My Green Cheek Conures Won’t Breed

[Parrot_775]

Hello ok so I bought my female Green Cheek Conure about 3 years ago so last July I bought 3 year male proven breeder they have both been dna tested they got a nesting box a large cage and everything they need as far as I know but they still haven’t bred or even ever tried never laid eggs I don’t know what’s wrong with them I’ve tried a lot of thing they never bred please reply

 

[Flboy]

Hi,
Just out of curiosity, what is your experience with breeding parrots?

 

[Tjmcnee]

They possibly have bred, but the egg is either still developing or your parrot has the egg stuck. This is a possibility, and some birds never wake up after getting the egg out from surgery. I hope your bird doesn’t have it’s egg stuck!
But if an egg does come, I hope it hatchs into a beautiful bird!

 

[Parrot_775]

No they haven’t bred and it’s been a year and if there was a egg �� stuck I think she would be dead by now and I checked before to make sure she don’t have one stuck and FLboy I’ve bred cockatiels

 

[ChristaNL]

May be they just really, really do not like each other?
Not all aminals will breed if you just shove a male and a female together.
There is a vast difference betreen "two birds in a cage" and "a pair"



Sometimes (handraised birds f.e.) they will not even seee their 'partner' as the same species anymore.
My african greys both try to mate...with me! (Jup: handraised, both of them / not by me)
Not each other (thank goodness - I've got plenty of parrots right now)


Are your birds interested in each other? Like - preening each other, sleeping close together, doing the same things (eat when the other one eats eats).
Did you see them mate?
(if you've bred 'tiels you know the signs)

 

[MonicaMc]

Did you do the DNA sexing yourself or were the DNA sexed before you got them?

 

[Parrot_775]

May be they just really, really do not like each other?
Not all aminals will breed if you just shove a male and a female together.
There is a vast difference betreen "two birds in a cage" and "a pair"



Sometimes (handraised birds f.e.) they will not even seee their 'partner' as the same species anymore.
My african greys both try to mate...with me! (Jup: handraised, both of them / not by me)
Not each other (thank goodness - I've got plenty of parrots right now)


Are your birds interested in each other? Like - preening each other, sleeping close together, doing the same things (eat when the other one eats eats).
Did you see them mate?
(if you've bred 'tiels you know the signs)

my Cockatoo use to try to mate with people then he got mad and started attacking people so I had to get rid of him


Anyway back to the Conures they seem to like each other when I first got him they seemed to like each other better then now

They sleep in the nesting box together they used to preen and sit right by each other and take baths in the water bowl together she would even stick her butt in his face

 

[Parrot_775]

Did you do the DNA sexing yourself or were the DNA sexed before you got them?

The Male was DNA sexed already and a proven breeder but I DNA sexed the female make sure because I lost the original one for her

 

[MonicaMc]

You might want to consider re-doing the DNA sexing on the male, unless you are 100% sure male.

Pairs are often sold off as "proven breeders" when in fact they are two males or two females.



I am with Christa though.... putting two birds together isn't like putting two other species of animals together. It's great you've had success so far with cockatiels, although conures are quite different as compared to them; which I'm sure you are aware of.

 

[Kiwibird]

Parrots are not mindless sex fiends who will mate with anything else that has feathers. They form a complex emotional bond with a mate, one that more than likely will last a lifetime. Just because they're a male and female is no guarantee they'll want to breed. Put yourself in the birds shoes. Would YOU necessarily mate with and raise children with a member of the opposite sex just because you were stuck in a room together with a bed? Maybe they don't find each other attractive and have no chemistry. Maybe the male misses his mate, the one he was a 'proven breeder' with and simply doesn't want to mate with another female yet (or possibly ever).

 

[Parrot_775]

What should I do if the male don’t want to breed with her should I keep him or get rid of him and get another male

 

[Owlet]

Can I ask why you want to breed your conures?

 

[Parrot_775]

Owlet Because I want to raise the babies and I guess sell them after that’s what I meant in the first but I couldn’t think of any thing else to say at the time I should of thought about before I said I wanted to sell them

 

[Kiwibird]

There is nothing wrong with being a breeder for profit per se, but there is with taking up breeding parrots and not being a responsible and knowledgeable breeder. Right now, you do not seem to have the know-how to successfully breed and raise chicks that will go on to be happy and healthy companions. That can, of course change, but you need a better understanding of parrots to breed them successfully. This forum can be a good resource as we have several experienced, reputable breeders on here who can advise/guide you and help answer questions.

