So I’ve got two green cheek conures they are about two years old, so I believe they’re about ready to breed. My question as a new bird person is how might I best facilitate breeding behaviors. I have a large cage with a nesting box inside. Is there anything I can do besides wait? Should I be adding anything to their diet? Thanks in advance
Hi,
I personally would wait for them to be 3 years old. They might be capable of breeding at this age, but they really aren’t ready. They are young and not ready to settle down and care for eggs and chicks. They are more likely to develop bad breeding habits at this age. And the hen is more likely to have issues laying eggs because she is still developing and maturing. Often a young male will break the eggs or eat them so the female will mate again, because he is more interested in mating. As for a nest box, that is the last step. The birds need to be old enough, on a good diet and showing signs of being bonded as a breeding pair. They also should not be related. They need to be on a balanced diet such as pellets – a loose seed mix is not adequate. They need leafy greens, veggies and some fruit. They need to be bonded, so they should spend most of their time together, feeding and grooming each other and at some point they start mating. This is when you give them a nest box and start feeding an egg food. This can be a commercial egg food or cook an egg with the shell washed, crushed and cooked with the egg. But again, I wouldn’t initiate any breeding until they are older.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
