Archive for May, 2010

Fully Grown Ducks How To Feed Them

How to Feed Fully Grown Ducks

If you want to keep ducks as pets, you should invest in their proper nutrition. This is an investment that will pay off handsomely, not just in profits, but also with the fact that you will have very healthy pets.

Whether they are raised for livestock or for domesticated purposes, ducks are great animals to have. However, they have special needs when it comes to proper nutrition. If you do not feed them with the right kinds of food, then they will not grow healthy. Duck malnutrition can cause several illnesses and can also be a fatal case. The wrong diet can cause your pet to discard more waste, making your cleaning a harder task. Before you throw some grains or birdseed to your flock, here is what you should know in getting the proper nutrition for adult or fully grown ducks.

Begin by preparing the feeding equipment, clean and sun-dry the surface of the feeder. If there are penetrative edges, you can use duct tape to keep your pets away from any unsafe risks, and then hang the feeder in a safe place near the ducks’ habitat.

Pick commercial duck feeds that has the suitable amount of protein that is crucial for your duck’s health. If your ducks are laying eggs, you should feed them with duck pellets which contain 15-20% protein. On the other hand, if they are non-laying, you can choose a pellet feed with 13-17% protein content. You should take note that too much protein can cause a health condition among ducks called as angel wing which causes the wing feathers to bond jointly. Inadequate protein in the diet can also cause a multitude of serious health problems, particularly if your ducks are laying eggs. Thus, you should changer’ id=’spin_1′ onclick=’ShowSpinOptions(1)’>consider the condition of your pets before you give feeds with the appropriate protein content.

Aside from protein feeds, you should also give your ducks some green diet composed of chopped vegetables. If your pets are constantly roaming around your farm, allow them to eat some weeds or grass in your field. When you feed your ducks, you should ensure that vegetables or greens are part of their daily food consumption?.

If your ducks need additional health supplement, you can give them minced hard boiled eggs, garden worms or corn. However, you should avoid giving your ducks whole corn kernels especially if they are still too young, since corns are hard to digest. Give your ducks adequate” cracked corns especially in the winter, when they need more carbohydrates and proteins. Cracked corn contains at least 50% of the protein they need.

Always give them water during their feeding time. They use water to help them swallow and digest the food. This is very important since lack of water can cause choking. Water is also needed for your pets to clean and groom their beaks and feathers.

Always keep their food fresh. If you reckon you need to change the food in their feeder because your pets are not eating them then do so, since duck feeds can easily spoil and turn the feeder into a healthy environment for harmful bacteria and microorganisms that can harm your ducks’ digestive system.


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Here are a few “big picture” tips to keep in mind when planning how to attract purple martins to your yard.

  • Wide Open Space. Purple Martins love wide open spaces . To attract these birds, you will ideally need to be able to setup their ‘homes’ in the middle of an area that has 30 to 50 feet of open area on all sides. This helps the birds find you. Plus, it gives additional comfort to the birds as they can keep an eye out for natural enemies . Purple Martins particularly love to be in areas with close access to water  (creek, bay, river, etc).
  • Purple Martins need leaves, grass and feathers to build their nests. Having a ‘cache’ of this material around for them is great idea. We have some products on our site that will do just the trick.
  • Purple Martins like humans. They seem to find comfort or safety being around human activity. You will find best success if you place your martin housing withing 100 feet of your own dwelling.
  • Keep in mind that Purple Martins are communal in nature – they like to live together in their Purple Martin Houses. Mounting several ‘apartments’ or gourds together about 15-20 feet above ground will keep your birds coming back. Keep vines and wires away from the housing to cut down on predator access.
  • There will be rivalry for nesting materials from other birds, specifically house sparrows and starlings. Making sure that the entry hole in your purple martin gourd or house is placed correctly. It should be 1/2 inch or less from the floor of the house with a height of exactly 13/16 inch tall. Also, agressively keep your martin houses clean of any nesting materials from these competiting birds.

Those are some basic tips for those who are ready to start attracting these fantastic birds!


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Lovebirds are especially affectionate parrots. There are nine species of lovebird, eight from Africa and one from Madagascar:

Madagascar Lovebird
Abyssinian Lovebird
Red-headed Lovebird
Peach-faced Lovebird
Masked Lovebird
Fischer’s Lovebird
Lilian’s Lovebird
Black-cheeked Lovebird

It is the long monogamous relationships that these birds have that gave rise to the name lovebird.

Their precise scientific classification is:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Subfamily: Psittacinae
Tribe: Psittaculini
Genus: Agapornis

It is hard to describe the color of lovebirds because they have been bred in so many different colors, but basically they are mostly green with different colors on their upper body. They are really small birds which grow up to seventeen centimeters in height and sixty grams in weight – along with budgies they are some of the smallest parrots. On average they live for up to fifteen years.

