Breeding questions (Australia)

xx_sheena_xx · Post by **xx_sheena_xx** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:02 pm

When is it breeding season for IRN's in Australia?

My female IRN has been in her nest box latly and when
i go into my averie my male IRN will try to attack me, this
is also what happened last time they had eggs.

Will they only have one clutch or could they have two?

Thanks in advance

Fah · Post by **Fah** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 11:52 pm

Heya there,

Around now through till August is when they get their boogey on and start getting quite interested in breeding.

Some are sooner than others, others later than the rest... even here in Adelaide we can have different aviary locations go down with eggs 2-3 weeks appart... so its not certain but a range timespan that starts now.

I have never once had an IRN pair have more than one clutch a year by their own choice... only when young (and i mean very young... 1-2 weeks max) are pulled out or if the eggs are taken out before hatching.

pinkdevil · Post by **pinkdevil** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 1:26 am

My boys here are becoming quite impatient with the ladies

Jaspers' man keeps asking her, "what are you doing"? with his little heart shaped wings dance all the time. Quite funny especially when she just glares at him!

My green pair in the past, have been the ones to kick off my breeding season. In 2007 my green hen laid her first egg on 15-07-07, while last year she laid her first egg on 25-08-08.

Fah, I was told the same thing about not pulling babies till they are older than 2 weeks or leaving the parents to raise the chicks that you will, (in most cases), only have 1 clutch per pair, but my green hen has double clutched for me both seasons that I have had her.
In 2007 I took her first clutch to handraise when they were around 3 weeks old, while last year I let her raise her first clutch thinking she would stop at that, then she laid her second clutch a week or so after the chicks fledged. Although she did lay fewer eggs compared to the previous season.

My other pairs only have one clutch per season so far.

Fah · Post by **Fah** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 6:45 am

Ah very nice. I had some large single clutches, but yeah never a double clutch.... one year I had a girl lay 6 with all fertile and hatch, quite a mum she was.

I chose never to double clutch my birds... I like as less physical stress on the birds as possible for longevity, if I needed more young I just made room for more pairs.

Quite lucky to have a girl happy to go down more than once

Good mum there heh

julie · Post by **julie** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 6:58 am

I had to cover my aviaries

we have huge kurrawongs scaring my birds. I hope they haven't been put off. I have never seen the kurrawongs here until this year and now they are stalking my birds.

xx_sheena_xx · Post by **xx_sheena_xx** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:08 pm

Im pretty sure they are in breeding mode,
i saw the male dancing at the female this morning

TD · Post by TD » Thu Jul 09, 2009 6:36 pm

My Albino Hen is already in & out of the box, I just hope the male knows what to do this time, I can’t give him an instruction manual because being a bloke he won’t read it.

It’s quite cold here in Melbourne at the moment, as usual, so I’m not sure if the cooler weather plays a part in there being a difference in breeding times compared to those up north?

My fingers are crossed anyway! Good luck to the rest of you, look forward to hearing about your success!

pinkdevil · Post by **pinkdevil** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:00 pm

TD wrote:My Albino Hen is already in & out of the box, I just hope the male knows what to do this time, I can’t give him an instruction manual because being a bloke he won’t read it.

What is it with men and reading manuals??!! lol

I have 2 hens, (original green pair and a blue pair) making a nice little ditch in their boxes. The green hen has excavated about 1/2 her nesting material out!

I did put heaps in though. Obviously too much for her liking lol.

I haven't seen any action from the pairs, (not through lack of trying on the males part

), yet. But can't be too far away.

I know what you mean about it being cold, last week it was freakin' freezing here.

Good luck with your gang too TD.

TD · Post by TD » Sun Jul 12, 2009 5:47 am

Cheers Pinkdevil, so far so good with the female regularly in the box doing her thing. Spent her first night in there last night.

Do they eat any nest material? I tend to find they sometimes have much less in there but no sign of any on the ground...

Guilty as charged here when it comes to not reading the manual!! Everyone knows blokes are impatient!

pinkdevil · Post by **pinkdevil** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 6:26 pm

hmmm......don't think they would eat the nesting material.

I have noticed nesting material in the water bowl, food bowl, floor, lol anywhere really, but I kep just putting it back in

It is amazing just how much they will remove from the boxes and some of them are quite deep, no mean feat I would imagine.

Fah · Post by **Fah** » Sun Jul 12, 2009 9:44 pm

Also have to remember the nesting material gets compacted down and with the poop etc it can seem as if its shrunk in amount when all thats happened is just getting more dense.