Pajarita wrote:Breeding birds requires a lot of knowledge and experience which, going by what you posted, you don't seem to have. First of all, unless the picture is real bad in terms of reproducing the actual colors, you don't have peach face lovebirds, you have orange face (not that it matters but I thought you would like to know).
Hello
oh! yeah it matters thanks for the info
Concerning my infos,i already read every article on the net concerning breeding lovebirds,in french and in english.I also have a reef tank,it is not related at all,but the reef world is a really complex system and biotope to maintain and understand;corals,breeding fish,breeding corals.. are all complex stuff to deal with,I got through them all via lots of reading,just to say that i am a serious person once I decide to do something I do it right for sure
Pajarita wrote: Secondly, you don't say if these birds have been DNA'd male and female and, contrary to what breeders trying to sell you the birds will tell you, this is the only way you can tell for certain which gender they are. I don't know if the breeders told you they can tell by palpating the pelvis but, if they did, please know that this method has been proven over and over to be completely unreliable and the problem with lovebirds is that you can house a male and a female, and even two males together, but you cannot house two females so knowing for a fact what gender they are is essential even if you were not trying to breed them. You also don't mention their ages but they need to be 2 years old before they start breeding. People will tell you they can breed at one year of age and even as young as 8 months of age and, although it is perfectly feasible from a physical point of view it is the equivalent of allowing a 12 year old girl to have a baby (and nobody thinks this is a good idea, right?). Dog and cat breeders have learned this lesson and no longer allow their animals to breed until they are older but bird breeders have not 'caught up' to the concept (there is too much of "It's just a bird!" mentality still out there, unfortunately for the poor birds!). Aside from that, young birds tend to be real bad parents and would too often allow the babies to die after they hatch. You also need to have hands-on experience evaluating the babies health as well as handfeeding or you might end up killing them.
My lovebird were never DNAed or touched to know the sex,they come from an aviary,they already bred many times before,so i am sure to have a bonded pair. I also read a LOT OF ARTICLES concerning handfeeding,seems not that easy,this is why i would go with co-parenting better for both sides..
Pajarita wrote:And last but not least, you cannot breed birds you've had for a few weeks. You have no idea of whether these birds are in good enough health to reproduce and this goes way beyond quarantine. You need to have a bird for, at least, 6 months before breeding season because you need to evaluate them not only as to their general health and vigor but also to ensure their abdominal muscles, calcium supply, etc are adequate as well as making sure they are on a good diet -something you don't achieve in weeks as it takes months to get them to eat a proper diet.
True,I am doing my best to enhance the diet of my birds,I don't have too much information about how they were kept,but they easily accepted my new diet with the seeds,I feed lots of veggies,I make some receipts also with full grain rice,wheat,...... I also feed boiled eggs+shells. I am trying to do my best to have them top top before anything happens,I am not rushing things,but I want to be ready before they do
Pajarita wrote:Now, I don't want to hurt your feelings but breeding birds without any knowledge or experience is not what a bird lover would do, my dear. People think it's a matter of putting two birds together and giving them a nest and 'allowing nature to take its course' but it's not. Captivity is not 'nature' so breeding under the unnatural conditions of it requires an in-depth knowledge of the species behaviors and physiological needs as well as hands-on experience because without them, you are putting at risk not only the lives of the babies but also those of the parents. Please reconsider.
So where did all the breeders first begun? they all begun with experience?
What I am going into is not a project that I decided after waking up one morning.. I have been planning and thinking of it for a couple of months,even more.I often visit my friend(a cockatiel raiser and breeder) and we spend lots of time talking-checking his babies.I do know where I am going and no matter how much i read more,i know that it won't be enough,and it will never be.There is always new stuff to learn,but there is a beginning for everything no?
Thank you Pajarita for your help
I really do appreciate all your advice and your post that is quite straight forward(saying the reality)
