Breeding and Nesting Tips
Read these 10 Breeding and Nesting Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Bird tips and hundreds of other topics.
Water and humidity
Provide lots of fresh water for bathing when your pair is on eggs. The hen will bathe frequently so that her wet feathers and body heat can provide the humidity needed to insure healthy egg shells for the developing chicks.
Keep strangers away
Keep strangers and heavy activity away from your birds when they are on eggs. Too much stress can cause some birds to destroy their eggs or kill their newly hatched chicks. It's a good idea to put the nesting birds in a quiet room where they feel safe.
Candling the eggs
You can tell if your bird's eggs are fertile by holding them up to a strong light source. This is called ‘candling'. After a few days in the nest, candle the eggs. If the eggs are clear, they are infertile. If you can see a dark mass inside, the egg contains a developing chick!
the breeding hen's droppings
The amount of droppings from a hen about to start laying or one that is sitting on eggs will be huge compared to those of a hen not in breeding mode.
My pet isn't a pet any more!
Some formerly friendly birds will become aggressive or ‘mean' when breeding. After breeding season is over and the chicks have fledged, most birds will regain their pet behavior. Continue to show them attention when they are nesting but don't crowd in on their activities. The birds will let you know when they're ready for your company.
Community breeding/parakeets
Parakeets need the company of other parakeets to breed. It's unusual for a single pair with no other parakeets around to produce young.
Infertile first clutches
Quite often the first clutch laid by a young inexperienced pair will be infertile. Don't give up--the birds will figure it out!
Have enough nest baskets!
If you keep finches or parakeets in an aviary, make sure there are more than enough nest baskets or boxes to go around. If too few nesting sites are available, the birds will fight over them.
