eclectus parrots out of shape

[littleT]

I bought and traded for 2 male and 2 female eclectus--got home and put in a 6 x foot cage temp-then I built a 12 x 19 foot avary for the 4 birds.after a lot of reading these birds are not loners.i cut a couple small trees for pirches ----then I realized the 4 birds cant fly.now I am gonna have to build a pirch .highway around the flight.gonna remove it as birds learn to fly. oh well maybe birds are overweight.when complete the avery will have live flowers and a small water feature inside .will include a few pics today of birds.owners said hens do lay so I will include a few boxes soon .I will include a small bench and a pirch for them to approach me

 

[Anansi]

How long have you had these four ekkies, now? And how old? Are they proven pairs, or are you just hoping that they take a liking to each other? Are you a breeder or looking to become one?

Definitely looking forward to the pics. The birds may indeed be overweight. It's also possible that they were never allowed to fledge and now are uncomfortable with flying.

 

[littleT]

1 pair and 2 odd birds-----all over 4 yrs old1 pair has laid eggs last month i bought the birds this summer from ohio- and georiga housed in a 4x6 cage till i was done.i feed fresh corn ,carrots,sweetpotato.kale and a few treets.alittle seed----

 

[littleT]

i watched a video that says the eclectus is the only parrot that has more than 1 mate ,some females have 7 or 8 males courting her and feeding her so thus the community i am working on

 

[JerseyWendy]

Please be VERY careful housing 2 sexually mature females in the same enclosure. Yes, in the wild numerous males court and feed the female, however, you will never have a second female within the same vicinity. Females can turn quite vicious toward the same gender, particularly when they are getting broody.

Remember, in the wild the 'other' female has the option to fly far, FAR away from her opponent - unfortunately, regardless of how big the enclosure is, she can't do so in captivity.

 

[SilverSage]

I agree. Before you start building, do some research and contact experienced breeders to find out just how big your aviary needs to be in order to safely house two adult female eclectus with nest boxes. I'm guessing it will need to be much larger than what you are describing. Sounds like you have some good stuff to feed them, please keep adding more fruits and veggies as they need a lot of variety. If they are overweight I would cut the starches like sweet potato and banana.

 

[littleT]

i did alot of reading and found several breeders in europe who were having trouble breeding eclectus started breeding in groups.and had good rate of fertile eggs this waywith little to no fighting--i have 3 cameras in the building so i can watch and listen from my livingroom on a 40 inch screen for problems though. look here [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w0H4dB_Q7U"]Breeding colony of Electus parrot eating pomegranate - YouTube[/ame] here is a large group with no problems

 

[littleT]

these are not my birds however there are dozens of breeders who say the eclectus do really good in groups --the same old breeder ive known for years says he raised african greys this way i say old hes 87 im 63 so hes pretty old.

 

[littleT]

Colony Eclectus, by Dale R. Thompson read this on colony breeding

 

[littleT]

i appreciate all the input----i wasnt going to throw the together and walk away,i have 3 video cameras w/sound on them 24 hours a day.im retired with nothing to do but watch cameras for next few days to see if i need to remove one of the hens.

 

[SilverSage]

I agree with the concept of group breeding eckies, I'm simply concerned about the size of your encolusure, as well as wondering how a pair who have never had to share their space may react. Talking directly to an experienced breeder specifically about the size of your proposed enclosure is what I'm suggesting. As someone who has experienced the horror of witnessing one bird kill another because the ideal conditions were not met, and knowing that deadly damage was already done before I could be sure that something was even wrong even though I was within 6 feet of the bird when it happened, I don't think any amount of cameras would prevent the gruesome death of a bird or both birds if the enclosure is too small for both hens to be comfortable nesting.

 

[Anansi]

Wendy's point about having multiple females in the same enclosure and Dani's (SilverSage) suggestion about checking with an experienced breeder are both very solid.

In the wild, competition for those nesting hollows is fierce... and sometimes even lethal. So it wouldn't hurt to find out about the enclosure.

All that said, your aviary sounds great and the video you provided made for interesting watching. I was actually surprised by the number of ekkies in that space.

 

[littleT]

i have talked to several breeders who agree it can be done.i am a breeder of parrots and have been for 30 yrs----I have raised --greys--ddyhs--blue fronts--all types of rosella as well as scarlotte chested parakeets and all sorts of finches----if I didn't feel it would work I would not try it.im not out to hurt my birds..one point to note---birds cant fly so that will keep down the squabbling.i have taken all this info and spent 3 months researching this.the are for the 4 birds are as follows---10 foot high ceiling---12 foot wide and 18 foot long.which was as large as the room with a dozen birds in it.i am retired so most of my days are spent with my birds,the 4 are all hand tamed.i can walk into pin and any of the 4 will stepup.thanks for all the input will keep everyone informed on progress----if I see any squabbling I will remove 2 of them---also please note that the goal here is not to have babies but to be in a more open space for excersize,to stay healthy

 

[Anansi]

Well, I'm certainly glad to hear of the extent of your experience. Given the nature of forums, you could as easily have been a dabbler who just wanted to try something new.

Please don't take our input as insinuations that you don't have your flock's best interests at heart. It's just always good to voice any misgivings that may occur to mind when engaging on a forum. You just never know when you might have thought of something that someone else has missed.

Sounds like you've really done your research and are taking reasonable precautions, though, so I do look forward to your pics and updates.

 

[SilverSage]

Agreed, we see a lot of people who simply spend 15 minutes on google and decide they know the magic exception to conventional bird wisdom, and that if they just go buy a proven pair they will instantly become rich and never lose a single baby bird and that because they read it on the Internet, they know what they are doing is the right way. Sadly we hear from a lot of people like that and very few who have actually researched. I look forward to hearing about your experiences with these birds; eclectus are of pert ocular interest to me.

 

[littleT]

my eclectus

 

[littleT]

a few more pics

 

[Anansi]

I just want to point out a few things to you, LittleT.

First, there appear to be a few health hazards in your setup. There are several protruding nails as well as wire fasteners that could trap a foot or toe in one of its loops. Also there is at least one rusty wire suspended from the ceiling, and some of the wiring has exposed pointed tips that could potentially hook and impale the soft flesh beneath a bird's lower beak.

Then I have to ask about the metal of the wiring. Is it stainless steel or bird-safe metal of another sort?

And lastly, as these birds were recent acquisitions, we're they tested and quarantined before putting them together? I ask because the look of the male in the first pic of the second set worries me a bit. (Though QT would be a good practice even if nothing seemed amiss.) It might just be that he's in the middle of a rough molt and in need of a bath, but I do worry.

I hope you understand that I'm not making these observations to be hyper-critical or anything, but rather out of genuine concern for the welfare of your flock.