Abstract
The ingredients necessary to breed macaws in captivity are relatively simple; a healthy, compatible hen and cock of the species to be bred, an appropriate sized aviary ( depending on the species of macaw), a well balanced diet, a nesting box, and time (patience helps).
Pioneer macaw breeders chose wild caught specimens as they didn't have the option of obtaining captive bred birds. The current trend, however, is to start with domestic bred macaws. Wild caught specimens take many years to settle down and breed, while the domestic stock breed in two to five years. In some of the rarer species, there have been few domestically raised birds, making it necessary to use wild caught specimens. In addition, wild caught specimens may be necessary on occasion for the enhancement of the species. To have a genetically sound breeding program for any given species, more than one pair of birds is required. A serious breeding program should have no less than three unrelated pairs and five pairs would be even better.
Our large macaws are housed in outside aviaries. After experimenting with several different sized aviaries, we settled on a structure 8 feet high by 8 feet wide by 12 feet long. There is one pair to each aviary. This was not an accidental design. The smaller size widths were not conducive to flying since the wingspan of most of the large macaws is over three feet and, in the case of the Hyacinth, the wingspan exceeds four feet. The width and length of the aviary allows them flight and exercise. The height was chosen after much experimentation with shorter sizes. We found that the six foot tall aviaries were too short for our initial wild caught breeding stock. The taller aviary allowed them to look down on us, giving them a feeling of security much like in the wild. Twelve feet in length is the minimum, 16 to 20 feet long is even better. The framework is made of welded 3/4 inch pipe with 11 gauge chain link fencing wired to the structure. A door 40 inches high and 30 inches wide allows access to the inside of the aviary. The door size requires me to bend over to enter. But the birds, which sit on the perch at a claw height of six feet, do not attempt to fly out over my head. A four sided shelter ( 4 feet wide by 4 feet deep by 8 feet high) in the back comer of the aviary provides the birds with a private, weather protected spot for their nest box and feed. Most of our birds sleep in their shelter and use it to escape the hot afternoon sun as well as the rain. An entrance hole 16 inches by 16 inches allows them access to the shelter by walking on a perch. The lower portion of this eight foot high shelter structure is removed to allow me access to feed and check the nest boxes. There are no common walls; all the aviaries are single, free standing units. We can walk around each of the aviaries. The aviaries are located around the outside of a rectangle, with the flights in the front and the shelters in the rear. The birds are in full sight of each other and we put several pairs of each species grouped together in adjoining aviaries.