Spring management

In spring, peony parrots are generally in estrus, with frequent calls and very active. At this time, in addition to normal breeding or paired breeding birds, single-bred birds should reduce the supply of fat feed and feed more green feed such as wild vegetables, cabbage, and rape to prevent excessive internal fire and birds in heat. When it is more restless, there will be a shock or a cage phenomenon at night, and the wing feathers and tail feathers will be knocked off or damaged. In addition to strengthening daily management during this period, attention should be paid to adequate food and water, and frequent observation of bird activities and feces. If abnormal phenomena are found, the cause should be found, and preventive measures should be taken quickly.

Healthy birds and estrus birds have a certain regularity of activity. They are more lively and active in the cage, and have regular calls. Generally, they start to call at dawn. In spring, the temperature difference between day and night is large, so you should pay attention to the changes in cold and heat, pay attention to the placement of cages, and do not place bird cages in places with draft wind. Generally, it is most suitable if the room temperature is above 16°C. If it is found that the bird has unstable breathing, rapid breathing and gasping, it may be sick, and it is necessary to further observe and start corresponding and timely treatment.

The feces can intuitively reflect the health of the bird. Abnormal feces are generally thin, with mucus or foam, and even blood. Some have green or white in the middle, with watery samples around them, and the frequency of defecation increases. Normal feces are thin strips and covered with white matter. Develop the habit of observing more when cleaning, so that the bad condition of the birds can be detected as soon as possible so that corresponding measures can be taken.

The feeding amount of green feed can be appropriate. It is recommended to soak in water for 20 minutes before feeding.

Pay attention to the preparation of feed during the feeding process of parent birds. You can increase the amount of millet and millet. In the spring feed, do not have too many melon seeds and pockmarks (just snacks, not staple food).

Spring is the season for the recovery of all things, and it is also the season when all kinds of germs and viruses begin to recover and become active. , bird cages and nest boxes for disinfection, sterilization and deworming. The antiviral agent I usually use is a 3‰ solution of peracetic acid, which is a disinfectant used for washing hands before surgery in the hospital. It is cheap and works well. For sterilization, 75% medical alcohol solution can be used. In addition, if you want to exterminate insects, just mix ivermectin powder with water. Ivermectin is mainly used to kill small parasites such as feather lice, mites, and ticks. A certain killing effect, various solutions can be sprayed with a spray bottle after mixing with water.

Summer management

Summer is a key season for the growth of peony parrots. Seasons are mainly used to restore physical strength and recuperate. For birds born in spring, this period is also a good period for them to grow their bodies.

In summer, the most important thing for raising peony parrots is to ensure the temperature and ventilation. Generally, the indoor temperature can be kept below 33 ℃, which is the most suitable. Of course, if the temperature is too high, if conditions permit, you can turn on the air conditioner appropriately, but I do not recommend using the air conditioner for a long time, and I do not recommend sprinkling water in the bird room to cool down. In addition, the main defense cooling method is to give the bird too many bathing opportunities to adjust the bird's own body temperature. At the same time, ventilation must be done in place, too cold and too hot, the bird can resist the past by itself, and the sultry heat is the biggest death point of the bird, so it is particularly important to have an electric fan and an exhaust fan in the bird house in summer. Keeping air circulation is the most important way for peony parrots to survive the summer.

In this season, some birders who have done a good job of feeding, the peony parrots they feed will also lay eggs, hatch, etc. However, I do not recommend breeding again in summer, for one thing, because If the temperature is too high, the humidity of the eggs is difficult to control, the hatching rate and survival rate of the young chicks are not high, and the physique will be weak. Second, breeding in summer is a big challenge for parent birds, especially female birds. If the ventilation management is not in place, the mother birds that hatch eggs are prone to sickness, and may even die directly. Therefore, most breeders will choose to nest or seal the birds for management. At the same time, this period is also a good period for thorough sterilization and disinfection of the nest box!

