Mi1ke2003

I have about 40 parakeets, outside in a 4x4 upright cage I made that is 8ft high. It is inside the corner of my greenhouse. Temp. Range from say 15deg.in winter that is usually the first just a few times a season to 105 in summer. I use fans in summer and electric heater near there cage in winter. In spring I place breeding boxes inside hungup about 6ft high. In spring when the freezing weather is gone and starts go warm.When I started with a pair, male having blue on the cere or right above the beak. Female is just brown. A female alone may lay eggs but to be fertile and hatch it takes a make to make the female fertile. After laying usually a clutch of eggs 2-4 but could be as many as eight.Takes about 21days for eggs to hatch.

When the eggs hatch the keets need to be kept around 100 degrees for 1 - 2 wks. After this point there called fledgings. I leave them in box and they will come out on there own right at 4weeks old. I do nothing but place feed in the adult feeders. When the adult male eats, he usually feeds the female and she in return feeds the babies. Female may come out and eat and feed too.I see both happen alot though. You really don't need to let them hatch but 2 clutches a season. Can cut the females life span. I take the breeding boxes out end of summer or before winter or when they have raised 2 clutches. I don't try and interfere with them even as far as cleaning the box or anything. I let mother nature take its course. I now have about 40 birds. Yes you may loose a few keets and or adults. But they usually do a great job at rasing there own young...