New Turquoise Conure Parents?

[StandUpand]

As some of you know, I recently inherited my late sisters breeding flock of conures and cockatiels. I had a Turquoise and yellow sided pair surprise me with five eggs recently. When I checked the boxk on the evening of the 23rd they still were unhatched. Then on Christmas Eve morning the first of clutch greeted us I planned on getting the parents rear the clutch for a couple wks while I kept an eye on them, then I would take over to hand feed and wean them later. I have been making sure they have several food options, and clean water at all times, but I curious if I should be doing anything else? Mom and dad don't come out of the box and lot, so how am I supposed to check in on the babies and or supplement them if needed? Are there any tricks to doing that? Any advice? Thanks in advance for your help. Also, what exactly should I be watching for to make sure Mom and Dad are doing everything they should be? I also put a heater in the room they are in to keep the ambient temperature from dipping below about 70°F

 

[MnGuy]

Honestly, it’s important to ask why you’re letting them breed to begin with if you don’t have the experience.

You can always substitute in dummy eggs in the future.

 

[StandUpand]

Honestly, it’s important to ask why you’re letting them breed to begin with if you don’t have the experience.

You can always substitute in dummy eggs in the future.

I think I'm perfectly capable of learning. Just like I've always done with anything I desired to pursue. I never intended on the birds actually laying eggs, I didn't think that they would do that after a large stressful move, no nesting box's, and less then desirable conditions for breeding. But they did. When that happened so unexpectedly, bc these birds are all my late sisters left my teenage niece, I figured, since it had been my sisters intention and dream to create this business, that until my niece is old enough to take over, that my mother and I would finish what my sister started and allow my niece to inherit a fully functional business instead of just selling the birds. I think that we are well within reason to do so. And since like I mentioned previously, their is a HATCHED BABY, in the nest NOW, I would appreciate advice and support, not a lecture. Maybe that's too much to ask? I really don't understand why people feel the need to bring other people down instead of supporting and building one another up.

 

[Momof3litt]

I've read your story and it sounds like you have been doing everything you can for these birds. My condolences on the sudden loss of your sister. Do you know if she had any breeder contacts or others she looked to for advice? It sounded like you have some paperwork on the birds, maybe try to get in touch with their breeders? Do you have an avian vet you could reach out to?

I don't have any advice on breeding conures, sorry, but maybe @BrianB would be able to add something?

 

[camelotshadow]

There's plenty of information to be learned on the site.
Its Christmas so many are with family today but I am alone so wish your new chick a chance.
We just like to remind that so much can go wrong even in experienced hands & birds are not a business...they are lives.
We just don't want you, your family & the birds to have sorrow & it seems there has been enough of it. . Its something books have been written on & still they may not be enough.
We can only advise so much as you need to have a vet on hand when you are breeding as so many things can go wrong that will bring sorrow & are likely to cost more than any profit you could expect.

A little one has been born & hopefully the miracle goes well & there are no complications.
Give them a good nest box with good clean bedding...from what I have read & there are many threads on it so do some homework
clean wood shavings are a good bedding. The chick needs to stay very warm so hopefully the parents can provide it & feed the chick.

I would not disturb them too much as that could stress them & unfortunately if they stop taking care of the chick its not going to be good.
You could start planning for that...brooder, formula, syringe, heater, etc but you would also need to feed every 2 or so hours except between 12A & 5 to 6 AM. Did your sister have all the necessary equipment as she was "breeding" birds such as brooders, incubators etc?


You really should remove any other eggs (boil, cool & return from the other pairs or replace them with dummy eggs.

We understand this happened but it does seem you are inclined to make a business out of breeding these birds for a young niece.
You have to ask yourself is that what they really want or need? They have an unmentionable loss to deal with already so
they need some stability & shelter from avoidable hardship & loss. We have seen so much sorrow brought about by inexperienced
allowing birds to breed. We can't support what is likely to bring about suffering to yourself, your family & the innocent birds.
Just because you want to jump off the bridge to learn how to swim does not mean we should not advise you against it.
Breeding birds takes alot of time, money & is never really profitable so is not a good business. Most breeders do it as they just want/love to but if you think its something to do just for money its not likely to work for you. It's a 24/7 lifetime commitment with no time off & not something to pass on as a legacy to another. Go slow or you can quickly get in over your head. We see way too many Sad Updates to baby bird sick threads. You had have alot of sorrow in your lives & not wishing you any more.

There is a little life now & I sincerely hope it goes well. I wish you & the birds the best.

