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Mature Cockbird	Juvenile Cockbird	Young Cock - Red Slash starting on throat and yellow on top of head in evidence.	Adult Cockbird	Adult Cockbird

Mature Hen	Mature Hen	Mature Hen	2 Adult + young Cockbird	Adult Cocks +1 young Hen

• Another gentle, quiet, inoffensive bird that has a pleasant, melodic call, which shouldn't upset any Neighbours.

• They originate from Australia, where they are called the "Superb Parrot".

• They are very similar to Kaki's as far as diet and husbandry are concerned.

• You could in fact, keep them in a mixed Aviary with Kakis and/or cockatiels etc.

• They are ideal Aviary Birds but wouldn't be as happy in a cage as a house Pet.

• they do need to fly and therefore need the space a good-sized Aviary would provide.

FEEDING

• They eat Parakeet Mix. (Not too many Sunflower seeds - fattening and addictive).

• They enjoy a variety of seeds.

• They love Millet Sprays.

• They love all the Fruit and Veg (esp. carrot, apple, celery, broccoli etc.,) that Kakis seem to like

  • + brown bread, Mtn Ash Berries, Willow & Eucalyptus branches and all the usual wild foods & seeds.

  • They love cooked frozen Sweet corn mixed with egg food and shredded chicken (at breeding time).

BATHING

• They don't seem to bathe quite as much as Kakis but do like to get under rain showers.

• You should still offer them a dish big enough to bathe in

  • a plastic Cat Litter Tray is an ideal size.

  • Or a 14" plastic plant-pot saucer stuck onto a log set on it's end works very well.

AVIARY-LIFE

• They will mix well with most other amiable, non-aggressive Aviary Birds.

• They can be a bit flighty if there are a few of them and you go in the Aviary with them. 

  • Altho. they can become quite tame if approached consistently and quietly. 
    

• They do need a pretty spacious Aviary - 10ft+  long x 8ft wide minimum,

  • as they need plenty of space to fly.

  • they like branches of all shapes and size to help keep the muscles in their feet excercised

  • The branches don't have to be horizontal - after all you don't find all the branches on a tree on a horizontal plane - so make sure the bird has a good selection.

  • Make sure they also have very wide perches 3"+

  • Plenty with bark still on off safe trees, for them to chew

    • - keeps their beaks trim and gives them pleasure

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

• They can be prone to upper respiratory infections, notably mycoplasmosis, which can also
  effect the eyes - so keep watch on them.

  • (Vit A is very useful to help prevent respiratory problems - this is found in Carrots)
    

• Also, a clean, non-stuffy atmosphere with plenty of fresh air but no Draughts is essential.

• They also love clinging to the Aviary roof mesh during and after rain showers, to lick the drops of rainwater.

• They remind me of Lorikeets lapping nectar, they way they use their tongues to get the droplets. 

• They also, spend time on the floor foraging, so you must keep on top of Worming

SEXING BARRABANDS

• Many breeders have found that, just as they begin to dream of nesting successes, their
  "females" suddenly mature into males. 

• Most young Barrabands tend to look like "Hens" when they first fledge.

  • Someone told me that the young hens have pink under their tail feathers but most young birds have
    pink under their tails and then the young cocks lose these feathers as they mature.
    

• The odd one (the exception rather than the rule) will have a more "yellow" look about the head
  as soon as it fledges and emerges from the Nest box with a suggestion of the  red slash at the
  throat, which gets more pronounced around first juvenile moult (about 6 months). 
   

• I have just seen 3 babies in the nest - all with Yellow foreheads - so some chicks you can tell if
  they are cock birds that early - it's really the hens that you would have no indication if they
  were going to develop into cock birds until at least the first moult!
   

• Many inexperienced Breeders and owners are often convinced they have young hens and buy or sell them as such - then they start to colour up between 12 - 18months and show their true colours!

  • the yellow foreheads are the first colours which start to show thru.
    

• The one in the picture  (3rd from left on top row) above is that exception! (He's one of the few
  that showed yellow around the head and the red throat slash,  as soon as he emerged from the nest.

  • He's 6 months old in the picture.
    

• Others, (poss. the majority) however, stay "looking" like a Hen bird until the colour change,
  to confirm they are cock birds.

  • This typically takes place between 12 and 18 months of age. 

• They then usually become sexually active.

• They will breed from 2yrs old usually.

• Young cock birds tend to have brown irises rather than the orange irises adult hens have.
  

• Young cock birds start "singing"/warbling long before they moult into their full adult plumage,
  which can be a bit of a give-away as to their true sex.

• Breeders should purchase females that are approximately 2 years old to be certain of their sex.   

• The picture bottom right (above) shows 2 mature cock birds and hopefully, one young "hen", 
  that is only 7 months old, so may yet still mature as a cockbird!!

BREEDING

• Nest boxes are best if the are approx. 2ft deep x 12" square.  

  • See Notes on Nest boxes for info. on bedding and pop-holes etc.,

• They will breed en-colony - just make sure you have more Nest boxes than pairs.

• Also ALL the NESTBOXES are the same height and very similar or same design.

• Put a respectable covering  of Easibed substrate into the bottom of the Nest box.

• If they are bred in separate Aviaries, try and make sure you  house 2 pairs within sight and
  sound of each other to increase the likelihood of breeding.

• Hens can lay eggs at around 1 year old but are usually 2- 3yrs before they are fertile.

• As per most breeds they need extra Protein when breeding and feeding chicks.  

• They love Sweetcorn mixed with EMP Eggfood which can have necessary Vitamin supplements added to it.

• Make sure, as with all other Parakeet-types to provide Cuttlefish bone, grit, iodised Mineral block
  (the pink ones), when breeding.

• These are necessary to provide some of the Calcium and minerals necessary to form good quality eggshells and helps prevent the Hen drawing on her own body's Calcium reserves and depleting them.  

• For a successful breeding process, maintain slight humidity in the nesting area. 

• They tend usually just to have ONE clutch of eggs and chicks per season.

• The parents seem quite happy to have the fledglings live in the same Aviary with them, even when they go to nest again the next year.

  • Unlike Rosellas and similar breeds, where u would have to watch the fledglings esp. the young cock-birds 'cos Dad Rosellas have been known to attack their own sons if the hen wants to go back to nest.
     

• The Hen lays  4 - 6 eggs

•  incubation period of approx. 19 - 20 days.

• Chicks start to fledge around 40 days.

• Ring 11 - 13 days  Ring size:  P
  

• An eye should be kept on the male once the chicks fledge, to be certain he does not become prematurely aggressive and harm the young in his desire to start a new nest. 
   

• Fledglings must also be watched carefully because their initial attempts to fly can produce unco-ordinated movements that can result in injury.

  • For this reason, it is important not to startle the young birds.

  • This period of clumsiness generally does not last long, however, and young birds become proficient flyers after only a few days of effort.