Kakis in Aviary mating	Pied, Cinnamon & Normal Chicks	Buttercup Pair	Pied Cock	Buttercup + Pied Kakarikis
Kaki Eggs on an Easibed base	"Kraki" with chicks + Eggs waiting to hatch	Pied and cinnamon	2 Pied hens	Buttercup Cockbird
Cinnamon-Pied+Nrml Pied	Pied Cockbird	Pied Kakis	Pied Hen and B'cup Cock	Pied Cock + Cinnamon Hens

• They originate from N. Zealand 

  • ~ the 2 main colours in the wild are the red-fronted 

  • and the yellow-fronted (smaller of the 2 and not as common).
    
    

• The name just denotes the splash of red and/or yellow on the birds top-notch and forehead.  

• The rest of their bodies are an iridescent dark green with a diffusion of blues in the wing edges.
  
  

• In captivity you find lots of mutations inc. Buttercup yellow & Cinnamon (both have red eyes) Yellow
  with dark eyes, variations of Pied,  and many other variations on the theme.
  
  
  SEXING
  

• Both sexes look the same - colour-wise but you can sex them by comparing the general size of the birds and their heads.  

• The cock bird is bigger built and has a slightly bigger head which has a flatter slope to it. 

• Also, the Cock's beak is bigger than the hen's, more like a "roman nose".  

• See pictures of a pair of Buttercup Kakis at top of page, which hopefully help to show the difference.
  
  

• They are virtually unique in that they can "run" up and down the Aviary Mesh, incl. across the roof mesh, just using their feet (not using their beaks as most birds do). 
  
  

• They love to bathe no matter what the weather is like

• So, must always have a water dish big enough for them to bathe in 

  • (a dogs' plastic food bowl or a cat-litter tray is ideal).   

  • Otherwise they will use their drinking water dishes (they probably will anyway).
    
    

• The love fresh air and rain and will congregate at open mesh rather than shelter behind the covered-in  mesh areas.  

• Even so, they must not be in draughts and must have plenty of wood/perspex to shelter behind. 
  

• If you can't provide a wooden shed/shelter, then an open fronted wooden box area with a perch or a lip on the front, can give them somewhere to shelter.  

• Facing away from prevailing winds.  

• Wood is warm and insulating. 

• Whereas perspex, even tho it does give them shelter from wind and rain,  is plastic and gets cold & icy in winter weather 

• It can produce condensation and/or drips when frost melts, creating a damp atmosphere.
  
                                                              ^ Go to Top
  
  DIET

• They feed on "Small parakeet mix"  
  

• Don't allow them to have too many sunflower seeds. 

  • (Sunflower seeds are really NOT healthy, in quantity, for any bird. 

  • - they all seem to love them a bit like kids love sweets and chocs 

  • - but they have a very high fat/oil content, which is not healthy).
    
    

• As per all parakeet types, they must have free access to Cuttlefish bone, Oystershell and mineralised grit
  (for digestion + calcium/mineral content) + Iodised mineral blocks.
  
  

• They LOVE RED BERRIES  

  • i.e. Elderberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Hawthorn berries, Mountain Ash berries, Cotoneaster Berries,  Pomegranates, Oranges, Grapes etc.
    
    

• They also love :  

  • apples, celery, carrot, sweetcorn, brussel sprouts, Kiwi Fruits, cucumber 

  • (most fruit and veg in fact) 

  • + EMP Eggfood, wholemeal bread and all the wild foods mentioned above. 
    
    

• They also love to chew Willow and Eucalyptus branches and leaves. 

• They are a delight to feed, as they seem to relish just about anything you give them.

• Unlike a lot of other parrot-like birds that can be picky & choosy. 
  

• MEALWORMS/shredded chicken are beneficial for extra Protein at Breeding Time.
  

• They can use their feet to hold their food to eat it - more like a parrot. 

• Thy also hold twigs in the their feet to chew on.

• They can be very wasteful with their food. 

• They use their feet to scatter seed out of their feed dishes until they find the seeds they want - usually the Sunflower!

• Kaki's have a quiet inoffensive call, are very friendly and rarely bite.

• They are very active most of the time and therefore are unsuitable as a Cage Bird as they really need a spacious Aviary.

• They are not as long-lived (8 - 10+ years) as a lot of other parakeets

They definitely need Worming regularly as they spend a lot of their time scavenging on the Aviary Floor. (A personal observation is that when they really need worming they tend to look as if they have gone into a soft moult and look almost ragged feather-wise     See picture > > - a good worming seems to sort them - but takes time - so prevention is better than cure!)                                                                                                                                                      "Panomec" (Ivermectin-based) spot-on the back of the neck is my wormer of choice for this                  condition.                                                                                   ^ Go to Top

Click to enlarge

BREEDING

	It's better to just have one pair per Aviary for breeding  but if they have been living en-colony prior to putting up the Nest boxes  and have ALL got on well,  you may be able to breed more than one pair per Aviary,   So long as the Aviary is spacious enough  You must have more nest boxes than pairs   and they are all the same height and design.  (see info. on Nestboxes)
	CLUTCH : They lay between 5 - 7+ eggs per clutch.  Laying an egg every other day.
	INCUBATION :  19 - 21 days  (may be slightly longer, if they haven't started to sit until after the first 2 - 3 eggs are laid. (25 days is not unheard of).
	CLOSE RING :  approx: 11 - 13 days
	RING Size:  M
	They can lay 2 - 4 clutches per year but really, if they have reared 2 good-sized clutches then the nest box should be removed once the 2nd clutch have fully fledged, to prevent them going to nest for a 3rd clutch.
	Over-breeding is BAD for the hens' health.
	They seem to want to breed at any and all times of the year
	- obviously, depending on how fit they are and the type of Aviary/ accommodation they are in.
	The Hen does all the incubating and the cockbird feeds her in the nest and often sits outside the nest box "on guard".
	Newly-hatched chicks have a covering of grey down.
	This helps keep them warm if they hatch during cooler months.
	Unlike a lot of other parakeet chicks (i.e. budgies)  that are "born" naked.
	The chicks can be seen, in the Nestbox, lying on their backs being fed by the hen.
	Chicks eyes tend to open approx 10 days.
	The Chicks seem slow to feather &  mature (approx 35+ days to feather-up).
	They don't come out of the Nest box until well past 45 days.
	Once they have fledged, they often go back in and out of the Nest box again during both day and  night  - unlike most other parakeets who, once they are out they stay out!
	They are a quiet innofensive Breed, so they work well in a mixed Aviary.
	So long as there are no big bully parrot-like birds in the same Aviary.
	Lovebirds and Kakis tend not to mix well
	They also can be prone to Heart attacks if put under severe stress.  - see note on Bourkes above.