My Amazons live in a 40 ft. x 9 ft. room in my aviary together with a pair of macaws and two pairs of conures. The room has steel walls and ceiling and a sloped concrete floor. The building is heavily insulated against the extremes of the Canadian climate but the Amazon room has a screened door at each end which can be opened to allow the breeze to blow through. These doors stand open all day from mid-May to mid-October (any time the outside temperature is over 57 F.) Lighting is provided by two rows of ordinary cool-white fluorescent tubes, with five incandescent bulbs to simulate dawn and dusk, and three night lights. Heating and ventilation are at present improvised with space heaters and a small exhaust fan.
Each of the five pairs of Amazons set up for breeding last summer occupied a suspended cage 4 ft. long by 2.5 ft. deep by 4 ft. high. The nest boxes are 1'x1'x2.5' some mounted horizontally and some vertically.
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The day length was increased from 12 hours to 14 to 16. |
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As the weather warmed up, the doors were open more, allowing additional light from outside into the room also we added a few more flourescents as we had not finished wiring the room earlier. Obviously, this was a one-time modification. |
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The room had been kept at 60 fall and winter. As the summer came on in June, the temperature rose to 70 and later to 80. It was never allowed to exceed 85. |
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This increased as the season progresses, although I did not have an accurate enough hygrometer to measure it properly. The use of electric space heaters kept it low through the spring, and additional spraying, hosing of the floor, etc., helped elevate it in the summer. Starting in May, I sprayed the birds 3 times a week instead of weekly. By June they were being sprayed daily and their plumage was gorgeous. |
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In April the diet was changed from Hagen Tropican Lifetime Pellets (14- protein, 9- fat) with a ration of seed daily ( the off-season maintenance diet) to Hagen High Performance Pellets (22- protein, 9- fat). The small ration of seed was still offered. |
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In addition to the pellets and seed, starting in May, each pair received a dish of mixed vegetables (usually a commercial frozen mixture thawed and cut up small), apple and whole wheat bread. |
| Pair #1 - Blue-fronts. The hen laid a clutch of 3 eggs in July. All were clear but I left them with her to test her incubation behavior, and she did incubate well. This was the first time she had laid although she had had a box (horizontal) for the past two seasons in my basement birdroom. The male never came into breeding condition and although she tried hard to interest him in mating she was unsuccessful. I think he is harboring a subclinical illness as he sometimes looks depressed. He will receive a thorough medical workup before next summer. |
| Pair #2 - Yellow-head. The hen laid a clutch of 3 clear eggs in March, before any of the environmental changes were made. (She had laid 2 clear clutches the previous year in my basement) The male was not in breeding condition and the clutch was clear. Both showed some interest in the box in June and July but no more eggs were laid. Next year I shall close the box in February to prevent the same thing happening. Like the male Blue-front. I think the male Yellow-head is not entirely well and also needs vet work. |
| Pair #3 - Tucumans. The hen laid two clutches of 3 eggs each. Unfortunately, this pair likes to have egg for breakfast and I was only able to rescue four out of the six. All 4 were fertile and were incubated from Day 1 in a Turn-X TX-7. Of these, one was an early dead embryo (probably excessive vibration) and one was dead-in-shell after external pip (the air cell was at the small end of the egg and despite help on the phone from Rick Jordan. I was too slow in breaking it out and it tore its umbilicus and bled to death). The other two hatched without problems and were handfed. This pair has a horizontal box which they both sleep in at night all year round. and I think I will try a vertical box next year in case the egg eater is the male ---- the hen would be better able to protect her clutch from him in a vertical box. Also I have acquired a pair of proven foster parents (OWs) to use for incubating and raising chicks of problem pairs like this. |
| Pairs #4 and #5 - Lilac-crowns |
| Summary. Of the 5 pairs of Amazons set up for breeding, all five of the hens came into breeding condition, and three of the males. The two hens with males who did not come into condition of course laid clear clutches. The Lilac-crowned hen with the calcium problem laid eggs which were probably fertile. The other lilac-crown and the Tucuman laid fertile eggs, and a total of six chicks were handraised (2 Tucumans, 4 Lilac-crowns). |
There are at least a few ways of breeding Amazons, such as what is fed the birds, lighting, heat, etc. So few breeders write what they think helped produce offspring, I thought the story would encourage others to try their hand. Remember that the climate is Canada. - editor. Very slightly edited.
Keep the nest box hole covered (thin wood with medium center hole) until the male chews through it (getting into condition), and then also females will not be laying eggs that are infertile so early.
----from the AmaZone Forum.