DNA FINGERPRINTINGI

Yes, we sex birds. With justa single drop ofblood. Over40,000 ofthemnow. But we do something else, too...

~isn't the only thing we talk about.

INCORPORATED1105 KENNEDY PLACE SUITE 4DAVIS CA 95616

zoogen

a regular reverse that is 7" wide x8-1/2" high x 9" long.

We put our boxes on the cageswhen we put the birds in. Most love­birds like to sleep in a box. This isalso the reason we do not removeboxes except for cleaning. Our birdstake a rest from breeding even if thebox is left up, and seem to do so twoor three times a year. I'm sure thereare those who will disagree but thishas worked for us and the birds seemto be doing fine.

At breeding time, we give the birdspalm leaves which they will shred.Hens will tuck pieces in their nJmpfeathers and carry them to the nestwhere they weave them into a nest.Some birds get quite elaborate withsmall tunnels.

Clutches usually consist of four tosix eggs, but some young hens onlylay three and we have some olderhens that will lay as many as eight.Eggs are laid one every other day andhens will begin to sit seriously afterthe second egg is laid. Hens do all theincubating and usually only come outto eat or drink. Males will also feedthe hen while she sits. Eggs take 20 to23 days to hatch and we have noticed

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x 3' and have PVC legs that are easy towash and make the cage light weightto handle. We use 1/2 x 1" 16 gaugewire that is put together with "J" clips.The cage is a "boot" style which has asafety front with a door to access foodand water and another door in the up­per front positioned just a little to theright. This is for catching birds whennecessary. The PVC legs are cut infive foot lengths and attached withwashers and screws. They are posi­tioned on the sides of the cage frontand back so the bottom is about 36"from the floor, making the cage standabout six feet high.

Nest boxes are hung with wirehooks on the outside left front. Thecage wire is cut just enough for thebirds to enter through the 2-1/2" holein the box. There are various stylesand sizes for lovebird boxes. We use

by Judie CaseyVisalia, California

Those Loveable Lovebirds

If lovebirds are your choice, you'llfind that breeding and keeping themis easy, fun and rewarding. Young­sters can be tamed and handfedbabies make wonderful, loveablepets. They can sometimes learn a fewwords, but are not known to betalkers.

Lovebirds are natives of Africa andsome of the offshore islands. Thereare eight species of lovebirds: Peach­faced, Masked, Fischer's, Red-faced,Black-cheeked, Madagascar, Abyssin­ian and Swindern's. We will be dis­cussing the Peach-faced specieswhich makes up the majority of ourbreeding stock.

First on the list is the type and colorof lovebird you want. Some of thecommon color mutations of thePeach-faced species are: blue andgreen pieds, creams, lutinos, Ameri­can cinnamon, mauve and olive.There are many variations of bluesand greens which all have names, butit is very confusing to recognize eachone when you begin. I'm still not sureof all of them.

The best way to decide which birdsyou want is to just choose birds youlike. The only way to really learnabout them is to be able to observethem and their habits.

Getting a true pair is next and that isnot always easy. We have read aboutand been told so many ways to visual­ly sex lovebirds but we gave up aftertoo many wrong guesses. The onlysure way we know is by DNA sexingor surgical sexing. This can be expen­sive, so there aren't many sexed love­birds available for sale. Usually areputable breeder can be very helpfulin choosing a pair.

The following items are some of thebasics from our breeding program.These have been very successful forus and we are happy to pass them onand hope they work for you.

We like to set our birds up with onepair to a cage. We put them togetheras youngsters and let them mature to­gether. Our breeding cages are 2' x 3'

afa WATCHBIRD 27

These two mutations are the colorjit! Pied Peach-faced Lovebirds.

the males will sometimes join the henin the box when the first egg is readyto hatch. This is probably to keep thehatching egg as warm as possible.

After the first egg is hatched, themale stays busy feeding Mama andthe babies, going to and from nestand feed bowl a good part of the day.Our birds have been spoiled withhealthy treats and males with babiesin the nest will run to the front of thecage when they see us coming, look­ing for any goodies we may have forthem.

Babies to be pulled for handfeedingshould not be taken, unless necessa­ry, until they reach three weeks ormore. The time spent with parentsfeeding the chicks is important to givethe1l1 a good start.

Parent-raised babies usually leavethe nest between five and six weeks.The parents will continue to feed thebabies until they learn to eat on theirown. This usually takes two weeksbut we like to leave babies with theirparents for at least three weeks to besure they are eating enough. Thenthey are removed and put into a cage,sometitnes with other young birds, togrow up or until they are sexed and

put into their own breeding cage. Ouryoungsters' cages also have nestboxes to sleep in. Sometio1es three orfour will pile into the saOle box tosleep so you don't need too manyboxes for then1.

Our feeding progran1 consists of afancy cockatiel nlix with extra sun­flower mixed in and a bowl of crU1l1­bles. There are a lot of crumble or pel­let diets on the market. Choose onethat has a good protein percentage as1110St birds will feed a lot of this to ba­bies. Make sure that cuttlebone andn1ineral block are available at alltin1es. This is very ilnportant, espe­cially at breeding time. The calciun1 incuttlebone helps forn1 strong shells soeggs are not accidently broken in thenest.

We give our birds a healthy treateach day. These treats are given in the1110rning and usually only one fro1l1the following list: spray n1illet, hardboiled egg, broccoli,. spinach, corn,111elon and squash. Vegetables arefresh, uncooked and washed. Whenfresh foods are not available, I cookdried beans, corn and brown rice in acrock pot. Also, frozen vegetables canbe used.

Pet birds will usually eat mostthings you do, and this is okay as longas their basic diet is a good one. Alsostay away from too many sweet thingsor highly seasoned foods. We findthat birds with a good healthy diet,which always includes cuttleboneand mineral block, do not need extravitamin or mineral supplements.

If you wish to handfeed a baby,there are several handfeeding formu­las on the market. We add some babyfood to the formula. This is more forthe taste than nutrition. Most comn1er­cial formulas have good nutritionalvalue, but we like to give babies thetaste of what parents Inight be feedingthen1 such as crealned corn, apple­sauce, mixed vegetables, creamedspinach, etc.

We start feeding babies a fairlyliquid formula with a pipette threetimes a day and as they get older thefOflnula gets thicker and a snlall plas­tic measuring spoon is used. At thistime, I give them a piece of spray mil­let and feedings go to twice a day.They like to play with the millet andwill stalt chewing on it. This will leadto cracking seed and weaning. Theywill stalt refusing the forn1ula an.dplaying instead of eating. Once theyare eating a good amount of seed, thefonnula can be given once a day untilthey refuse it altogether.

Handfed babies will wean about thesan1e age as parent-raised birds, al­though I've had S01l1e that weansooner. ·Some babies will go frolll twofeedings a day to cracking seed andjust quit the fonnula. There is no ab­solute on weaning from handfeeding,each bird is different. Just be sure ifyour bird is refusing formula that he iseating plenty of seed and soft food. Ifyou are not sure your bird is eatingenough food on his own, and he is re­fusing forn1ula, check the breastalong the sides of the breast bone. Heshould feel fleshy, not hollow. Heshould also be velY active. If he is jlistsitting and sleeping all the ti1l1e, youneed to feed hio1 a little longer.

We have n1any different kinds ofbirds, but a favorite has always been apet lovebird. Whether parent-raisedor handfed, they are fun to watch andmake a loving, attentive pal. We aresure you will enjoy your experiencewith thenl.

We are often asked by beginnerswhich bird they should choose. With­out hesitation, lovebirds!.

28 October / ovember 1993