Since my Splendids haven't hatched any eggs in many months, I've not been blogging about them very often. To make up for that, here's a photo of our last clutch of youngsters taken quite a while ago. All look like hens, but all developed the typical scarlet chest ... all were males.
As with my Bourke book, I don't often find books about Splendid parakeets. However, I found this one on Amazon. I don't own it yet, but I'm tempted to order it. If you are too, here is the location:
Splendid Reflections: 40 Years of Grass Parrakeet Husbandry
Tomorrow: Recent insights on egg incubation
PEACE & BLESSINGS
Are your splendids resting or have they just not been interested in breeding? I can't seem to make my turquoisines to do anything so far, but the spendids seems to be doing well so far. I've not read anywhere that they like live food, but mine seem to love mealworms. They first got a taste since I have cordon blues and other finches in the same flight cage as they are. Now they want mealworms at least twice a day to feed to their chicks and charge toward me when they seem me bring them their worms. I think they probably need more protein in their diet for breeding than we think...
ReplyDeleteI only have six Splendids, but 14 breeding Bourkes. The Splendid hens have been laying eggs, but this year and last year they've all been infertile. A few days ago I moved the hens to different mates to see it that inspires any breeding...an act of desperation!
ReplyDeleteI raised mealworms for Cordon Bleu's, Strawberry's and other finches when I had them long ago. But, the zebra finches never ate them. It wouldn't have occurred to me to offer anything like that to the parakeets. Surprises me that they eat them. But, they learn from the others. I've been giving them a lot of chopped up Kale lately. All of them love that. So far, no one has investigated the salt blocks with iodine.