Are My Birds Breeding?

Are you wondering if your birds’ breeding status has changed and if they are breeding or not? Here are some tell tail signs to look for in the aviary that will tell you if your birds are ready to breed, breeding or not.

Are My Birds Breeding Or Not?

There are a number of different signs you can look for that will tell you if your birds are breeding or not.

Here are some of them:

• Cock birds become more vocal.
• The canaries will sing louder than normal.
• The cock bird will be very attentive towards the hen bird.
• The cock bird will be seen chasing the hen around and sometimes pausing to try and feed her, especially in the case of parrots.
• Hens will suddenly appear more alert.
• Hens will start hunting for suitable nesting sites and nesting material.
• The pair may become more destructive and start ripping up the sand sheets or newspaper lining the bottom of their cage.
• They become territorial.
• Hens will nibble more determinedly at the cuttlefish bone as they will need to raise their calcium intake.
• Once they have chosen their nesting site, they will spend progressively longer periods of time sitting there prior to egg-laying.
• With budgerigars, the size of the hen’s droppings will increase, and this is a sign that an egg is imminent. You need to watch your hens carefully if you notice this so that you can pick up if they become egg-bound and require treatment.
• In some birds, their appearance changes. Budgie hens for example will develop a darker shade of brown on their ceres. The cocks in golden sparrows will get a black bill. The cocks in the weaver family will transform from a dull sparrow-like appearance into beautiful colored birds. The peacock will display his beautiful tail feathers. to attract and maintain his harem of hens and also intimidate other males. Quails and pheasants will become more aggressive (males), so ensure the males are separated at this time as they will get into fights and possibly kill one another.

Nesting Box Tips For Breeding Birds

For birds of the same species, make sure the nest boxes are fitted at the same height if they are breeding in a colony together or they will fight to take possession of the higher boxes.

Make sure that the males are separated in the more aggressive species, like larger parrots, quails, and pheasants, and if in adjacent flights, make sure that cock birds cannot reach the toes of their neighbors.