Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 11:20 pm Post subject: breeding in the summer ahead in aussie?
hi all
so it has been said on previous post that on hot days people have lost their kakariki: I have a pair with three eggs at the moment after they have raised this clutch i was thinking to take the boxes out to avoid the heat waves in sumer and them place the box back in once it starts to get cooler again.
There are several things you can do if you have a nest of young and the weather turns hot. We have tried most of these.
1) Place the nest box on the floor of the aviary and either remove or open the lid of the box fully. The parents will usually sit on the top of the box to keep an eye on the chicks. Place the box back on the wall around dusk.
2) If the weather is extreme remove the box completely at around lunchtime. Place the box indoors in a room that is around 22 degrees. When you first bring the box inside open the lid and allow the chicks to cool off slightly. A fine mist spray of water can be used to increase the humidity in the box in case the chicks have started to dehydrate. Place the box back in the aviary just before dusk. Feed the parents fresh food at this time also and you should observe the hen going in to feed the chicks. Kakariki generally dont mind this type of interference.
If you do remove the box during the day and the chicks crops become empty you can feed via an eye dropper. Make sure the food is very runny to prevent the food setting hard in the crop. Food temperature should also be moderately warm. Even chicks a few days old can survive up to 12 hours without food so having the box removed for a few hours on a hot day should not do any harm.
Hi Guys i have learn't the had way about heat and lost chicks and hens in summer. I now have insulation in my roofs with a 70mm gap between insulation and roof above to allow air flow. I also lowered my boxes down 400mm from the roof. Only today i wedged a 40mm dole stick in the lid of the boxes allowing air flow as the temperater in Sydney was supposed to be 34 degrees. I try to stop them as summer approches but this summer if they still have babies i will probably pull the babies at 2 weeks old and hand raise in controled temperater putting less stress on parents and babies. Cheers Kev
Thanks for all the feedback it has been intresting to see other peoples techniques. i think it would be quite sensible for a breeder in my area to use the light system and breed in the cooler months. hopefully it will be another tame summer in perth this year.
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