Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 3:50 pm Post subject: Hello, I'm sure you guys have answered this a thousand times
I need to know what size and style nest box to use for my kakarikis, I'm new to these guys, the brreder I bought mine from was useing a boot shape box but I have no idea of dimension, can some one give me the size of boot box I should use, in inches please, Thanks, I am so excited about these guys because I love grasskeets of all types and these are my first kaks, because there so exspensive here in the states and quite rare.
I have experimented with different styles sizes etc including boot style.
Bottom line, kakariki are not too fussy
Timber
untreated construction pine whatever used for concret boxing..planks
about 10" wide 1/2 thick
height about 20 to 25 "
Screw then together..dont nail..it makes dismantling and cleaning at the end of the season easy
A cap on the bottom
And removeable cap on the top for access
Hole about 64mm (sry my tape hasnt inches) 1/2 " from the top
A good sized bit of branch below the hole about 2" diam 3 or 4" long...screwed on from the inside (before screwing the sides on..(yeah ?i know that is obvious and yeah I forgot... )
And a bit of mesh going up the inside stapled on to about 1" below the hole.
Nesting material...chainsaw chips are good, forest mulch dried out, wood turners shavings.....or a mix of the above....about1 1/2 to 2" deep pressed lightly down
Put 2 nesting boxes in..each facing diff directions opposite ot 90 deg what ever is conveinant.
u need the 2nd nest box by the time the 1st batch have hatched...for the female to lay the next batch
On the left is a "quick search " block where u can search for info.
OH and to our communty....dont get many Americans
Like my tow vechile in my avatar?
Cheers
Steps _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 4:59 am Post subject: Thanks
Thanks so much, The kakarikis are not very plentiful here, I saw my first about a year ago at a bird fair, but they are u.s. $ 350.00 a pair here, just for normals, I bout some cinnamon, pied, yellow check split birds so I hope im going to get some color.
Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2011 8:08 am Post subject: I know !
and thats for normals, If you want color you really got to dig deep , english budgies are $50.00 !!!!!!!! But at the same time our big bird prices have dropped so bad I sold all my macaws, cockatoos, conures, they just aint worth raising anymore, I still keep american and english budgies, a couple pair of tiels, linnies, finches, but theres no "BIRD MARKET" left, I used to breed everything under the sun and supplied pet stores, but that was before petsmart and petco, ran all the mom and pop stores out of buisness, so I just raise a few for my own enjoyment now, but I do miss the days when you could make a living at it !
and good luck with your new birds. I have a birdy friend in USA who breeds all sorts of birds and she would so love a kakariki but just cant find any..... so i can understand the price.... _________________ May........
yes... USA is kinda "upside down"
big parrots are on the cheap side
but medium size parakeets, especially Australian and some Psittacula spp. are expensive, and not very easy to find.
Lineolated parakeets for instance are ridiculously expensive, they go for about 200-300$ ea. depending on mutation.
I think I saw red fronted kakariki at Glendale bird-mart 3 yrs ago, for about 100$ but I don't trust my memory that much.
About petsmart and petco... do they breed their own birds?
Otherwise you could still breed for them. Although my guess is that they probably pay such low price for parrots that it doesn't justify the time and expenses of handfeeding for 3 months.
Each time you fill up a macaw's crop... it probably costs a couple of bucks LOL
I'm not an expert, but I guess it's probably very difficult to make a living out of breeding parrots, unless your moral standards are very low, or you have a niche market.
Here in Spain a situation has developed that a lot of people saw the big $$$$ of breeding parrots, especially african greys, and bought 2-3 pairs to breed for the pet market... but a lot of people isn't very succesful breeding, and especially now with the economic crisis a lot less people is willing to spend that much money in a pet. So... prices are dropping fast. 2-3 yrs ago african greys were around 700-800, now they go for about 500, and I think next year if the situation doesn't improve they will go down to 400€.
There are though a couple of species that still go strong and have a very good market, like senegal parrots, caiques, and pyrrhura perlata.
Cheers / Pablo _________________ AD ASTRA PER ASPERA
Normally we would be selling our kings for 600/$NZ 750 about 550/600US.
