Breeding of the Peach-fronted Conure. PART II

Breeding

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Read also the first part of this article:

Breeding of the Peach-fronted Conure. PART I

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Being great chewers, be mindful to check the nest box often in the lead up to breeding season, as they can spend plenty of time just chewing a new entrance in their nest box.

As a rule I provide a small amount of pine shavings to line the standard cockatiel style nest box (18 cm x 18 cm x 35-40 cm high, with a relatively small entrance hole and a horizontal perch fixed across the front of the box) , plus a larger quantity of fresh gum bark that can be shredded by the birds to stimulate nest box and breeding activity.

I also note that not only does the chewing intensify in the lead up to breeding season, so does the mood and aggressive nature of the cock birds’.  Their attention to the hen bird is nothing short of harassment.  Strutting about the aviary, flitting about and flashing irises also become prevalent.

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Peach fronted Conure chicks several days old (c) Jason Wright

Older chicks (c) Jason Wright

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It’s normally noticeable that the hen is about to lay, due to enlarged abdomen, the pair bond is normally good and they continue to mate often, in a traditional conure manner, one foot on the perch, the other on the hen.

My Peachies normally lay either 3 or 4 eggs in a clutch, the most was a one off clutch of 5.  The hens usually sit tightly once the second or third egg is laid. Fertility varies, sometime a full fertile clutch, often 1 or 2 eggs are clear.  My observation is it seems to be the first clutch of the season that has the clear eggs, I believe my hens go down before the cock bird is ready, often late June or early July when it is still cold, once the cock bird wakes up to breeding season, then things improve.  Having said this, it does vary from pair to pair, as one pair are 100% fertile all the time.

Compatibility seems to be the biggest issue with Peach Fronts, finding the right pair can result in exceptional parents, with several pairs happily raising four young in each nest.

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Before fledging (c) Jason Wright

The breeding pair (c) Jason Wright

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Conclusion

Having made the initial decision to acquire young birds, I’ve patiently waited for them to mature, three years is the usual but I have heard of them lay at two years. Having watched them intently for this period of time you certainly learn the personalities of your birds, and notice the change in character when maturity is reached.

And to be honest, I have treated them no differently to sun conures, or any of my pyrrhura conures I keep, and they have rewarded me with as much entertainment, colour and pleasure. Hopefully this year they will also reward me with some more youngsters.

I would certainly recommend these beautiful conures to anyone wanting a challenge, and the reward of breeding an exceptional conure, that many before have avoided.  They are now being bred in reasonable numbers, with some breeders really doing well, and the price is now affordable to the conure fancier.

As their price becomes more accommodating, it should be noted that the hand raised youngsters make exceptional pets, we’ve had the little guys talking and “waving” on command, a pleasure to hand raise, and such an endearing pet, more people should be fortunate enough to experience such a lovely and colourful conure.

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author: Jason Wright

Title photo: (c) Joao Maxim. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

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