Health Requirements:
To breed sucessfully, each breeding Lovebird should be healthy, normal, and between one and five years of age.
Nesting Requirements:
Lovebirds
need a nest box in which to lay their eggs. The proper size for a
Lovebird is about 12"x12"x12", with an entrance hole of about 3 inches
in diameter. Proper nesting material, such as shredded paper, should
also be provided.
Nutritional Requirements:
Like all hookbills, Lovebirds should be fed a varied diet consisting of seeds, pellets, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Breeding age hens should be placed on a calcium supplement to counteract the nutrients that they lose during egg-laying.
Egg Laying:
Female
Lovebirds will lay their eggs between 5 - 12 days after mating. Many
will lay an egg every other day until they have all been laid. Each clutch usually contains between 3 and 7 eggs.
Incubation Time:
On
average, Lovebirds incubate their eggs for about 23 days. This can vary
by a couple of days in either direction. When attempting to calculate
future hatch dates, always count forward from the day that you notice
the hen begin to sit on the eggs. Sometimes they won't sit until all the
eggs of a clutch have been laid, and they all need equal incubation
time!
Hatchling Care and Weaning:
Most
breeders will allow the hen to feed the babies from hatching to the age
of 2 or 3 weeks. From there, they will pull the babies out of the nest
and place them in a brooder
for handfeeding. Most Lovebirds need to be handfed until they are
between 6 and 8 weeks old, when you can begin to wean them onto millet,
soft pellets, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
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