Budgerigar breeders. Reproduction of wavy parrots. Optimal choice of nesting house

Very successfully can breed at home. The main thing is to choose the right partners and prepare them properly.

Parrot Health Requirements

Sick and weak individuals are not able to give healthy offspring. So we exclude this category immediately. Also, old birds should not be bred, as they give offspring of poor quality.

Starting mating, parrots should be moderately well-fed, but not fat. If, on the contrary, they are thin and weak, they are not able to incubate eggs with high quality.

The ability to bear children in budgerigars begins already at 5-7 months of life, but sexual maturity - only by 1-1.5 years. A younger female may die while laying eggs. The most suitable age for reproduction is 2-4 years of age. The ability to reproduce remains up to 8-9 years, subject to proper maintenance and moderate brooding (up to 3 times a year).

Conditions for breeding budgerigars

In addition to selection right pair, it is important to provide budgerigars with home breeding conditions that are close to those present in their natural habitat.

So, in nature, they lay their eggs in the hollows of trees. For home breeding, budgerigars use a nest, or rather, nest boxes. They look like ordinary birdhouses, knocked together from wooden boards. According to the shape and method of fastening, they can be vertical, horizontal and compromise.

Inside the "nest" you need to pour dry hardwood sawdust with a layer of 2-3 cm, and for disinfection you can add a couple of teaspoons of ordinary pharmacy chamomile.

During the period (you will notice it by the changed behavior of budgerigars - they will become more aggressive towards you), the birds need to start giving an egg mixture: boiled eggs, semolina and carrots. You also need to increase the amount of greens, vegetables and fruits. In addition to the mineral stone, crushed eggshells and chalk (calcium gluconate tablets) should be present in the cage.

Almost every family has a pet: a cat or a dog, fish, rodents or parrots. Pets cheer up, and care and play with them bring incredible pleasure to both children and adults. But how do you look at turning a hobby into a full-fledged way of earning? Interesting? Then let's take a closer look at the idea of breeding budgerigars at home as a business.

parrots already long time are popular pets, most people adore these cute and funny talking birds. The demand for them is quite large, in pet stores they are sold out very quickly. Therefore, it makes sense to turn parrot breeding into a profitable home business.

Benefits of breeding parrots at home

High demand. The variety of species of parrots makes them popular. Each person can choose the breed he likes, choose the coloring of the parrot. Most often they are bought for children. Growing parrots, unlike, does not require living in countryside, chicks can be bred even in a city apartment.

The cost of the bird. Some types of parrots are very expensive, but the demand for such exclusive birds is small. The most popular and inexpensive are budgerigars. Therefore, on initial stage, I recommend that you start breeding this particular type of bird.

Small financial costs. Unlike, for which you need to equip a large area, you can breed budgerigars in the city in your own house or apartment. All that is needed is to purchase a couple at an age ready for reproduction, equip cages for their maintenance, and provide the birds with good nutrition. You can start small, gradually turning this business into a full-fledged business.

Disadvantages of breeding parrots at home

Noisy birds. If you live in a one-room apartment, then it will be difficult to breed parrots at home. The fact is that they need freedom, they need to be let out of the cage to fly, and parrots are also quite noisy birds. Therefore, think about whether you are ready for the upcoming difficulties.
A lot of time. Birds require constant care: feeding, cleaning cages, training. Keep in mind that parrots cannot be left unattended for a week and leave to travel. Be prepared to devote almost all of your time to your pets.

Is it profitable to breed parrots?

Given all the pros and cons of breeding parrots at home, we can conclude that this business suitable for people who have a lot of free time and are ready to devote it to the care and education of birds. As for the financial benefits, the business of breeding parrots may well become a profitable business with a competent approach to the implementation of the idea.

How to breed budgerigars at home?

If you decide to grow parrots at home, then, first of all, you need to buy several pairs of birds for breeding.

