Abstract
Cage breeding? Why would anyone cage breed cockatiels when they breed so readily in a colony' The reason for cage breeding varies from breeder to breeder but once the decision is made, there are many factors to consider for a successful breeding season, factors such as cage and nest box design, pairing breeders, diet, and chick growth.
When Mark and I started breeding cockatiels in 1980, it quickly became clear that outdoor flight breeding was not going to be successful because of the predators we had in the neighborhood. Breeding pairs would just get settled on a clutch of eggs only to be frightened off at night by a cat. After several unsuccessful nestings, we made the decision to cage breed in a spare bedroom. Having never experienced the pleasure of breeding cockatiels, success became a best guess effort for us. In the next few paragraphs I would like to share with you what did become successful in cage size, pairing, lighting and diet.
Cockatiels are powerful fliers and frequently exercise their 14-inch wing span by hanging onto a perch and beating their wings. Because of this fact, plus the availability of 18 and 24 inch (widths), half-by-onei nch welded wire, we decided to build our breeding cages 24 inches deep, 30 inches across the front and 18 inches high. The sides are constructed from one continuous piece of 18" width welded wire folded to make a 24" by 30" rectangle. Two pieces of 24'' wire cut 30 inches long serve as the top and bottom. All three wire pieces are assembled with "J" clips. An eight inch high, ten inch wide opening is cut four inches from the bottom and four and a half inches from the side on the front face for a doorway. Two 3/32" diameter slide wires are brazed to each side of the doorway to facilitate an up-and-down sliding door. The wires are brazed at the bottom of the doorway and the top of the cage. Wire tabs are left on the eight inch by ten inch door when it is cut from the welded wire. These tabs are then wrapped around the slide wires. We have found that a sliding door is easier to handle in comparison to a latched door when one's hands are full. Offsetting the door allows for mounting the nest box on the front of the cage next to the door.
Nest boxes are made from 3/8" plywood with inside dimensions of nine inches across the front, ten inches deep and ten and a half inches high. We provide the breeders with a three inch wide entry shelf set three inches up from the floor to keep birds from dropping onto their eggs or young chicks when entering the nest. This shelf also serves as a place for the male to sit but still guard the nest on cold nights. As with most nest boxes, a three inch Jong wooden dowel is placed just below the 2-1/2" to 3'' entrance hole. The nest box is hung on the cage with hooks. Once the nest box is located, a corresponding square hole is cut in the wire cage to facilitate the entrance hole.
To take full advantage of the nine foot by ten foot bedroom, we double stack the wire cages using a 1 x 1 inch angle iron frame. The two cages are bolted to the 60 inch long legs at the top and 34 inches down the leg. Since we prefer a wire bottom cage, a plywood debris catch shelf is placed three inches below each cage. We use a I x I inch angle iron for the catch shelf frame. The whole cage/frame assembly is bolted together with 1/4 inch by 1-1/4 inch long bolts. Modified fender washers are needed at the cage attachment points. Once the cages are assembled as a unit and standing, the nest boxes are mounted.
A few details need to be taken care of before the introduction of the breeders to their new cage. First, the catch shelves are piled high with 15 sheets of paper of the "Wall Street Journal" for the purpose of easy cleaning. Individual sheets are removed as they become soiled. This is done once a week before the chicks hatch, and every three or four days thereafter.
Our concerns with bands on the young chicks catching on the wire bottom cages turned out to be unfounded.