Violets first....well you may need to be over 18 to read

[shellymae1970]

I am not even sure what to call this nor where to post and I am not breeding her at the moment but the post is about breeding behavior....I started my little flock in March....I am pretty sure most of my birds are about the same age. Violet was a pet store purchase so I am not so sure how old she is.....I did put her with Romeo this week they are a pair I wish to later breed and I wanted to give them some alone time to bond....I noticed when I removed her from the flock her cere (sp?) was changing....I put her in and I have had soooooo much trouble finding just the right fit for Romeo he is just a bit more calm than the others and tends to get bullied a bit in the big cage....


Violet and Romeo hit it off wonderful and I could see she was a great fit for getting him active and playing...Yesterday I noticed Violet going crazy on some of the toys and when I got closer I could see she was masturbating on them and had even messed her tail up a good bit...I can tell Romeos cere is also dark purple but I am just not positive they are old enough so they are so not getting a box. I do have an avian light on them and all my birds eat mass loads of veggies and such.


My question is about what age would this make her and how often do they cycle in and out....My planned date at actually allowing the next boxes was next spring so I could be sure they are all of age to be safe and healthy...I know my others are all around 7 to 8 months now so is this something I am about to see in everyone ? The good thing is Romeo does not actually seem to know what she wants but is enjoying the affection I would love for them to truly bond...Is it OK to leave him in with her like this ? I do not see any aggression what so ever but I didn't want him terrified of a froggy hen as well....

[Hezz]

Hens can, and will sometimes, masturbate just like the boys will, but I have not noticed a particular age for this to start. I don't think you can make any kind of age judgement based on Violet's behaviour. Hen-cycles are around the seven week mark, and yes, as long as all stays well with the pair, there is no need to move them apart. Violet might just teach Romeo a thing or two, as well.

[shellymae1970]

Thank you I think it is helping a lot with them bonding...Being Romeo is my newest and I have not been able to keep him in my big flight cage due to a few aggressive hens in there Violet is also teaching him to eat his veggies and such...Sometimes it is a bit of monkey see monkey do with these little fellas :)Thank you Hezz I feel much better about things now.