I think before you do anything further, you need to learn more about breeding parrots. A breeder needs to know 10X more than the average successful parrot owner. The difference between knowing basic first aid and being a doctor. See if you can find a local breeder who can mentor you on pairing them successfully and hand rearing the chicks and how to keep parents and chicks happy/healthy. If you don't already, you also need to get into contact with an avian specialized vet and discuss your intention to become a breeder. You need to be on good terms with your AV in case a chick becomes ill or injured or your hen is egg bound and you have a after hours emergency or something. Also, check if it is even economically viable if monetary reasons are your primary goal. How many other people in a 2-3 hour drives radius of you are raising conures? What do hand raised babies cost VS parent reared? Can you do around the clock feeding with newly hatched chicks (similar to a newborn babies care needs) if the parents abandon or attack them (which can and does happen)? Maybe you've already done this, but if not, it would be a good idea to do so before deciding on a next move.

 

[EllenD]

When you simply put two birds of the same species together that are of the opposite sex, I'm sorry to say, but this in no-way guarantees that they will EVER mate/breed!!!

Birds are very much like people in this way...You absolutely cannot FORCE two birds of the opposite sex to mate! Sorry, but it's just how it is...There are a lot of different outcomes you can get when you put any two birds of the same species and opposite sex together:

1) They absolutely hate each other to the point that they are aggressive and violent towards each other, and they must be kept in separate cages always and never allowed to be together...
2) They simply tolerate each other in the sense that they aren't aggressive or violent with each other, at least not all the time, but they don't like each other at all and want nothing to do with each other.
3) They actually like each other a lot, in the sense that they sit together, play together, etc., but they aren't closely-bonded to each other...
4) They love each other very much and are closely-bonded, spend all of their time together, they preen each other and sleep together, etc., but they do not have any interest in mating/breeding...
5) They are closely-bonded to each other and do mate/breed...

So as you can see, there are a lot of possible outcomes when you buy 2 birds in order to breed them, and you cannot just expect that any two birds you buy will breed, just like any two people you put together cannot be forced to breed...THEY'RE NOT DOGS...

If both of your birds were in-fact DNA-tested and are 100% a male and a female, and they are in-fact both in the 3 year-old range, and they've already been together in the same cage for a year, then chances are that it's not going to happen...They are both of the correct age for their species, and after being together for a year, with access to a nest-box, if they haven't been mating yet, and the female hasn't even laid any infertile eggs, then it sounds like it isn't going to happen...

****Something that you didn't consider when you bought your male, and that is probably a big part of the problem, is that you said the male was already a "proven breeder", meaning he used to be a part of a breeding-pair of birds, correct? Well, that can sometimes create a real issue with getting him to want to mate with another bird. Again, think of them in-terms of human relationships, not in-terms of Dogs...So the male may not want to mate with another female other than his prior mate, or any number of other issues...The fact that the female isn't even laying infertile eggs after a year of being with the male is an indication that she doesn't have any interest either...

I bred parrots for about 20 years, and this happens quite often...it's exactly why, as a breeder, you should never try to pair-up parrots to breed based on WHAT PAIR YOU WANT TO BREED TOGETHER, because that never, ever works, as you're finding out. You absolutely cannot force them to breed, and you're always better off, if you want to breed a particular species of parrots, to either buy an already proven breeding pair, OR you just have to buy another male and put it with your female and see how that goes...But keep in mind, you may go through bird after bird after bird and get exactly ZERO breeding-pairs...It's just how it is...

 

[EllenD]

Owlet Because I want to sell them and is that so bad owlet

It's not necessarily bad to want to breed birds if you actually want to do it because you love birds and want to experience the breeding process, etc. If you're trying to do it for money only, well, as you're finding out the hard way, it usually doesn't work-out my friend...

Here's my problem...and I am saying this to you with the utmost respect, and because I believe you need to hear it...

It's quite obvious that you have absolutely no idea what you're doing my friend. And I'm saying that as a 20+ year parrot breeder and hand-raiser. If you aren't even aware that you can't just put 2 birds of the opposite sex together and expect them to bond-closely and mate/breed, then you certainly aren't ready to handle what is to come, if you do happen to get a pair of birds together that end-up mating/breeding.

***You're comment of "What if he doesn't want to mate with her, should I get rid of him and get another male?" hit me the wrong way, that's for sure...These are living creatures that deserve to be loved and find a good home with someone who cares about them. And not to be harsh, but it seems that you are thinking of your birds as nothing more than cash-signs...Again, you will never be a successful bird breeder with that attitude...

***And if you are solely attempting to do this to make money, then I'm assuming that you're planning on pulling the chicks and hand-raising/hand-feeding them, as that's how you make more money...Am I correct?