You can buy birds in a pet store, in the market or in a nursery, directly from people who breed birds for sale. But before you go shopping, you should study in detail all the information about this type of bird, decide on the breed. You can try your hand at breeding budgerigars, lovebirds, cockatoos or grays. It all depends on your desire and financial opportunities. budgerigars less whimsical to the conditions of keeping and nutrition, so it is advisable for a novice poultry farmer to start his business by breeding this funny bird. Concerning large breeds, such as macaws, cockatoos, grays, then their maintenance is financially more costly.

Breeding budgerigars at home: choose a pair

Budgerigars are flocking birds that in nature keep all together, breed offspring at about the same time. Therefore, if you want to start a parrot breeding business, it is recommended to purchase several pairs at once. You can start breeding different breeds parrots or dwell on one particular species.

When choosing pets, you need to make sure that the boy and girl are not related to each other. The offspring from such birds will be weak and most likely will not survive, so be sure to consider this nuance.

At about the age of one and a half to two years, parrots reach puberty and are ready to breed. You must be ready for this stage, properly equip the birdhouse, take care of the diet, because at the moment all this plays an important role.

How to breed budgerigars?

If the pairs are chosen successfully and all suitable conditions for breeding at home are created, the birds are ready to start breeding. After 8-10 days, the female will lay the first egg, then other eggs will appear at intervals of a day. Usually, the female lays about 5-6 eggs at a time, but maybe more up to 10-12. After 12-18 days, the firstborn will appear, a small cub, the next hatch at an interval of one day. After a week, the chicks begin to see, after two weeks of life they are covered with downy plumage. A month later, the birds are already completely covered with feathers and acquire color. After 35-40 days, young parrots are already free to fly, it's time to move them to their own spacious cage.

Bird feeding

Parrots eat mainly special food, which is enriched with vitamins necessary for their full growth. But in addition to dry food, their diet should contain vitamin vegetables and fruits, cottage cheese, boiled eggs, sprouted grains. During the breeding season, birds should be given young branches of linden, apple, birch, mountain ash, dandelions. A drop of fish oil and crushed egg husks should be added to the feed, this will provide the bird's body with calcium and phosphorus, they will not get sick.

Costs and Profits of a Parrot Breeding Business

Business expenses

Buying parrots. The price will depend directly on the breed and place of purchase. Budgerigars are considered the cheapest and most unpretentious, and you can start with breeding this breed. If funds allow, then you can start growing and breeding more exotic species: grays, macaws, cockatoos.
Purchase of a cage and accessories. To keep birds, you need to buy spacious cages where they will live. You will also need drinkers, feeders, entertaining toys for birds.
Feed costs. Depending on the breed, the cost of food will vary significantly. Naturally, a large cockatoo consumes much more food than a budgerigar, consider this nuance.

Profit

Breeding birds can bring you permanent, stable income. The main thing is to find a profitable sales channel. For this, it is necessary to develop a competent advertising campaign. Many people are looking for pets on thematic forums and classifieds sites. Therefore, be sure to place ads on these resources. If possible, create your own website, which will contain all the information about the breed of birds, the conditions for their maintenance, price and contact numbers for communication.

Sale of parrots in a pet store. An excellent distribution channel will be a pet store. To do this, you need to conclude relevant contracts and negotiate a price.

Sale of birds via the Internet. You can sell parrots through an online store. Believe in modern times, this option is the most acceptable and you will quickly find buyers.

Read in this article

Someone breeds a certain type of bird for sale, someone just wants to increase the number of feathered pets, and someone only dreams of making tweeting friends. Therefore, many of us are wondering which feathered creatures are the easiest to breed? Nowadays, one of the most popular types of birds are budgerigars, breeding at home which even novice poultry farmers can do.

So, the owner of parrots who plans to breed them will have to pay attention to the following issues:

I'll pick a couple.
Cage and nesting equipment.
The study of the behavior of birds.
Enrichment of the diet with useful substances.
Caring for parents and little parrots.

Pair selection

Individuals selected for the role of parents must be strong and mobile. Elderly or debilitated pets often lay unfertilized or non-viable eggs. In addition, the birds should be well-fed, but not excessively. Thin individuals usually do not want to constantly sit on eggs and fully feed their offspring.

