8-29 Scarlet Chested Parakeets....Nesting time!!!!!

[Colt]

The Scarlet-chested parakeets are beautiful birds. I've never spoon fed any of the hookbills before. I always used a syringe. Glad the little ones figured it out. I love handfeeding. Tiels are a bit obnoxious and Quakers if someone started feeding them with a bad habit. Lovebirds are probably my favorite. And some of the big babies. The Bourkes I've handfed are very calm and like to "chew" their food. I'd imagine these little guys might be the same. Either way they are very cute. Good luck with the third pair. Wish I could find some breeders around here with pretty birds like that.

[cindy]

I am not a fan of the syringe, been spoon feeding birds since the early 80's. The only birds that I had to use a syringe on was hand fed java young. I never introduced a syringe to the scarlets, they took right to the spoon as soon as it was offered.

[cindy]

Both babes fledged from the second pairs box...they are already picking at food and trying veggies!

[debbie276]

Beautiful!
congratulations

[breeze]

Great looking birds you have.

[finchmix22]

Aww, they're so cute! Congratulations!

[cindy]

Thank you!!!!!!!

[cindy]

Having some one on 4 time with my hand fed Scarlets!!! The one on the back of my left hand is very friendly. The cinnamon is sweet to and they all take seeds from us and eat out of our hands.

[wellingtoncdm]

They look great!

[cindy]

Charlie sent over a mature Scarlet male for me a few weeks ago to pair with a mature spare hen I have. This new pair is unrelated to any of the other pairs I have, now giving me 4 nice pairs to work with.

I recently paired them. The male took to the hen right away, she really liked him as well. They are set up with a box and the hen went right to working the box. They have been mating often so hoping for some more lovely normal scarlets soon!!

[paul-inAZ]

Cindy:
Lucky you.
My scarlet pair is no longer. The cinnamon hen died a month or two ago leaving me with the normal male. she was young and had been badly beat up by her mother before i got her. She never fully recovered and finally died. I've had no luck in finding another hen locally so far. The cost of shipping in only one bird would be not very attractive. No real rush though. I know of one breeder here who should be getting some youngsters.

A tangential parakeet question: I have the two rosy Bourkes sold me as a M/F pair. I gave them a nest and she [they?] produced 5 eggs. At first both were sitting tight and now only one is. I didn't note the first egg accurately but am guessing that it about time for something to hatch. Soon I hope.
Wondering if both parents sit tight or if this is a pair of hens that just laid sterile eggs.
If hens, is it safe to get a Bourke male to put in with two hens to let him choose a mate?

[cindy]

Sometimes both sit for extended periods, other times she will leave the box to very briefly eat, drink and relieve herself and he will sit in her place.

If the hen is sitting long periods you may see him eat and then go in briefly to feed her in the box or at the entrance of the box. This is the same with budgies and grasskeets.

I have never personally had more then one hen to a pair. Normally bourkes are very mild tempered so not to sure what that situation will create if the male choices 1 hen as his. Then again having more than one hen in the cage might cause the male to mate with both hens. There is always the remote chance the hen being favored by the one male may try to run the other hen off. Your best bet is to find two males and let each hen have a mate.

With scarlets you can not colony breed, one pair to an enclosure...mature adult breeding males will fight and the dominant male could and will kill off the other males. More than one mature hen in an enclosure the hen tries to run the other hen off, staking her claim to the box and the male.

[paul-inAZ]

Thanks.
That Bourke behavior is exactly what I'm seeing. The hen sitting tight comes out maybe twice a day for only a few minutes to rapidly eat ravenously and then jump back in. I had seen the presumed male feeding her before she began sitting.
Should I get a known male I will separate the two i have now.

The scarlet is in a separate flight now and I would not keep more than one breeding pair of any species per enclosure.

[cindy]

You can DNA your birds fairly cheaply through Avian Biotech...that way you know for sure.

[cindy]

The happy couple have explored the box and are mating often....eggs soon!