If that's your plan, I highly recommend that if you haven't already, you find a parrot breeder that is local to you, and ask them if you could mentor with them and have them teach you about hand-feeding/hand-raising, about all of the REQUIRED EQUIPMENT THAT YOU NEED TO ALREADY HAVE IN YOUR POSSESSION BEFORE YOU START BREEDING, like a Brooder and all of the hand-feeding equipment, formula, and formula supplements, along with the emergency medical things you need for things like slow-crop, crop-stasis, yeast infections, etc. etc. Hand-feeding a 2-3 week old baby parrot is an art and a skill that is learned, AND IF DONE AT ALL WRONG WILL RESULT IN THE INSTANT DEATH OF THE CHICK FROM ASPIRATION. There are literally a hundred things that can go wrong when hand-feeding a chick, and EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT PLANNING ON HAND-FEEDING THE BABIES, YOU STILL MUST BE SKILLED AT IT AND HAVE ALL OF THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES IN YOUR POSSESSION, AS BABIES ARE OFTEN REJECTED BY THE PARENTS, HURT AND ABUSED BY THE PARENTS, KICK-OUT OF THE NEST-BOX, ETC., AND YOU MUST BE READY AT ANY TIME TO TAKE-OVER FEEDING, HOUSING, AND RAISING THEM.

I'm hoping you already know everything I just said, that you already purchased a Brooder, all of the hand-feeding equipment and supplies, the medical supplies, etc. that you need, have the leg-bands (must be put on the babies around day-10), the hatch-certificates, etc., you know, all of the stuff that people want when they hand-over hundreds of dollars for a hand-raised baby parrot...I hope you've already mentored with an experienced breeder and are a skilled hand-feeder...But you can see why I am doubting all of this, based on the problem you're currently having, and the fact that you had no idea why you were having it...

Please, at least come back here and ask any and all questions that you do have, if you do decide to go through with this and you do manage to get a breeding-pair of birds together at some point. We are here to help you and your birds, so don't ever try to just figure something out on your own that you're not sure of...it will end badly if you do.

 

[Parrot_775]

I’m not wanting to do it for only money I really like parrots and the breeder I bought the male from said they would breed by the end of the year last year

 

[Parrot_775]

I’ll tell you the truth I wasn’t going to get him but I saw him and the breeder said they would breed it ain’t all about the money I wanted to actually get her a mate before that I didn’t won’t to make money I just wanted her to have a mate and I was actually looking for a Macaw or Cockatoo

 

[EllenD]

That's fine, I believe you, but that isn't the point now...Now you have 2 conures that most likely are NOT going to mate/breed, obviously that breeder who sold him to you lied to you, as they had absolutely no way of knowing whether they would breed or not, no one ever knows whether 2 birds will breed or not, as i already said...So now you need to figure out what you're going to do, because you're most likely not going to have any baby birds with those 2 conures...In fact, at this point i would bet on it, they just don't have that kind of bond...

So now you have to figure out what you're going to do...I guess they're getting along, I don't know if you have them housed together, but if they aren't fighting/being aggressive then at least they are friendly with each other, they just aren't a breeding-pair...So like I said, either you keep them both as pets, and treat them like pets, give them both hours of attention each day like pets, because that's all these two are ever going to be...Or, you keep rehoming birds until you find a pair that will breed, which could happen quickly or never, you just don't know...

I personally don't think you breeding birds is a good idea, as you know nothing about it, nothing about hand-feeding them, you don't know what to do when something goes wrong, and it will, and you don't have any of the necessary equipment...However, at this point, even if you did try to find another conure to pair one of them up with, you're at least 1-2 years away from them breeding anyway, so you have time to do A LOT of research, find a local breeder to mentor you and teach you how to raise and hand-feed baby birds, and buy the necessary equipment and supplies...AKA, DO IT THE RIGHT WAY, THE RESPONSIBLE WAY....

Either way, I'm sorry you got taken by that breeder who knew better, but if I were you, I'd just forget about breeding birds, there are too many baby birds out there without homes anyway, too many irresponsible breeders that don't know what they're doing and only want money, etc. You said you like your birds, so just enjoy the fact that you have a lovely pair of Green Cheeks that if you put the time into them, will quickly tame, you'll earn their trust, and they can both become great, loving pets. I'd remove the nest box, it's not going to do anything, and just start working with both of them every day, get them lots and lots of toys, play gyms, etc., and just let them be happy, healthy birds instead of breeders...The last thing you want to have happen is an egg-bound female (which is 100% fatal without medical intervention immediately), and even though your birds are not a breeding-pair and not going to mate, HAVING THAT NEST BOX INSIDE THE FEMALE'S CAGE CAN TRIGGER HER HORMONES AND SHE MAY START LAYING CONTINUOUS INFERTILE EGGS, WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS TO HER HEALTH...

Just enjoy your birds, and let them be birds...

 

[Parrot_775]

Your right about keeping them as pets but I still to want breed parrots everyone has to start to start somewhere you didn’t probably know a lot about parrots your whole life and I’ve read everything I could about breeding Green Cheek Conures and hand feeding and everything else I’m not gonna breed my current pair but maybe someday in the future I’ll try a different pair so thank you for your comments I’m not buying know more proven breeders you’ll probably have the same chance with ones that ain’t proven breeders what I think so thank you again