The chicks will be healthy if the parents are purchased from different breeders (this will eliminate the possibility of incest). Females are considered sexually mature if their age has reached 1 year and males from 10 months, but the highest fecundity occurs in the 2-4th years of life. With the right content, parrots are able to breed up to 9-10 years of age, and sometimes longer.

The mating season of "waves" in nature falls on June, but the reproduction of budgerigars at home can also occur in other months, moreover, up to 2-3 times a year.

Cell preparation

The main requirements for housing for budgerigars are sufficient dimensions, cleanliness and access to light. The habitat parameters should be calculated taking into account future chicks (area - 65 × 55 cm or more with a height of 65 cm). Crowding can cause parents to start destroying their offspring.

The behavior of females at the breeding stage changes greatly - they become more mobile and gnaw at everything that is in their field of vision. The owner must provide them with everything they need: pieces of apples and carrots, small branches of various thicknesses. Otherwise, cage bars, ornaments, toys and even male plumage will be used.

It is important to take into account a very important nuance that such pets will require their owners to pay attention to: breeding these birds at home will be successful only when the daylight hours are at least 15 hours. The temperature in the room where the cage stands should be + 18 + 20 ° C. In summer, it will be enough just to open the curtains in the morning, and with the onset of cold weather, artificial lighting and heating cannot be dispensed with. With the advent of the first twilight, you will have to immediately turn on the overhead light. It is unacceptable to keep pets in a draft.

How does the existing couple behave?

The first meeting of birds should take place in a cage intended for them. If the feathered "newlyweds" get along with each other, do not arrange fights with pulling out feathers, then it means that replenishment can be expected very soon. During the courtship period, the groom flaunts in front of his girlfriend, chirps fervently, sorts out her feathers, feeds from her beak, spreads her wings, raises her crest. The female, showing reciprocity, keeps near her betrothed: she sits with narrowed eyes, responds to frequent kisses. This attachment lasts until the end of life.

- a very fast process, so it very often goes unnoticed by the owners. Sometimes one time is enough to fertilize a female, but sometimes spouses do not stop mating for several days or even weeks.

The best time for breeding budgerigars is from June to September, when there is enough heat, light and fresh vitamin food.

If the pair did not work out, which is extremely rare, then the birds fight or simply ignore each other, while the female does not pay any attention to the nest. In this case, the calm potential parent should be left, and the “rebel” should be replaced with a more peaceful relative.

Budgerigar Diet

During the breeding season, the food of feathered wards, in addition to traditional grain mixtures, should contain a sufficient amount of vitamins and microelements. Also, future parents need to provide round-the-clock access to clean water. There should always be fresh plant food in the feeder. If the treats begin to fade or rot, then they should be changed immediately.

To improve the health of volnushki, you can periodically give special food: mix a finely chopped boiled egg with grated carrots and ground eggshells or calcium from a veterinary pharmacy. Sprouted grains are useful for birds throughout their lives, but during the breeding season they are simply irreplaceable. Their average daily portion before laying should be doubled. Special pebbles and crayons will be good additional sources of calcium. And thin branches of fruit trees will come in handy as food, as building material for the nest and as a “sharpener” for the beak.

Nesting and offspring

A day or two after mating budgerigars, the behavior of the female changes - she begins to look for a secluded corner in the cage. It was at this time that the owner should take care of the nesting arrangement. The bird house should be hung as high as possible. The parameters of the "maternity hospital" should be as follows: bottom area - 22 × 15 cm; height - 20 cm, diameter of the notch - 2.5 cm. Do not be afraid if the expectant mother will first bypass it. Gradually, she will get used to an unfamiliar structure, begin to explore it from the outside and from the inside, and then she will certainly take up the establishment of order.

The female's tummy gradually rounds off, appetite noticeably increases, feathers thin out on the chest and stomach (she tears them out to warm the nest). And the function of dad during this period is to sit for a long time near the nesting place, chirping loudly and feeding his half. These signs indicate that the bird is definitely pregnant, and the first egg will appear soon. At this time, do not disturb the couple, checking for masonry. It is better not to touch the house at all, so that the female does not give up her familiar place or die from an unlaid egg.