In this three part series we take a look at what is involved in breeding these lovebirds.

Caring for parrots takes on a higher level of involvement when you make the decision to start breeding. You need to have very healthy specimens, kept on a special diet, and kept in very clean conditions. Of all of these factors the most important is the diet, because not only is this important for fertility, but also for ensuring that the young a very health.

The first step to breeding lovebirds is getting a male and female, no easy task since these birds are sexually dimorphic and require scientific sexing to tell the male and female apart. In the next article we will discuss what special steps owners need to take for successful breeding.

Danny Oakes writes on http://parrotcare.tropicalpets.com/ about all aspects of parrot care, for those that keep parrots as pets.


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The Ultimate Guide To Raising Parrots!

Everything You Ever Needed To Know About Raising Parrots Is In This Guide. It Will Teach You The Best Ways To Take Care Of Your Parrot, Foods They Should Eat, Adopting The Perfect Parrot & More! Bonus EBook, Included! 12 Simple Tricks Any Parrot Can Learn.
The Ultimate Guide To Raising Parrots!

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The Moluccan Cockatoo is native to south Moluccas in eastern Indonesia. It is also called the Salmon-crested Cockatoo.

This large white bird is one of the largest and loudest in the parrot world. It can be a very capable mimic when raised in captivity.

The Moluccan Cockatoo has a long life span, and a healthy bird can live to be 80 years or more. A famous Moluccan Cockatoo at the San Diego zoo called King Tut lived over 100 years.

A vulnerable species

The CITES conservation agreement, one of the largest of its kind in existence, classifies the Moluccan Cockatoo as a vulnerable species.

This means that it is illegal to trade in birds that have been caught in the wild.   Furthermore, trading of captive bred birds is also legal only with appropriate CITES certification. Unfortunately, despite these conservation efforts, some illegal trapping of the Moluccan Cockatoo continues even today.

The Moluccan Cockatoo cannot be imported into the USA any longer. They are, however, bred in captivity in the USA.

The Moluccan Cockatoo as a pet

People like the Moluccan Cockatoo because of their beauty and also because they can easily be trained.  They are frequently used in trained bird shows.

The Moluccan Cockatoo can be one of the most demanding birds to own as a pet. This is because they are very intelligent, quite large (about 50cms), noisy and they constantly need to chew. They need a very sturdy cage is held single, or a sizeable aviary if they are with other birds.  They need a lot of activity to remain healthy. They also need the attention of caregivers who must take care to keep them occupied, and work for their food through the use of chewable toys. In the absence of the right environment or adequate, quality attention, the Moluccan Cockatoo can develop health issues or behavioral problems.

With all the effort, comes the joy of the Moluccan Cockatoo as well. They are very social, quite cuddly and affectionate.

Their diet is made up of seeds, nut and fruit. Grown as a pet in captivity, a Moluccan Cockatoo needs a diet rich in protein (which they get in the wild by eating insects off the ground). Otherwise, they might become anemic.

Help online

There is excellent information online on what it mean to keep and breed Moluccan Cockatoos. There are videos online on everything ranging from feeding it, training it, to entertaining it. There are forums where owners can be in touch with others and exchange ideas and get their questions and concerns answered. There are also excellent books that may be indispensable for a Moluccan Cockatoo owner.


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Let me tell a bit on myself to start out…I literally thought the big pet categories fell into the cat and dog columns and that there was little else happening. Until I started writing this article, I had no idea that pet birds were so popular.

And guess what, owning a pet bird, especially the larger parrots can become very costly. Very quickly.

Owning a bird means getting the right foods and toys and care. And when you start to add it up, it becomes important to find ways to get the cheapest bird supplies online. But we also know that money is NOT everything and that when it comes to these birds that you adore so much, you want to be able to get the best brand names at the prices you can afford.

It’s crystal clear why the big bird suppliers have embraced the online vendors like Amazon etc…the margins can be much higher for both parties.

Everything from bird toys to bird food to bird carrying cases…these are the things that quickly turn a simple pet into a costly venture so moving to get these supplies online to get the best prices is a no brainer to many.

Additionally, there are the larger Petcos of the world that are both online and offline that probably have the brands you know you need at the prices online and off that will compete with anyone.

As you look into owning a new Macaw or a parrot or any other type of bird, know this…the expenses add up quickly. Just getting a custom bird cage online can become an event.

Having had no idea that the bird community was as strong as it, it makes me wonder what else I should probably look into aqs far as perception versus reality is concerned.

 


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Copyright (c) 2010 Kaye Dennan

Parrot personalities are many and varied and their individual characteristics make them sought after pets. Most of the larger parrots have quite a strong personality. The most popular parrot species in the larger parrot types are often chosen because of their talking abilities.