Nest boxes do need to be cleaned & bedding of aspen wood shavings or pine used.

https://www.amazon.com/Cackle-Hatchery-Brooder-Bedding-1/dp/B07YDZNLZD/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=bird+nest+pine+shaving&qid=1640466418&sr=8-4

https://www.amazon.com/Small-Pet-Select-Jumbo-Bedding/dp/B071NXG7Y3?ref_=ast_slp_dp&th=1

Chicks need to be warm & depend on parents for that but the higher the room temp the better they will be.

Try to provide nest boxes that are easy to clean & avoid unnecessary disturbing the parents.

Good Luck

 

[tka]

Bear in mind that no one makes money raising birds unless they are cutting corners. It's just not a viable business model.

If you are providing the parents with large cages, enrichment, a superb diet, vet care and disease testing, then you are going to be spending a considerable amount of money.

Babies are difficult. So much can go wrong - parents can neglect, injure or even kill babies, babies can suffer all sorts of issues with feeding such as slow crop or fungal infections, the wrong kind of environment can cause issues like splayed leg, getting too hot and dehydrated, or getting too cold. Hand-feeding is difficult if you haven't been shown how: it is very easy to choke a chick or for them to aspirate. It's easy to feed too little and starve the chick, or feed too much and stretch their crop.

Any one of these problems requires skilled, specialist veterinary attention. After all that, you may still end up with a dead chick.

I am sorry for the loss of your sister and I understand your wish to keep her dream alive. However, breeding parrots is not something you can jump into without a lot of preparation and mentorship. I know you're willing to learn but sadly, the learning curve is steep and both chicks and their parents pay with their lives.

Was your sister part of any breeder networks who may be able to advise you? Please do contact them if you know.

If not, your best chance is to contact your avian vet and ask if they know any experienced breeders who may be able to mentor you. The breeder must be able to teach you good practices - syringe or spoon-feeding, abundance weaning and fledging and developing good flight skills.

I really hope this works out for you but I urge you to really carefully consider whether to continue to breed. Ultimately it is the birds who will pay the price for inexperience and mistakes.

 

[BrianB]

Breeding can be an amazing and rewarding adventure, but it's not cheap and it can be heartbreaking. It isn't something that is hugely profitable. Most breeders break even if they are lucky. Some years I make a little, some years I lose a little. I haven't calculated expenses yet this year, but I'm sure it's going to be a loss. Even if not, the heartbreak is there from losing two macaw chicks and then having to euthanize another. Like I said - rewarding and heartbreaking.

There is a ton of information here in the conure forum. Read as much as you can. You'll always find opinions that don't match with your experience and some who insist only their experience is valid and correct. Learn all you can and figure out what works for you personally.

Nature does what it does the best. Sometimes, no matter how much you try to prevent it, birds will breed. I find it's best to let them do what they know and leave them alone. Check the nest when you get the chance but don't disturb them more than you have to. I stick the tip of my phone in the next box and take a picture. I never open it up and stick my face in there. I had one pair that was so disturbed by me looking in the box that they abandoned a clutch. Now the only time they see my face is when I'm cleaning their cage or giving them food and water. The picture is quick and doesn't disturb them. Make sure they have fresh, clean water at all times. You may need to change the water several times a day if they foul it. Freshly chopped vegetables in the morning are good but don't leave them there for more than a few hours. Bacteria can multiply quickly and you want to keep the environment as clean as possible. Rotate the type of veggies as often as possible. Offer dark green leafy veggies such as kale, spinach, and broccoli. These are a great source of calcium and it is easier for them to absorb it than what they can get from a mineral block. I give mineral blocks anyway to help keep the beak from overgrowing. I handle breeding birds as little as possible just to keep them from being stressed. I've seen other breeders who say toys for breeding pairs are bad because it takes the focus off of each other. Some say toys are good. I give all of my breeders toys. Some play with them, and some don't. Each pair is different. The temp in the room seems good, but I also provide a humidifier to keep the humidity around 35%. I also live in Arizona and it's very dry here, so you may not need one for yourself.

If you can, have someone show you how to hand-feed properly. It's very easy to aspirate them on accident, so learning it hands-on is best. You can view all the videos you can find, but nothing beats someone showing you in person. Different species of conure eat a little differently. Sun conures are very easy to feed. They are like bottomless pits and just suck the food down. Green cheeks are different from black-capped, even though they are sister species. I found black-capped to be very easy to feed. They eat what they want and they are done. I've had green cheeks fight me on hand feeding and make it a chore to get them to eat enough. Another breeder I know said he has to fight his black-capped to get them to eat, but his green cheeks are very easy. This is why learning it in person is best. Once you get the basics down, you can adapt as you handle each chick. You'll find a difference in feeding even within the same clutch. Some will take to it quickly, some will be difficult.

There is a ton to learn, but it's worth putting the time into it.