It should be borne in mind that from the moment when the bird has settled in and until the appearance of the first egg, a lot of time can pass - up to one month. Usually 2-4 eggs are incubated. After hatching the first parrot, sprouted grains should be gradually removed from the diet of pets, and the proportion of vegetables rich in carotene, on the contrary, should be increased.

After the chicks reach 2 weeks of age, the behavior of the mother changes: she becomes much calmer, leaves the house more often. At this time, you can clean the nest. After waiting for the moment when the bird leaves to eat, one must carefully take the nesting place, remove the juveniles from it (not with bare hands, but with gloves, otherwise the female may not recognize her children later). By removing the waste and replacing the litter with a clean one, you can return the offspring to their place.

When the grown parrots begin to leave the nest on their own, the house can be removed, and the babies themselves can be planted from their parents in another cage.

You can separate the offspring no earlier than a month after hatching. After the parrots reach 2 months of age, they are returned to the common cage, but only on condition that the juvenile plumage has become stronger.

Breeding budgerigars is not difficult. All that is required of a person is strict adherence to the rules of hygiene and providing pets with good nutrition. Most attention will have to be paid to the first clutch, and if the owner can study the habits of his feathered wards well, then strong offspring will not be long in coming.

Video on breeding budgerigars

Animal breeding is a rather labor-intensive process, which, nevertheless, with proper organization of the business, can become a source of quite a decent income. And one of the easiest options is to breed budgerigars.

Brief business analysis:
Business setup costs:90-100 thousand rubles (with a plant of 30 pairs of parrots)
Relevant for cities with a population: from 150 thousand
Situation in the industry:a wide range of offers on the pet market
The complexity of organizing a business: 2/5
Payback: 6-8 months

The benefits of such a business

Budgerigars are the best option for beginner breeders.. There are several reasons for this:

Ease of care and maintenance of this species of birds. Small and unpretentious, they do not require the creation of special climatic conditions.
Small financial investment. Due to their low cost and widespread use, large expenses absolutely not required. Moreover, there is always the opportunity to purchase only one pair of birds, for testing, and in the future to expand the scale of poultry farming.
The ability to breed these parrots even in a small apartment is again due to the small size of budgerigars.
Enough high demand on these birds will not cause problems with the sale of offspring.

But there are also disadvantages

However, such a business as breeding parrots at home has a number of disadvantages:

the low cost of parrots leads to a small profit from one sale;
a large expenditure of time and effort - after all, birds require constant care and attention;
high level of noise produced by birds;
the risk of death of the entire population of birds with improper care and breeding.

Based on all of the above, before you start breeding parrots, you should carefully weigh the pros and cons, as well as study the largest possible amount of specialized literature. This will help you avoid mistakes in the future and save time and money. It will also be useful to talk with breeders and just lovers of this type of parrot. Now you can communicate with such people at numerous forums or bird shows.

It is also necessary to soberly assess your own strengths. Maybe, worth a try with buying one pair of birds to see if this type of business is right for you. It must be remembered that keeping parrots at home requires the constant presence of a person. And this means that you need to either abandon all long trips, or have a person ready to take care of the birds during the absence of the owner.

budgerigars

Among the wide variety of parrot species, it is the budgerigars that have gained the greatest popularity. After all, they are small in size, for their maintenance it is not required to create special conditions temperature and humidity. You can buy such a parrot for very little money, and the cost of the food consumed is quite low.

In addition, budgerigars have a cheerful and sociable disposition. They quickly get used to the person and behave with him quite companionably.

You can often meet larger, show budgerigars. These are larger individuals with an unusual coloring of feathers, which are bred by breeders. Such parrots are valued much higher, but show breeds require more complex care. Also, due to not too successful crosses, individuals are often found who are not able to produce offspring. But healthy full-fledged birds are much less prolific than ordinary budgerigars, and therefore are not suitable for breeding at the initial stage.

Usually those breeders who have accumulated considerable experience and have an established clientele start breeding larger and more expensive breeds of parrots. In this case, more expensive and rare birds become an addition to ordinary budgerigars.

Estimated costs

Breeding budgerigars at home requires certain investments, which consist of:

the cost of buying birds;
the cost of buying cages, feeders, nest boxes and other equipment;
the cost of feed and various vitamin supplements.

