IRN breeding info please

[sarah23]

Hi all,
i'm fairly new to indian ringnecks but not new to birds. i'm getting a blue and green breeding pair and i want to give them the best set up i can for successful breeding. i have had lots of experience with small birds but taking my learning to the next step. so i have been told quite a bit of helpful info but where else can i get the most updated and experienced information? Here!
So here are my questions:
Minimum cage size for one breeding pair?
Best nesting material?
Best diet for breeding season?
Best location of cage - inside or outside?
I have a big breeding box which is used for indian ringnecks so i'm good for that.
Do they prefer a cage with lots of privacy - such as packing it out with lots of branches and leaves etc or leaving it nice and tidy with many perches/branches is sufficient?
Best way to suppliment calcium into their diet? and how much to give?
and lastly, with a blue male and green female what are the possible colour combination babies will they have?
any extra info is greatly appreciated! thanks!

[rod038]

If you want the best set up then you dont want the minimum cage size but a cage they will be comfortable in and that is the biggest you can afford. I would suggest if they are in this cage all year round that it is at least 2.4m long by 1.2 wide and 2m high. or even a suspended cage half the height but raised off the ground.

A nest box about 250mm x 250mm x 600mm high with clean wood shavings dampened and compressed in the base. You may need to add more as the Hen likes to throw them out of the box.

I use a good seed mix and add soaked seed and a variety of fruit and Vege. I add a calcium liquid to the soaked seed. Fresh water in a bowl they can bathe in also. Just follow the directions on the bottle for the calcium.

Best to have the cage outside and the birds will breed after Winter once the days start to get longer and warmer.

I would have a perch at either end instead of cluttering the cage with perches. Give them small branches and other pieces of natural timber to chew. May save the box a little.

You dont want to be going near them all the time but just leave them too it and do your nest inspections when you feed them.

From a Green and a Blue you will get Green young split to Blue. If you get any Blue young then your Green bird was split to Blue which is quite common.

[sarah23]

thanks for the advice! i definitely was going to get at least an aviary that size so that's great and i have done a bit of research on colours and breeding so i understand what colours come from which parents now one question is it essential to dampen the wood shavings? is it just to make it more compact?
thanks again!

[rod038]

Yes it can make it more compact but also the eggs need a certain amount of Humidity to hatch so dampening them and also having a large enough bowl for the parents to bathe will help.