Australian Birdkeeper – June-July 2018

increasing reproductive activity. Maintaining your birds on a high-
energy diet all year round is not only harmful to their health—it
often results in obesity and associated health problems—but also
negates this strong stimulatory effect on reproduction.

Suitable Mate
Unless you have a proven breeding pair, you will be looking to
pair up birds that may be strangers to each other. Things you need
to think about include:

• Do you know the sex of the birds you are pairing? If there is any
  doubt, you need to consider DNA or surgical sexing now, before
  the season starts.


• Are the birds old enough to breed? Do some real research here
  and fi nd out the age of sexual maturity for the species you are
  trying to breed. Just because someone on Facebook claims
  to have bred Blue and Gold Macaws at 18 months old doesn’t
  mean anyone else can or, in some anecdotal cases, should do
  the same.


• Are the birds healthy? Remember that birds are masters at
  hiding signs of illness, especially on a cursory examination in
  the aviary. If you have any doubt, a visit to your avian vet is a
  worthwhile investment for the coming breeding season. This
  is also the time to perform routine prophylactic treatments for
  worms, coccidia and external parasites (such as mites and lice).


• Are the bird’s compatible? Just because they are of the opposite
  sex does not mean birds are compatible. Pairing them up now
  gives you the opportunity to observe signs of compatibility—
  sitting beside each other on the perch, mutual grooming, etc. If
  they’re not compatible, now is the time to re-pair birds so that
  you have compatible pairs at the start of the season.

Suitable Nest Site
Winter is the best time to pull down nest boxes and give them a
good clean and airing. The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus thrives
in warm, dark, humid environments such as nest boxes and
old nesting material. As the box dries out after the chicks have
fl edged, this fungus releases tens of thousands of spores into the
air. When birds re-enter the box, they breathe these spores in and
can develop aspergillosis, an often-fatal fungal pneumonia. So
get the boxes down, tip out the old material, clean the box out
and let it air for a few weeks in the sun. This will get rid of most
contamination. If the box is too badly contaminated or damaged,
replace it now.
Don’t forget to consider the rest of the aviary as part of the
nesting site. Birds need to feel safe, secure and private in order to
breed successfully. Now is the time to perform any repairs, replace
perches that need to go and fi nish any construction works around
the aviary. Privacy screens can be erected in front of nest boxes so
that birds can come and go into the nest without feeling they are
being watched. You don’t want to be starting projects around or in
the aviaries when the birds are preparing to go to nest.
Pest control needs to be considered as well. Rats and mice in
the aviary and nest boxes will disturb a breeding bird, leading
them to abandon the nest. The use of baits and traps needs to be
implemented in winter so that you are not trying to get pests out
of the aviary when the birds are working the nest. Nest boxes
should be sprayed with a residual permethrin insecticide (such as
Cislin® or Coopex®). The same products should be used to treat

Nest box material should be

replaced and the nest boxes

cleaned and aired

This is the time of year to
replace old worn perches

wooden frames in the aviary. Overhanging branches that allow

rats and snakes easy access to the aviary roof should be cut back.

When you are ready to place the boxes back in the aviary, give

the birds some choice of nest box type, size, and location. The

birds will explore each box, ‘trying it on for size’, before selecting

a box they want to use and starting to work it. Not only is this a

form of environmental enrichment, it also helps to synchronise

the libido of the male with that of the female.

If you have an aggressive male, place some small, soft,

untreated wooden blocks in the box so that he can chew them to

prepare the nest. Similarly, placing a soft wooden door across the

entrance hole, with a small hole the bird can chew on to widen,

can help to synchronise libidos.

Cater for Territorial Behaviour

Some birds are communal, sharing nest sites with other species or

birds of their own species. Most, however, are not. The sight and

sound of other pairs can trigger strong territorial aggression that

may detract from the breeding season’s success. Do some research

on the species you have and, if they are solitary nesters, place

sheets of metal between fl ights or move pairs around so that the

birds are at least visually isolated from birds of their own species.

Don’t forget that you may be part of the territorial problem.

Try to minimise your presence in the aviary by feeding from

the outside and having inspection doors to check the nest box

without physically entering the aviary. Clean the aviaries now. If

you need to replace fl ooring (eg sand), now is the time to do it.

CONCLUSION

One thing I have learnt over the past 30

years is that successful aviculturists leave

as little as possible to chance. They work

hard at their birds all year round and get

the success they deserve. All things being

equal, good preparation and planning

should give you a successful breeding

season so that you can join their ranks.

A baseline diet of pellets and vegetables can be supplemented with

seed and nuts at the start of the breeding season to 'fl ush' the birds