The approximate cost of all these purchases per pair of birds, male and female, is presented in the table.

Buying both the birds themselves and everything necessary for their maintenance and breeding in a pet store will cost more than buying from hands or from breeders. What's more, buying in bulk can save you even more money.

One pair at normal breeding is able to bring 2-3 broods per year, each of which can have 4-10 chicks. Usually private breeders can count on 500-600 rubles from each young parrot. Thus, one pair on average can generate an income of 5-20 thousand rubles a year. Obviously, to get more or less serious profit, you need to take several pairs. But this, in turn, increases the effort and time spent on caring for birds.

Breeding parrots requires, as a rule, practically no additional costs, because the mineral supplements needed by the female nursing the chicks are inexpensive.

This calculation is very preliminary. Indeed, by purchasing several pairs at once, you can place them in one cage, which will be more expensive due to its large size, but per pair will be cheaper.

Who and where to sell parrots

Also a very important point is to set up a distribution channel for future offspring. This question, as in any other business, must be thought out in advance, otherwise the breeding of parrots will lose all economic sense.

There are several options for selling budgerigars:

pet stores. If you agree with an organization that sells animals, you can get a stable sales channel. But the price in this case will be quite low, because the store in this case acts only as an intermediary.
Specialized forums for lovers of exotic birds. There is a lot of competition in the form of other breeders, as well as a limited influx of buyers. But on the other hand, people come here purposefully and, as a rule, they know in advance which parrots they want to buy.
Advertisements. There are both paid and free ways to submit ads for sale. A common and low-cost way of selling.
Your own website or page in social networks. Although the promotion of your site requires investments of either money or your own efforts, but in our time this way of advertising your products can bring serious results.
Selling to friends and acquaintances, as well as organizing word of mouth.

It must be understood that the number of people for whom parrot breeding has become a professional business is quite large, and experienced breeders are more reliable sellers for buyers. Therefore, at first, bred birds will have to be sold quite cheaply.

Buying parrots

If, after carrying out all the preliminary calculations, you have decided to start breeding budgerigars, then the first thing you need to do is acquire birds.

To obtain healthy and beautiful offspring, it is necessary that the parents also have health. Therefore, it is undesirable to buy from hands, as well as from unverified breeders. It is better to spend a little more money, but get guaranteed healthy birds.

The age of the future parents also matters. The peak of reproduction in parrots is between the ages of 2-8 years. A young pair of parrots will produce offspring for several years, but older budgerigars after several nests will become useless in terms of breeding.

It is very important that the purchased male and female fit each other. In budgerigars, sympathy or, on the contrary, antipathy play a big role in the formation of a pair. If you choose the wrong pair, they may not have offspring at all, or the chicks will appear extremely rarely.

When buying two birds, you should choose an already established pair, in which the male clearly looks after the female, and she accepts these signs of attention. In addition, it is important to make sure that the purchased birds are of the opposite sex. It is not uncommon for the owners of purchased birds to wait a long time for the appearance of offspring and only after some time to find out that both of their pets are males.

When buying birds for breeding, the situation is facilitated by the fact that pairs form much faster and easier in a flock. After all, budgerigars are flocking birds, and the example of relatives enhances the instinct of reproduction.

To obtain healthy offspring, it is necessary that the breeding birds do not have common ancestors. Therefore, it is not recommended to purchase all parrots for breeding at once from one breeder. This increases the chances that some birds will be relatives.

home improvement

The cage for parrots should be equipped with everything necessary for their full life. What needs to be installed in the cage:

perches, preferably made of wood, not plastic, which is harmful to the health of birds;
separate feeders for grain and for mineral mixtures;
preferably, a feeder for various additives in the form of fruits, vegetables and sprouted grains;
a drinking bowl with water, to which the birds will have constant and easy access;
mineral stone or chalk that parrots can chew on;
toys and swings that will serve as entertainment for your pets;
twigs for grinding the beak.

The most convenient and properly equipped cage will help maintain the health of birds. This will not only get rid of the challenge veterinarian and additional expenses for treatment, but will also lead to the female's fertility.

