The flock of Guira Cuckoos have started incubating a clutch of 6 eggs last week. These South American birds are communal nesters and several females lay in one nest and will help with the incubation. They resemble African Coucals in the way they run on the ground and scuttle between branches. We feed them on day old chicken meat, mealworms and the occasional pinky. Being part of the Cuckoo family the eggs hatch within 12 days and the chicks flegde five to six days later. These birds are very easy to care for and can become very tame.
4 comments:
We`ll watch this space with great interest Tinus.
Breeding the Carmine Bee eaters could be a first for South Africa if you manage to breed them.
What will their main diet consist of, especially if they are feeding young??
Mike Pidduck
At the moment they are fed mealworms and giant mealworms. They get crickets every now and then as well. The new aviary will have a light to attract insects at night which the birds will then be able to catch in the mornings. We have tested this and it seems to work quite well. We are alos busy to convert the birds to a more balanced diet where they are fed tiny strips of chicken breast dusted with vitamin and mineral supplements as well as a covering of insect patee. This si placed in their feeding trays with the worms. If theyr are feeding young, we will supply mostly mealworms and crickets. These will be dusted with the vitamin and mineral supplement.
You might also want to try Chicken Intestines (available from most Spaars)dusted with vitamin and mineral supplements.
I used to feed my Red Billed Wood and African Hoopoe this and was successful in breeding the former.
They seemed to do very well on this.
I used to freeze the intestines, then shave thin pieces off with a bread knife or similar. This could also be mixed with their softfood.
You might also want to try Chicken Intestines (available from most Spaars)dusted with vitamin and mineral supplements.
I used to feed my Red Billed Wood and African Hoopoe this and was successful in breeding the former.
They seemed to do very well on this.
I used to freeze the intestines, then shave thin pieces off with a bread knife or similar. This could also be mixed with their softfood.
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