Are You Prepared for the Breeding Season? Dr Tony Gestier. BVSc. MACVSc. BMSc.

Breeding season is again just around the corner. You thought you could take a break after all your young were sold or paired up – not so! Preparation is the key to successful breeding, anything else is just a fluke.

In fact the preparation is not so onerous. If you follow a few simple rules, are aware of the common diseases in your birds and have some clue about boosting nutrition for breeding you will do well. Birds have evolved to breed young! We simply need to know how to get the best from them.

Let’s start with the obvious. Go out into the aviary and make sure all the perches are nice and secure, and large enough to allow the birds to mate without doing a highwire dance. While you are there, check that the nest boxes/logs are hung so that the birds cannot get trapped behind them, you would be amazed how often this happens.

New pairs should be offered a choice of nest boxes or logs with sufficient height above the box to allow for courtship.

Before you walk out of the flight have a good look around for that stray piece of wire that can hook a leg ring. Many a good breeding bird has been lost for the want of a quick check for these little dangers. From there we move onto a few of the more technical issues.

Psittacosis: still the scourge of Australian parrots, but all aviary birds are susceptible. By now, you should have a good understanding of this disease, every bird veterinarian in the country has written or spoken about the disease, its symptoms and the best methods of treatment. In a well managed aviary, all birds will have been monitored, and treated if necessary, with Psittavet. Even a mild dose of psittacosis is enough to devastate a breeding season - don’t run the risk and allow psittacosis to dictate your breeding results.

Trichomoniasis:

Trichomoniasis (canker) – primarily in Budgies, but also common in canaries. You need to have treated your breeders about 3 – 5 weeks prior to pairing up. Treatment is with Ronivet S and is a simple in water administration for 7 days. If you are unsure about this particular disease in your aviary, you really should be talking to your avian veterinarian.

Worms: It always amazes me that, in these days of access to good medicines and information, how many birds die of worms. There are several wormers on the market, but be aware that some have a very narrow safety margin. Check with your avian veterinarian about which products suit your needs – the last thing you need are 200 dead finches because it got hot the day you put the wormer in the water! Wormout Gel has a wide margin of safety and can be used “in water” or as a “direct crop” administration. For cropping, dilute the Wormout Gel 1 part in 9 parts water, shake well, and then give 0.5 mL (half a mL) per 100 grams body weight. Make sure you always use the largest crop needle that comfortably fits the bird – this reduces the hazard of getting wormer down the windpipe.

Nutrition: For those breeders feeding a diet consisting of 80% or more Vetafarm pellets with some fruit, vegetables, read no further as your birds have all the nutrition they will need. For seed based diets we need to add a little extra. Of course most people try to give their birds the best nutrition they can, but there are “tricks of the trade”. One of those is to boost the Linoleic Acid levels of the hen prior to breeding. This fatty acid is known to enhance egg size and egg numbers from otherwise healthy hens.  There is of benefit where a hen lays 4 or more eggs in a clutch or multi clutches. Breeding Aid, contains a Fatty Acid blend of Linoleic and Linolenic acids, plus extra Vitamin E and is mixed with dry seed to boost the diet.

Calcium remains a critical breeding nutrient. Make sure the birds have access to several calcium sources. Calcivet and D’Nutrical, cuttlefish bone, oyster shell and cooked chicken bones can all be used to get that all important calcium into your hens. Do not rely on one calcium source; the best approach is to have several different sources available to the birds.By taking a little time to prepare for the season ahead you will be rewarded with more young on the perch – after all that is what bird breeding is all about.