8/22/2023 0 Comments Moluccan cockatoo diet![]() ![]() We were very discouraged after all the hard work and long hours of preparing our facility when experienced breeders would tell us our setup would never work. Don't be afraid to try a different concept with your birds if you feel strongly about a new idea. Hopefully, the greatest asset gained from my writing will be to encourage you. The concept of a pelletized diet is one I strongly recommend.The arrangement of nest barrels "condominium style" to help conserve space is another concept that worked for us. I have reported in this article two relatively new concepts in psittacine bird breeding. Perhaps the calm nature of our cockatoos was a determining factor in such instant success. Each pair hatched one chick in their first clutch and two chicks in their second clutch. The past two years each pair has successfully hatched and raised three chicks. Neither parent-neglect nor chick devastation has been a problem. The nest box is never checked after an initial peek at the newly hatched cockatoos. We feel the lack of disturbance is helpful in the initial rearing of the chicks by their parents. ![]() The parents have been responsible for rearing their chicks up to the age of four weeks. Within three weeks of the first clutch hatching, the second hen clutches. After hatching, the cries of the young chick(s) seemed to stimulate the other pair to follow suit. What music to one's ears! Predictably, within the month eggs have been laid by pair number one. A rare undetected observation revealed what appeared to be a territorial display between males protecting their feed bins.ĭuring the breeding season blaring screams encompass the house during the middle of the night. During that time all feeding, watering, and maintenance was completed. ![]() Due to the commotion upon entering the basement, we made only one trip there daily. Without closed circuit cameras, basement breeding complicates observing the behavior pattern in the birds.A hurried scurry occurs at the initial sound of a foot upon the staircase and most birdsĭive into their nest boxes. Females were purchased from private parties, former pets, and the males were gotten directly from quarantine. The backgrounds of both pairs of birds were similar. Our much disputed diet consists of Lefeber's Special Needs Diet in pelleted form and water.We add a few sunflower seeds each day as we change water, mostly for our own psychological satisfaction. Humidity control during the two-year time period fluctuated greatly during the cockatoo breeding season. ![]() A night light supplies continual moonlight. The light cycle provides 12 hours of daylight with one hour of dawn and one hour of dusk. Perches were placed to encourage flight, with additional 2 X 4s offered to fulfill instinctive chewing and destruction. To simulate communal or flock feeding, dishes were placed in full To provide security, an opaque screen covered two thirds of each cage. One pair's access to their box was high, the other entry low. Two metal drums were installed as nest boxes in the rear of each enclosure, one barrel place vertically on top of the other, "condominium" style. After much discussion with and discouragement from other aviculturists, two 14 X 8 X 6 foot flights were constructed in extremely close proximity. The basement space available was long and narrow. W e who are unfortunate enough to live in a climate that prohibits year around outdoor breeding accommodations for our birds are often confronted with a limited amount of space in which to house our birds.Such was the case in our aviary - a disadvantage that may have contributed to successful breeding of two pairs of newly introduced Moluccan Cockatoos two years in a row. ![]()
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