New to breeding Ringnecks

[chrischell]

This year I decided to buy a breeding pair of Ringnecks (still doing my cockatiels & budgies), built a nice big nesting box gave them their own big aviary, fed them up with seed, fruit, vegies & cuttlefish, put plenty of hysorb in nestbox, they laid 3 eggs (after mating for 6weeks) The first one died trying to hatch, then 3 days later out came no. 2 & 2 days later out came no. 3
When Mum would come out I would sneak in & have a look at "my babies". I noticed that all the hysorb was pushed to the side, so I would even it out under the bubs, but every time I looked it was to the side again. I finally pulled them to h/raise when they were 8 & 10 days old. They were very weak on their legs, but hubby said big birds & only young this could be normal....BUT, I was still concerned as I had seen splayed legs with my budgies. I went in chatroom & with help of Bill & Anna (thankyou) went straight to vets next day. They are now all bandaged up trying to get their legs normal.
I recommend parrot nesting material not hysorb, & if the legs don't look right seek advice immediately as the earlier you start treatment gives better results. Sorry such long message, but needed to tell this story to newbies like me.
Shelly

[fischer]

HI Chrischell, Your right about natural nesting material, when Splay legs first turned up occasionally in my African Lovebirds, I
have mask and fischers at first I thought it was a lack of calcium,
made changes to their diet but a it still happened to the odd bird
in different aviaries, ten I realised it was always in boxes without
enough nesting material in them. Lovebirds are forever pinching
each others nesting stuff to add to thier own, but if you give them too much sometimes they keep building and bury their own eggs, some are very exuberant nest builders, Its hard to judge sometimes

Cheers...Tony

[AussieBirds]

Hi Shelly
I would never advocate the use of anything else but natural nesting material for any parrot, get rid of the hysorb, it is dangerous as it is very absorbent and if the birds happen to ingest any of it it will swell up in the crop and kill them.

I use a nesting material that is all naturall material, it is a commercial mix but very good, it consists of wood shaving, hardwood, mixed with peat moss to hold the moisture, another reason not to use hysorb it sucks all the moisture out of the nest and babies need humidity to help them hatch. Frank put a very good post regarding humidity on the forum, I think in the breeding section, I'm sure you could find it using the search facility on the forum.

Tony what do you use for nesting material with your love birds? mine love palm fonds and will strip a fond completly just to build a nest.

John

[fischer]

Hi John, Yes palm fonds, I have tried a lot of other things but I
come back to palm fonds every time, apart from being the best
as you said,the birds really love ripping them up,mind you they love tearing anything and everything up!!!
Cheers...Tony

[kim1]

Hi my dad, had problems with chicks dieing during hatching, his avian vet said it was the woodshavings, apparently they dry the nest out to much and then there is not enough humidity for the chicks to hatch. he recomended 40%peatmoss, 35%spagnum moss and the rest very fine wood shavings all must be slightly damp.

[AussieBirds]

Hi Kim
Yes we all agree with you regarding the spagnum moss mixed with the nesting material to retain moisture. There is a post on the forum under breeding and it is headed "how important is humidity".

John

[eckie]

hi
i use just peat moss does the job perfect.
my mate told me to use the stuff as he uses it with
all his birds.