Food precautions: In this season, it is recommended to increase the proportion of millet, millet, millet and buckwheat. If so, some mung beans can also be properly placed in the feed. Oily feed should be fed as little as possible or not fed. In summer, I usually soak some very light honeysuckle or white chrysanthemum water and add it to my daily drinking water to clear away heat and purify fire and increase physical fitness. Another point worth noting is that you should pay attention to the green feed you feed. Don't feed some that have rotted and deteriorated, and don't feed too much.

Finally, another main task in summer is to prevent mosquitoes and insects. Insect control work has been mentioned in the aforementioned spring management, and here we will talk about mosquito control. In the past, I also hated mosquitoes, but I was helpless. Because of mosquito bites, some birds suffered from acne. Later, I found a fluorescent mosquito killer on the Internet. It is completely physical. It uses light to attract mosquitoes and other insects, and then uses a fan to inhale the net cage and air-dry it. Even some big flies can still be inhaled. And it is low light, low noise, low energy consumption. Good stuff!

Autumn management

After the midsummer, the autumn is high and crisp, and it is also the best breeding season for peony parrots. The management work in autumn is not much different from that in spring. . But the following things must be done.

Pairing nests. If it is found that the bird has obvious estrus behavior (the male bird flaps its wings, jumps up and down, the female bird leans forward, the hips are raised, the male bird and the female bird appear flowering), then the box door must be reopened at the side of the cage. Or hang the nest box, and lay dry bedding material in the box at the same time.

In terms of food, the proportion of buckwheat and mung bean can be gradually reduced in this season. In order to promote estrus and hatching, egg millet can also be used to replace part of the amount of millet. The degree of moulting, appropriately increase the proportion of some black sesame seeds. The experience of adding sesame to the feed comes from feeding pigeons in the past, but because the peony parrot does not eat rapeseed, so I use sesame instead. Excessive intake, in addition to the nutrients and oil components of sesame, will have a great effect on birds in the process of molting in autumn. At the same time, it can lay a good foundation for brooding in late autumn and cold resistance in winter. .

The sanitation work in autumn can be slightly slower than that in summer. On the one hand, most of the adult birds have entered the breeding season, which can also minimize some disturbances. In addition, the rot and deterioration of food, especially green feed, and the deterioration of drinking water are not so fast. Cleaning the cages and changing the water, the feeding work can be delayed by one day (personally, it is cleaned every three days now). At the same time, it can also reduce some work intensity! However, I have to remind all birders that bird sand and cuttlefish bones must be paid attention to. The autumn will enter the peak of breeding, and the peony parrot will pick these two ingredients. The food intake will be relatively large, and it must be added in time if it is lacking!

Winter management

Peony parrots can also breed in winter, but the most suitable It is best to keep the room temperature around 16°C. The indoor temperature in winter personally thinks that it is best not to be lower than 10 ℃, but try not to be higher than 20 ℃. It is very important to control the temperature of the aviary in winter. Birds should try not to take them outdoors to avoid catching a cold. (I have a painful experience of sub-adult birds being frozen to death because the nest box was not hung at the room temperature of 3 ℃ in winter)

Before winter, firstly, in the preparation of feed, the content of millet It can be increased accordingly, and the oily food can also be appropriately increased to lay the foundation for the bird to resist the cold in winter. Before pairing and laying eggs, 500 grams of millet and 3 egg yolks can be additionally fed. It should not be placed in the same food box with other premixed feeds, but should be fed separately. As long as 2-3 eggs are laid during the feeding process, the eggs should be stopped immediately. While other feeds remain the same, in winter, the feed intake of pockmarks and melon seeds should not exceed 15 grains per bird per day to avoid fat accumulation.

It is safer to use heating to keep warm in winter.

In winter, peony parrots generally do not need to take a bath, but some birds especially like water baths. For this bird, you should choose a sunny, slightly higher temperature around noon, and put warm water in a shallow dish to let it bathe. Pay attention to keep warm after bathing, so as not to trouble the birds with a cold.

In addition, based on my own experience, in winter, it is best to have an incubator in the aviary. Whether it is for the recovery of sick birds or the feeding of partially abandoned chicks, the incubator will be very useful. big. Of course, for friends who usually raise chicks by artificial hands, an incubator is a must-have equipment.