In addition to a large cage in which several pairs live, it is also necessary to have a smaller cage where the male and female can be planted in the period of their preparation for incubation of eggs and raising offspring.

nesting period

Breeding budgerigars also requires arrangements special place for nesting females. To do this, a special nest box is attached to the cage. It can be both purchased at pet stores and built on their own. There are several types of these boxes, bird owners usually prefer a compromise design that combines the advantages of a horizontal and vertical nest box.

At the time of nesting, additional useful substances and elements should be added to the diet of parrots. Usually, experienced owners recommend a mixture of eggs and carrots with the addition of mineral elements. It is also useful to put eggshells and chalk, which contain calcium, into the cage.

The cage with the nest box should be kept away from any sources of noise. After all, a nervous experience in a female can lead to problems with future offspring.

Time to hatch the chicks

In nature, budgerigars can produce offspring every 2-3 months. But to maintain the health of birds, it is necessary to limit the number of annual broods. A couple of nestings per year will not only increase the life of the female, but also extend the age at which she can continue to bear offspring, but also improve the quality of the emerging chicks.

Since birds, when reproducing offspring, are guided by changing climatic conditions, it is possible to stimulate their reproduction using simple tricks. Among them

increasing daylight hours, for example, with the help of additional artificial lighting;
a slight increase in temperature and maintaining it for some time.

On average, the time from mating to the final plumage of the chicks, when they can be separated from their parents, is 2 - 2.5 months. First, 10 days after mating, the female begins to lay eggs, each day a new one. Three weeks later, the chicks begin to hatch. They are fed not only by the female, but also by the male.

Summing up

Although breeding budgerigars is a fairly simple and financially inexpensive process, it will take some effort to get healthy and high-quality offspring. At many stages, unexpected problems may arise. For example, if the choice of purchased birds is wrong, they will refuse to mate, or the female will be barren.

When choosing the path of the breeder, two strategies can be chosen:

Start small by trying your hand at one pair. In this case, the costs will be minimal, the risks will also be reduced to almost zero. However, the path to organizing the process of breeding parrots will be quite long.
Organization of breeding of these birds immediately in large numbers with preliminary work carried out on the organization of distribution channels. This approach will make it possible to get a decent profit in the very near future, but any mistake in the organization can ruin the whole thing.

Watch a video about breeding parrots in cages

In the article, we will tell with the help of a photo about the reproduction of budgerigars at home. This is a little story about how a budgerigar hatches from an egg, develops, becomes an adult and prepares to leave the nest.

How parrots breed

The reproduction of budgerigars begins from females and males that are physiologically in a state of reproduction and mating.
The first egg is usually laid by the female about 10 days after successful mating, and then each subsequent egg every other day. The female budgerigar sits in the nest box most of the time and the male feeds her. Approximately 18-23 days after the first egg, a chick hatches.
Parrots grow quickly, you can see it in the following photos. We continue the description of how budgerigars breed at home. These photos show the older parrot on days 3, 7, 10 and 12 respectively.

How budgerigars breed

After two weeks, the chick begins to grow feathers. He looks at first "prickly" and very funny, but soon begins to look like a "real" budgerigar. The eldest of the little parrots is different from his younger brothers and sisters. You can see it in the following photos. There he is 13, 14, 16 and 22 days old.
At the age of 23 days, the parrot is almost feathered, and only some small areas are not covered with feathers, in the next photo he is 26 days old. After 29 days, the whole body is completely covered with feathers and he is ready to start exploring the world outside his nest. At 31 days old, he looks a lot like a young budgerigar that is sold at a pet store.

The chick is now old enough to start thinking about leaving the nest box for good. He will usually do this somewhere between 28-35 days from birth. Somewhere up to 38-42 days, the male will still feed him, after which he becomes very independent and able to eat and drink on his own.

When the chick budgerigar is 6-8 weeks old, you can start thinking about moving him to another cage, or releasing him into an aviary, or selling him if you choose to do so. Never sell or give away a small budgerigar before it can eat and drink without parental help.
I recommend that you watch a video about the breeding of budgerigars.

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