Parrots make wonderful house pets and if you want a pet that will entertain then a parrot is the answer. They have so many funny characteristics and let me tell you, if they are not happy about something you will soon hear about it! Parrots are very vocal when it comes to their own needs and comfort. Get several hungry parrots feeding from a food bowl andyou will soon know what I mean!

The four most popular larger pet parrot species.

1. African Grey – with lovely shades of grey in its feathers this is a parrot that grows to about 14 inches. This parrot also has either maroon or bright red tail feathers and a touch of the same color at the bend of the wing.

2. Amazon parrot – these parrots come in several colors and are a very loyal parrot. Very popular among them in the parrot owner’s world is the yellow headed Amazon parrot

3. Cockatoos – these are a magnificent looking bird, a bird with an attitude! But what fun they are. They are very interactive with their owners, but if upset they can be really destructive.

4. Macaws – what a stunning looking species and those colors! There coloring is so bright and beautiful. When studying the macaws you are in aw of how something can be created with so much beauty and detail.

These parrots all have excellent talking abilities (though some won’t talk unfortunatley) and will quite readily learn tricks to entertain. They are active parrots and need to have toys around them so that they can occupy themselves when no-one is around.

It is no mystery that the budgerigar owner would contend that it is one of the most popular species, and in the smaller parrots it probably is, the the four mentioned above are the four top overall contenders.

One feature of the parrot as a pet is that they do groom themselves quite well. They will preen their feathers every day, keeping them shiny, clean and laying flat. All they require from the owner in the way of grooming is a water spray every day or two and the odd trim of the nails. Not much time involved there, is there?

But, that’s the upside. The downside is that they will require more time spent on their living apartment. Most do like their cages, but they are not that house proud. Parrots will chew things up and throw them around with quiet (well, sometimes) abandon and expect the owner to clean up their mess. Didn’t I say they had attitude!

Have you ever seen a parrot eat from a seed tray? Once their favorite seeds have been husked they will sweep their broad beak through the tray and scatter seeds far and wide in the hope of finding more of their favorite morsel down below. The mess they can make in just a few minutes will make you shake your head.

If you wish to hear more about the different parrot types then visit a parrot forum and read the comments by parrot owners and this will give you an insight as to what parrot you may like, and let me tell you, some of the stories are unbelievable. Parrots most definitely take their place in the hierarchy of the family unit.


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There are two different ways to teach your parakeet to talk. One way is to train him/her to mimic what you are saying. This way is far less time consuming as all you need to do is repeat the same words consistently of what you want your parakeet to say whenever you are around him/her.

They other way is much more difficult because you are trying to train your bird to talk with some thought process behind what he/she is saying. This is done by explaining to your bird what you or he is doing in a few small words. For example, my parakeet loves to eat apple every day so every time I am about to get him some i say to him “want some apple” and I will continue to say that each and every time i get him some until he associates those words with the action. Eventually I hope he will ask me for the apple.

Certain birds pick up the skill of talking very easily however not all birds are guaranteed to talk. Certain types of birds are known to talk really well so if you do want a talking bird I suggest that you research what those species are before you purchase.

African Grey’s are a well known bird for talking, Indian ring-neck parakeets (which is what I have) are also known as good talkers. I have had my parakeet (Oscar) for 4 months now and he is already starting to shape his sounds into words, they aren’t very clear yet but he is learning and improving.


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Pet Birds | Training Pet Parrots At Home

Training pet parrots has a lot of benefits like. Teaching some simple commands to handle your parrot easier and strengthening the bond with your parrot. It is not only the entertainment when a parrot can talk and do tricks. Of course the success of training parrots process means lots of praise and attention together with favorite treats.


Keep it Positive
It is very important for the success. There are three principles for parrot training:

1. If your parrot does something well–> give him a reward
2. If he does something unwell–> ignore it
3. Never punish your parrot

In training parrots process your goal is simple- if your parrot behaves the proper way, give him a reward like a favorite food treat or a play session and ignore for bad things. Also even a simple praise or a treasured toy are good motivation for some birds. Do not forget to ignore the bird if the parrot is doing something undesirable. A negative reaction is also attention so if your parrot desires your attention he will accept it as a reward . He may think that negative attention is better than no attention. Ignoring is much better decision and the undesirable behavior will stop soon. This bellow is what your approach training has to be in order to keep the process positive:


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The Complete Advice Guide To Parrots.

Surprisingly Popular As Pets, Parrots Need A Lot Of Care And Attention. They Are Expensive To Keep And Owners Will Want To Buy This Complete Guide To Keep Their Parrot Healthy And Happy. Earn 75% Commission For A Really Easy Sale!!!
The Complete Advice Guide To Parrots.

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