Ask Lafeber

Would it be okay to get another kakariki pair while our hen is taking care of her eggs?

Hi, I got a kakariki pair a month and a half ago and they live in an aviary. The hen started laying eggs around the 3rd of February (It is the 10th as I am writing this) And she is in her box almost all the time and only comes out to get some food and water every few hours, She is still quite shy and doesn’t come over to people very much. my male bird has gotten a bit lonely and is very quiet and today he has started pulling out some feathers, he seems to be bored without her and he has started eating a lot more out of boredom I assume. He is very friendly with me and goes onto my hand when I have food for him, he doesn’t mind me being in the aviary. My family were thinking of getting another kakariki pair to help with my male kakariki being lonely but we aren’t sure if we should do it now or wait until the hen’s eggs hatch, as we know they are very social birds but we don’t want to upset the hen as she is already quite shy. We just want to do whatever would be best for both of them
Thank you very much!

Hi Jasmine,

I would not get another pair. The female is very likely to leave her eggs if you try to add birds. Breeding Kakarikis can be very territorial. Most breeders only have one breeding pair per cage. Some Kaki breeders have successfully colony bred this species, but most warn against it. It’s a general rule with any species to only have one pair per cage for breeding. Adding birds in the middle of incubation is a bad idea because the breeding pair won’t know them. In a situation where you colony breed, the birds have to all get along and be together for some time before you attempt breeding them. I would not add another pair at all. I think colony breeding is a recipe for disaster most of the time. As for the male, he is likely plucking feathers for the nest and this is normal. Eating more is normal, too. He is probably feeding the female. It’s best to not handle breeding birds or be around them too much. They need privacy and he needs to focus on his mate, not you. I would give them space, only go into the aviary to feed them, and see what happens. I will warn that most first clutches do fail, so don’t be too disappointed if the eggs don’t hatch or if they fail to care for the chicks properly. They need to learn if you plan to let them breed again.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda