Abstract
When you have obtained a pair of
lovebirds and want to set them up to
breed, there are a few things that can
happen in the nest to be aware of.
Lovebirds build their own nest from
materials you supply. Their favorite is
palm leaves. The birds will shred the
leaves into thin pieces. Females tuck
the pieces into their rump feathers and
under their wings. This is carried to
the nest box where she will build her
nest. Some nests are quite elaborate
with a deep tunnel and an entrance
that is covered on top. They will continue
to build the nest as long as the
material is available, sometimes even
if eggs have been laid or babies
hatched.
If palm leaves are not available,
there are some other things you can
try. Some birds will use fresh corn
husks, Bird of Paradise leaves or some
types of bamboo. Make sure anything
you give your birds is free of insecticides
and is not poisonous.
When the female starts to lay her
eggs, it is helpful to keep track of
dates the eggs are laid to estimate
dates of hatch. I use index cards
stapled to the nest box, but a calendar
is easy when you don't have a large
number of birds.
The hen will lay an egg every other
day. Eggs will hatch 19 to 21 days
from the date of incubation. Sometimes
the hen doesn't start incubating
until two or three eggs have been laid.
Make a note of the date she starts sitting
all the time.
Babies will hatch one every other
day if the hen started sitting with the
first egg. If she didn't, two or three
babies can hatch at the same time. If
the hen has laid five of six eggs and
they all hatch, the last may be very
small compared to the first hatched.
Check them from time to time to see if
they are being fed and don't wind up
on the bottom of the pile of babies.
If you have other lovebirds with
babies, you can switch them so sizes
are more even. Try not to overburden
any pair with too many babies. Most
of the stress in breeding is in raising
the babies. If you don't have other
babies to switch with, when you
check the babies put the smallest ones
on top of the larger ones. If they still
don't get fed, wait for the parents to
feed, then remove the larger ones.
When the parents feed again, they will
only have the smaller ones to feed.
After they have been fed, the larger
babies can be put back. Always keep
babies removed from the nest nice
and warm.
Keep your nest boxes as clean and
dry as you can without disturbing the
parents too much. It is helpful to keep
some of the nesting material that falls
to the bottom of the cage. This can be
laid under the babies for fresh bedding
without disturbing the nest itself.
Lice and mites can be another problem
in the nest. To discourage them,
we put Sevin powder in our boxes
before the birds start building their
nests. We also use Eucalyptus leaves
in the boxes. Boxes should be thoroughly
cleaned and disinfected after
each clutch, then fresh powder
and/ or leaves put in them. If you find
babies or parents with lice or mites,
there are sprays that can help. Spray
babies and parents, keeping spray
away from eyes and mouth. Spray can
be used in the nest but don't get the
bedding wet. Powder is better as long
as babies are in the nest.
Some birds will nest in warmer
weather. When babies start to get pin
feathers, sometimes parents will pick
them. This only seems to happen in
the heat, but there is a chance that
parents could do this anytime. Not all
parents do this, and sometimes parents
who have never picked babies
will do so in extreme heat. It seems
there is no definite reason why. There
are, however, many opinions. If this
happens, we use a bitter spray on the
babies. Most times parents don't like
the bitter taste and will stop. You may
need to apply the spray several times.
Normally, the babies' feathers will
grow back with no permanent
damage.
When babies leave the nest, parents
will continue to feed them for about
two weeks until they are eating on
their own. I don't remove babies until
they have been out three weeks. By
this time they are sure to be eating on
their own. If you have more than one
nest of babies ready to leave their
parents, most times they can be
housed in a cage together. Young
birds will normally get along together.
No matter what we do or try, there is
always a chance of losing babies in
the nest, and most often if has nothing
to do with anything we have done.
Don't let any of these things discourage
you. Some things must be left to
nature, especially when we have done
all we can. We are rewarded when we
have a cage of fat, healthy babies. It's
a wonderful sight.