Books on Breeding

BIGBADBK · Snr Member Joined: Apr 05, 2007 Posts: 48

Looking for a good book on breeding what would people recommend. If any one had one they were looking to sell would be good but asking what people think as I will have to order this in and don't what to be stuck with a mini handbook etc.

tossi · Regular Member Joined: Oct 26, 2006 Posts: 20

I have a book called a guide to aust long & broad tail parrots and the NZ kakarikis. It has a few pages on kakarikis but not a great deal. If you want when i have some time over the weekend I could try and scan the pages on kaks and email it to.

BIGBADBK · Snr Member Joined: Apr 05, 2007 Posts: 48

Thanks, doesn't need to be on Kakariki but parrots as a hole. Really looking for a definitive book on breeding. i.e. feeding pairs with chicks in nest, egg bound and health problems, hand rearing, incurbation etc
I've got a few books that cover breeding but was looking for the one stop shop.

Steptoe · Site Admin Joined: Oct 06, 2004 Posts: 4550

Im not impressed by guide to aust long & broad tail parrots and the NZ kakariki.
As far as kakariki goes.

The trouble with books, including landscaping, roses and such, a small proportion may very well be of the authors experience, then they wander off into other areas...hence why at the end of the book they have to list other references...assuming what is in those books is actual experience.. Shocked

I also collect old rose books, some going back several 100yrs.
A while back, I took the time out to trace old wives tales about roses.
I know enough about roses to possess 3 of the 4 Chinese species that the stopped the Napoleonic wars to let then thru for Joesphine..It was from these the modern repeat flowering gene comes from.

A general parrot breeding book? no such thing...
Sure there are similarities between different species, on the other hand 2 sub species can be totally different...or may have a couple factors very different...anythig from season, temps, humidity, food types, privacy, depth of nesting box, which way the nesting box faces, which way the flight faces.
Then there are the individual varables...what will suit 1 pair will not suit another, assuming they happen to be compatible.

It was basically because of the total lack of info on kakariki, and 99% what was published was crap, I started this site.

I have seen where macaws have aviaries hidden away ..not to be disturbed, and seen a 1st time pair breeding a few meters away from the main entrance of a zoo in the hills of Adelaide with screaming school kids banging on the netting directly below the nest!

Bottom line, the best info comes from hands on breeders themselves ..even then many of the trade secrets are held very close to the chest..it can take months and a lot of coffees to get their trust.
Yes I to, keep a few little tricks to myself, simply because I gave my word many yrs ago, to the source to do so.