Breeding Cockatiels
Breeding cockatiels can be a difficult thing to master and takes a lot of knowledge and patience. The amount of time needed to devote to breeding depends on whether you want to breed cockatiels as a business or as a way to expand your bird family. There is a lot of
responsibility for you as a breeder, so here are a few factors you will need to consider whenever you start to breed cockatiels.
You will need the necessary facility and space for breeding. Allow your birds to have their own nest box and living space. This is
healthier for the mother and baby in the long run. The place where your birds breed should be heated in the winter months and cooled in the summer months. Rats and mice should not be able to invade your facility either. Bird seed and pellets will attract these rodents
and will make your birds sick.
Finding two healthy birds to begin your breeding is the most important factor of all. Starting out with unhealthy parents will give you babies that are unhealthy as well. It may take some time finding a male and female that
will mate with each other. It is impossible to force two birds to reproduce. This is also a good time to think about color mutations. Depending on the genes of the two birds you select, they will have babies of different mutations and variations in color. Different
variations may sell for more if you intend to sell the babies. If you do not plan on selling your babies, then the different colors may not matter to you.
Before the eggs begin to hatch, you should decide whether you want to hand feed the babies or allow the
parents to raise them. Hand fed babies will sell for more and are typically more friendlier and accustomed to humans early on. They are usually not afraid of hands and will gladly jump on your finger as a perch. Hand feeding cockatiels will be a learning experience and
will take some guidance from an expert breeder. The formula you feed the babies will need to be heated at a specific temperature and the baby will need to be monitored to make sure the food is being digested properly. Hand feeding occurs approximately every several hours
and the amount of formula you will need to feed it will increase as it gets older.
This is just a glimpse into what it takes to breed cockatiels. There are many other important practices that will need to be learned in order to raise healthy, beautiful cockatiel babies.
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