Couldnt sell them, but we only breed them to cover our costs....flicked 2 off 350 each couple seeks back.
Rescession hits everyting...except panic gold buying..
My 69 Camaro value dropped from 65k to around 40/45K
And same for birds in NZ...not only cant get the prices for the more expensive but they just are not selling...even the bottom end kids budgie /cocteil/canary.
So is it Prices droped or over inflated prices coming down to reality?
I believe its over inflated prices rectifying...
Take house...well in NZ.
Back in early 2006 we where going to subdivide and build 3 more 3 bedroom homes....archetects everything ready to go.....on the Sunday evening before giving final "go" I went back to basic long term (45yr) fundimentals which said values over valued 28 to 30%...the market had been growing since banks internationally had restrictions removed on the early 90s...too long, something was going to give...
We pulled the plug.
Few months later the subprime hit and NZ real values droped 10 to 12% over the next 12 months.
I think..in NZ anyway..markets have now leveled out for a while..birds house, collectables etc....still a good 10 to 15% over valued but will remain stable till the long term aves come up tp meet , before any increae in value takes place.....IF the fed doesnt keep printing money
Economics, sharemarkets etc has been a hobby of mine for over 40 yrs. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
it could be what you say, high prices coming back to more reasonable values.
For instance I get paid 15€ for ea. cockatiel at a wholesaler. Making quick math... this season I bred around 30 chicks, 30x15=450€, it covers the cost of seed for the year. So if I sell them individually for a better price, or some mutations, plus any kakariki chicks, that I consider it a bonus to improve facilities etc...
Previous years I had no problems to sell my cockatiels for 25-30€ ea. but this year the market is really slow as you say, also for lovebirds and budgies... let alone the newer mutations. I'm a bit disappointed as it's not a matter of selling them for a high price, but simply there is no interest in them. I think if I drop the prices they wouldn't still sell.
Kakariki still have a good market in Spain. I have a reasonable demand and I had to stop advertising them because I had to swap birds for new blood with other colleagues before I can sell paired birds. Here in Spain they are more an aviary species, to have a pair and try to breed, rather than a pet species, for instance cockatiels I have a number of people that come and buy 1 bird to keep at home.
I didn't know kings were that expensive in NZ. Here in Europe they are relatively cheap, despite they are not very prolific birds. Same with red wings and politelys.
Cheers / Pablo _________________ AD ASTRA PER ASPERA
but simply there is no interest in them. I think if I drop the prices they wouldn't still sell.
In there is a lot of ressitance amounst breeders to accept the prices the market is demanding....which is an archaic attattude with very little or any basic knowledge of free markets, supply demand rules.
So they dont sell their birds at all , cost to keep, run out of room for next seasons birds...crazy
less buyers less demand drop prices and increase the market by allowing more wanta bees owners come into the hobby...
As economic prospects improve, demand improves and so does prices.
Try to discuss this ith breeders and allthey want to do is hold prices up artifially....
End of the day..they have not made the money to even cover costs and still hold stock...and most prberly cant afford to do so, which the admitt, which is why they want to hold prices up.
We sell our birds, cover costs...which is what them and us are all about in the 1st place.... _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
Talking to another Spanish colleague that breeds lovebirds he has the same idea, he prefers to sell for a cheaper price, rather than holding the birds.
In the beginning I thought maybe it was not a good idea, but eventually this season I realized it's the best. It's a big relief when the market is so slow to drop the prices and get rid of those birds that you are not keeping anyway, be it adults or youngsters.
As far as you break even, or minimize the losses, it's great for me.
Maybe some people may think you destroy the market with such practices, but I think it doesn't really matter. _________________ AD ASTRA PER ASPERA
Maybe some people may think you destroy the market with such practices, but I think it doesn't really matter.
Exactly ..basic laws of supply and demand....free market etc...
To try and hold prices up is in effect illegal in most countries...its basically creatig an illegal cartel to artifially creat monoply controled market.
But as I mentioned before most breeders espec the hobbist breeders have no idea of basic economics, commercial law, and such concepts makes one rather un popular with them....resulting is some bad mouthing to others that they are being under cut. _________________ My Spelling is Not Incorrect...It's 'Creative'
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