222 M. T. Padbury—Breeding the Blue-and-Yellow Macaw


Three or four weeks afterwards the hen started laying again and

laid three eggs. She was not interfered with this time, there being four

or five days between the layings. She sat for about five weeks and

hatched one bird, which lived only for two days.


Before the next laying season I constructed a new cage, 10 feet by

12 feet and 12 feet high, with a cement floor, having a corner of 3 feet

square of sand only, and 3 or 4 feet deep.


In December, 1930, the hen bird started laying again. She laid

three eggs on the sand patch prepared for her, digging down somewhat

with her beak to make a hollow. She laid three eggs, there being an

interval of three or four days between the layings. After the third egg

was laid she sat on them between four and five weeks, and hatched

two young birds, there being one or two days between the hatching.


The young birds were very helpless and just lay in the nest of sand,

more like frogs than birds and there being only the appearance

of skin without any down. It took several weeks to alter this

appearance, although they grew very quickly. A grey down and

tiny feathers began to appear on their backs, but they remained helpless

for quite two months and were fed by the old birds until they were

three or four months old.


They gradually got the same plumage as the parent birds, and at

six or seven months old began to call out with the native call, and also

to talk in the acquired language the same as the old birds, such as

“ Good morning ”, “ Good-bye ”, 44 Hulloa ”, whistle, and call the dog

and such things.


The following year, 1932, we had the same success, and have now

two pairs of Macaws which we have reared.


We kept a record of the last pair—the first egg was laid on

10th December, and the second on the 14th, 1931. The first one was

hatched on 4th January, and the second on the 7th, 1932.


I consider the success of the hatching of the eggs lay in having the

depth of sand for them to nest in.


We feed them on bread and milk for the morning meal, toast, fruit,

or lettuce-leaves midday, and nuts and sunflower-seed in the evening.

When the birds are young we feed them on bread and milk midday

as well.



