Want my caiques to have babies and enlarge our flock a little :)

[Haru:3]

Hello friends, I hope you're all having a great day

I have two caique parrots named Felix and Bella, and they are both around 2 years old, give or take a little. They aren't the friendliest of caiques, I must admit. When they came to me, neither of them were babies anymore and they were in quite poor condition. So, I'm actually very grateful for their current state. No matter what, even if they're a bit grumpy, they are very sweet birds.

I've installed a nesting box for them to encourage egg-laying, and today I plan to add a perch in front of the box and some shavings inside. This is so the nesting box is ready whenever they want it.

Despite having caiques, I've never had a bird that laid eggs before, and I have no experience with very young chicks. I'm eagerly looking forward to your experiences and suggestions on how to create a healthy and encouraging environment, and what to do in case of eggs and new chicks, such as when to take them and hand-feed them. I also want the possibble babies to be friendlier and sweeter..

I can also share pictures if you wish to see the nest etc.

I'm also happy to hear any other advice or comments you might have. Stay healthy

 

[Xoetix]

@Irishj9 @CrazyKozmo

 

[Zara]

I've installed a nesting box

I have no experience with very young chicks.

I believe it is better to research first before attaching the nest box so that you are prepared.
It is also important that they are on a well balanced diet before breeding.

such as when to take them and hand-feed them. I also want the possibble babies to be friendlier and sweeter..

I would recommend to let the parents raise if you have no handfeeding experience, and instead interact with the chicks when they are feathered.

Look to see if you can find a book written by an expert on the species that you can use as a guide and reference for breeding.
@Laurie

 

[CrazyKozmo]

I've never bred birds. I've had a few females (gcc and quaker) who have laid eggs (unfertilized). I don't much like it when they get broody (aggressive), so can't imagine what it is like when caiques lay eggs (though I have 2 ten year old females, so I'll probably need to deal with this at some point). I would say to let the parents do most of the raising and wait for someone with experience to chime in. @Zara gave good advice.

 

[Haru:3]

@Zara @CrazyKozmo Thank you very much both of you. Yes i will let them handle if they have eggs when they finally have some
Dear Zara, they eat fruits,vegetables, nuts, pellets and seeds everyday and sometimes eggs and from time to time i add their foods and water probiotics / electrolits / vitamins and enzymes. I think and hope they get enough nutrition. They are very interested with the nest box sometimes they go in, play with it, check and observe it
Im very excited with the idea of having baby caiques, i will update the news if anything happens (doesnt seem soon tho ^^"). I've hand fed a caique baby before these two but he was around 3 months old. Then i will definetely wait until babies get feathers. Searching guides also must do, just very interested in experiences with other parrot owners.
Please keep sharing ideas and experiences if anything new comes to your minds.

I cant wait to hear advices from @Irishj9

 

[Irishj9]

In the wild, 100% of caiques sleep in tightly packed groups in tree crevices
This does not encourage breeding. so ignore the nestbox issue. It doesnt exist.
What encourages breeding is daylight hours ( triggering hormones) plentiful food and availability of SUITABLE mates

 

[Irishj9]

The whole issue of caique breeding is a minefield of issues. There is no simple solution which promotes breeding. If there WAS, caiques would not be so scarce, and therefore, so expensive

 

[Irishj9]

I have read extensively, studied everything I can find, and have decided that I just cant control the caique breeding impulse. Some pairs just get on with it.

Some birds - ie my three MOST BEAUTIFUL birds, simply refuse to select a mate

Some birds take one look at a new arrival to the avairy and decide to mate for life. One hen selected her mate within ten seconds of his arrival, and from day one would follow him round the avairy, everywhere he went, worshipping him.

Other GORGEOUS birds will not select a mate from a FLOCK.

You may be lucky

key points have neen mentioned above
Food is key. Not just its abundance, but its abundance at the RIGHT TIME of the yeaar, to trigger hormones
Light is key, a major hormone trigger. ( your birds ARE sleeping 12 hours a day, right?)
You've offered them ONE nestbox?. Good luck with that.
etc etc etc etc
Theyre not cockatiels. Theyre VERY selective

 

[Irishj9]

The male prepares the nest for the female. This triggers her breeding response

So you gave him an empty nestbox. HOW will he prepare THAT? It must have wood inside. Awkwardly in the way. So that he has to remove it by gnawing at it.
The gnawing creates a bed of shavings into which she lays her eggs, because his work ethic has impressed her ( see any parallels with Homo Sapiens yet?)

 

[Irishj9]

And ther ARE male and female, right?

RIGHT?

are you SURE?

I can usually tell by the shape of the forehead ( male has a pronounded dome) female forehad is lower, flatter. But it takes an expert, unless you have a proper vet examination

 

[Irishj9]

But if you have even one bird which was hand raised, they have no clue what to do and will fumble frustratingly for years without chicks

 

[Haru:3]

@Irishj9 thank youuu you wrote jewels i think im kind of sure that Felix is male and Bella is female. And i have their sex documents (i hope they are not scam :'D the man that i got them gave me the documents related to their sex) Felix is already interested with the issue :'D but Bella just kept beating him whenever he tried (even when she was 6 months old) (now she is around 2 and Felisx is 3-4 months older) and i just saw him that he hangs out by himself on his perch and making "that act" while bella eating food and watching him

I will take couple of pictures of are my caiques and nestbox and inside of it (which i catch them go in it). Gonna upload the pics here.

If Felix ought to prepare the nest i would try my best to provide him the tools

 

[Haru:3]

Bella the beautiful girl
and
Felix the handsome boy

 

[sunnysmom]

My knowledge of caiques is limited but in general, I think 2 years old is a little too young to breed. I would wait to mature more. Young parents tend not to be good parents.

 

[Irishj9]

The pix are great. On the nestbox. Most breeders use a boot shaped box where the birds enter onto a small platform and have to climb down a ladder inside. This gives the male a platform to guard the entry from inside ane makes the female more secure down , 8 inches below.

The box itself must be dark and hidden from view externallly. Its also low on the cage. Again the birds will always pick height for security

 

[Haru:3]

only if this job was such hard for humans too…
What do you think about me trying my luck with this setup
And can you show your set up for your caiques if you have ?

 

[Irishj9]

typical set up

This is Cha-Cha and Finger's home. Right inside the front door and beside the patio door. They can see all family life all around and out to the lawn

Their big boot shaped nestbox is hidden behind the curtains( away from the light where they feel secure)

Naturally the cage is almost as tall as me, 6ft 1, these are CLIMBERS, not great fliers. Except Dingdong, who would give a diving eagle a good race.

Theres another 6 of these cages behind me to the right, in a converted garage.

In all cases, the cages are just temporary containment areas. They all have LOADS of free flying time

This cage is covered with a huge blanket at nightfall and NOBODY is allowed to disturb the birds sleep.

TURN DOWN THAT TV, and SHUT UP, cha cha needs her beauty sleep!

 

[Haru:3]

thank you very much i ll need a carpenter i guess if nothing happens