chick with a day three chick whose call is louder and more demanding." John also shared with me a technique for triggering a hen to feed a newly hatched chick although she has only been sitting for a week. If you fill a blown egg with some type of crawling insect and lay it under the hen, she will feel the movement. After about 48 hours, you can replace that egg with the chick placed carefully back in his shell so that he can knock the shell away and the hen will perceive this as her newborn chick.