Hi Waji,
You are learning why I always start off a breeding subject by saying the you need a LOT of patience to breed birds. You can have everything set up perfectly, with birds the right age, good nutrition, privacy, the right type of nest or box yet still see no results. This is why baby parrots are so expensive.
It does sound like your birds are set up correctly. Are they all old enough? Alexandrine’s should be 3-5 years old before you begin breeding them. Are they on a good diet? They need a nutritionally balanced diet such as pellet or our foraging diets. In addition, you should offer dark leafy greens, chopped veggies, some fruit and while they are set up for breeding, cooked eggs with the shell washed, crushed and cooked with the eggs. This will provide extra protein and calcium that the female needs, and they can also trigger her hormones. Is the weather warm enough and are they getting enough light? If these birds are outdoors, they will usually breed when the weather is warm and the days are longer. If indoors, make sure the temperature is on the warmer side and give them at least 12 hours of light daily. And probably the most important thing to maintain their health, do not let them have more than two clutches per year – in the wild they would only have one, and some of the larger parrots may breed every two years. So after a clutch of eggs, whether they hatch or not, the nest box should be removed or blocked off to discourage nesting again and they pair should be rested for about 6 months. This gives the female time to regain her weight and health and prepare for the nest clutch.
As to your specific questions, not all birds will be compatible. In the wild they choose a mate, so in captivity, they are not always compatible with the mate we choose for them. If both birds are at least 3-5 years old, then I would split that pair up and try them with different mates. Sometimes incompatibility is caused when one bird is sexually mature but the other isn’t. Or one bird may be infertile. Or they simply do not get along. If they are both fertile and old enough, it isn’t likely they will change their feelings for each other and bond. It’s best to pair them with another mate and hope that works out better.
The pairs that are mating, but not laying yet, just need more time. Again, they need to be old enough. If they are, then just be patient and you should see some eggs soon. There is no timeline or way to predict when this might happen. Mating is a good sign. You can increase their fresh foods and make sure to offer the cooked eggs daily, and this can often lead to laying eggs. The same goes with the pairs who haven’t mated yet. They are already showing the first signs if bonding, so mating will soon follow and then hopefully eggs. Everything comes back to patience on your end. Provide them with everything they need, and hope it results in chicks. Nothing can be done to speed up the process. Each pair has their own timeline and will mate and lay eggs when they feel ready.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
