KEEPING AND BREEDING RED RUMPED PARAKEET IN CLIMATE OF PAKISTAN

Description.
One of the most popular breed in aviculture.Red rumps are native to australian open wood lands and shrubs areas.average size of these birds are 28 cm long, Bluish Green. Nape, breast, upper tail coverts light green. Rump red, abdomen yellow, under tail coverts grey-white. Greenish yellow patch on the anterior wing coverts. Primary coverts and shoulder blue. Beak black, iris brown, legs grey. The hens are a greyish olive green and have a grey beak. The red patch on the rump is absent. Immature birds resemble the female, young males often already have red feathers on the rump. The species owes its name to the melodious call note. Blue and yellow mutations. The cock is mainly green with a yellow underside (with orange undertones). The back is light red with yellow undertones. The under tail coverts are white, sometimes with a little green. The wings are mainly blue and the shoulder yellow. The upper tail coverts are green and the central tail feathers are green with blue undertones. Outer tail feathers are blue with lighter edges. The eyes are brown, the beak is black, and the feet are grey. The hen is mainly olive-greenish-brown a little orange in the neck and belly. It has a blue shoulder patch and a grey beak. The young are at first, similar to the hen, but the young females already have a pale beak.there r many mutations bred by breeders including pied,blue,lutino,cinnamon,opaline and rubino.
Feeding.
Being of grassy land their basic diet consists of grass seeds,leafs and buds from trees and mealworm rearly.how ever in aviculture they like to eat sunflower seeds,millets(cheena,bajra,kangani)and very little hemps seeds and dehusked rice.these birds has metabolism that cannot be able to utilize excess fats and become overweight.their diet consists of 60%carbohydrates and 35%proteins and only 5%of fats.leafy vegetables are well appriciated by red rumps.In pakistan it is easy to find the organic grown vegetables(desi vegetables)free from pesticides.some people give them bread soaked in milk which is harmful to birds because milk contains lactose which is only digested by mammals and birds donot contain a enzyme called lactasa which is important for digestion of milk sugar.if they regularly fed by milk they can create intestinal problems as well as kidney failure.milk must be avoided in their diet.u can soak bread in warm water.Another thing is that donot mix vitamin supplement in their water because it causes bectaria growth like e.coli and salmonella which can seriously damaged your birds health.i usually sprinkle supplement on soaked bread or mix them in seeds.they need fresh water everyday and enjoys bathing.
Care and accomodation of red rumps in the climate of Pakistan.
Our country pakistan is situated in the region where the winter season is very cold and summers are very hot.red rumps can tolerate temperature about 45 c high in summer and 5 c in winter.red rumps are good flyers and should be provided a flying space to keep them smart because these birds r very prone to obesity.2.5hx2.5depthx3feet long cage is ideal for their accomodation and breeding.red rumps r hardy birds and adjust themselves in sorroundings.red rumps love to feed on ground and spent most of their time nibbling on ground.It is important to deworm ur birds once in every 3 months.perches of different size must be provided for their feet shape.In winter i usually cover my avairies with plastic sheets to avoid air ventilation because my avairies a placed in open air but if u kept ur birds in roomy avairy they dont need to be covered by sheets just shut the doors.try to let sunlight come into room if possible give them full spectrum artificial lights(warm light murcury bulbs by philips are easily available in pakistani electric stores)light makes an important role in absorption of vitamin D.In pakistan some breeders provide their birds air coolers. it increases the humidity level in the room which can cause bectaria to growth.i usually put some dettol (5ml/5ltrs)in water but if u have open air avairy then u can use air cooler.
Breeding in Pakistan.
Red rumps r good breeders and can give 3 cont. clutches in season.breedin season starts in pakistan in late september till may.their average clutch size is 4 to 6 eggs.ocassionally 8.ideal age for their breeding is 1.5 year old pair but they can breed in 1 year of age.red rumps r very good p[arents and raised ther youngs very carefully.only female incubate the eggd while male look after her and feeds her.incubation period consists of 18 to 21 days ang fledgeling comes out of nest after 40 days and become indepandant another two weeks and parents renest themselves once again.youngs birds are very shy and flighty so take care and donot make a sudden appearance to them.the ideallt temperature for good results is 10 to 28c.donot let them breed in mid winter or in freezing season.i personally recomended two clutches in a year.nest box size recomendation is 10x10x18.sibbling breeding should be avoided in red rumps specially in lutino mutation.I dont let them breed in summer because of excessive heat.iplanted my avairies with neem plants and some indoor plants which controls the heat and humidity level in air.


BY AHMED USMAN.
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