BREEDS & their NEEDS
GOLD MANTLED ROSELLAS
(&  Mutation Colours) 

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Rubino Cock & Lutino Hen	Rubino Cock & Lutino Hen	Normal GMR Hen	Rubino Cock & Lutino Hen	Rubino Cock & Lutino Hen
Normal Cockbird	Normal Hen + Rubino Cock	Normal Hen + Rubino Cock	2 Chicks from Rub+Lut parents	Nrml chick with plucked back this will grow back quickly.

• Gold Mantled Rosellas come in lots of different variations on their normal colours, even in the wild, depending on which part of Australia they originate from.
  
  

• They are approx. 12" long and quite a robust shape.
  
  

• They are pretty much dimorphic  i.e. the Male and female colouration are very similar, altho. the cockbird does tend to look more yellow on it's back and is a much brighter colour.  
  
  

• The Hen is more of a green colour on it's back and the "lizard" markings on her back  go up the nape of her neck to the top of her head - similar to all youngsters until they go thru their first moult.
  
  

• The big give-away (even in the youngsters) is the head and beak (similar to Kakis)
  The Cockbird has a bigger flatter head and a bigger beak more like a Roman Nose.
  
  

• There are a few colour mutations that have been bred in captivity

  • - The Lutino Yellow back with red head  and the vibrant red Rubino are shown
    in the photos above.

  • Also see picture of chicks in nestbox above - out of the Lutino and Rubino parents
    - the Rubino chick will be a Hen becos the father was the Rubino
    and the Lutino chick will be a Cockbird becos the mother was Lutino.
    
    

• They have a lovely, piping call which once again shouldn't offend neighbours.
  
  

• They are similar to Barabands in their habits and diet.
  
  

• One of their peculiarities is that they seem to have a musky odour about them.

• They do like to bathe but not as much as Kaki's do. - Do provide a bath for them.

FEEDING:

• They eat parakeet mix, but as with most birds they seem to relish the Sunflower seeds, so these should be limited, as they have a high oil content, which is not healthy if eaten in excess.
  
  

• They like Millet sprays but don't love them and seem to be able to take or leave them, except when feeding chicks, then they seem to like them, as they are easy to digest and feed to the chicks.
  
  

• The do love carrots, apples and other veg, (they seem to prefer veg to fruit) which you can stab onto small pin nails on branches or shelves.
  
  

• They also like to strip willow and eucalyptus branches + the bark off their perches.
  
  

• They like all the usual wild foods  inc. Mtn. Ash Berries, dandelion leaves, chickweed etc.

BREEDING

• As per all parakeet types, esp. at Breeding times, they must have free access to Cuttlefish bone, Oystershell and mineralised grit (for digestion + calcium/mineral content). Iodised mineral blocks. These help the hen form good quality eggshells.
  
  

• They are not aggresive by nature, except during the breeding season when the Cockbird won't tolerate other Cockbirds in either the same Aviary or too near.
  
  

• The RULE is ONE PAIR ONLY per AVIARY when BREEDING.
  
  

• If you have them in adjoining Aviaries you MUST have double mesh, separated by at least 1".  I have seen more than one cockbird with the ends of it's toes missing!
  
  

• Their aviary must be of a decent length (8ft x 4ft minimum) so that they can fly and maintain condition.
  
  

• They like deep, dark Nestboxes (9" square and min. 18" deep).
  
  

• The hen can lay 5 - 6  eggs and will usually wait until at least the 4th egg is laid before she starts to incubate seriously.  This is so that the chicks will hatch fairly close together.
  
  

• INCUBATION: 21 days (from approx. 4th egg being laid).

• FLEDGING: approx. 45 days

• CLOSE-RINGING: @ 11 - 13 days.   Ring Size: M
  
   www.achughes.com/sizeinfo.html  This is a link to a Site that sells Bird Rings. 
  
  

• Be careful how you go about Ringing.  Make sure your hands are clean, as the parents seem to be able to sense if you've handled the chicks.
  
  

• They can go down and rear 2 and sometimes 3 clutches per year.
  

• As with any other birds - if they raise 2 good-size clutches they should be discouraged from going down for a 3rd time. It doesn't do the hen's health any good over-breeding her.
  
  

• Some parents have been known to pluck the backs and heads of chicks.  It's better to leave the chicks alone tho. and not interfere. I knew someone who put anti-biotic powder on the chicks where they were bleeding from being plucked and the parents killed them all. They were a healthy 3 weeks+ old and well-grown at the time. 
  
   

• The Hen does all the sitting but the Cockbird will go in with her.  He feeds her and presumably shares the feeding of the chicks.
  
  

• As a rule they do not like to be bothered while in the nest box, unlike some birds who will tolerate you having a look to check all is well.  They growl and hiss if you bother them or go near the nest box, as do the chicks.  Once they are a couple of weeks+ old, they hiss and sway as a warning to keep away from them. Cockatiel Chicks act in the same way.
  
  

• So the message is leave the chicks and nest area well alone when they are breeding.
  
  

• Once they start mating and preparing the nest box you can up the protein levels  but once the hen is incubating just give Seed and water only. The Hen goes into "Brood-mode" where she is almost in a state of semi-hibernation, where her body doesn't need sustaining as it does when she's living a normal, everyday life. So she is feeding for maintenance only.
  
  

• Once the first chick hatches you can provide sweetcorn + EMP eggfood to which you can add any calcium + vit/mineral supplements etc.  
  
  

• Read the directions on the tubs, carefully, for amounts to give to each Breed or Bird +  how often to feed it, as over-supplementation can be as bad as being  deficient. 

• You could cause toxic poisoning if you over-supplement, as the bird's liver can't cope.  You can poison the bird's system by over-loading it.
  
  

• Remember, if you use a liquid supplementation to put in the water, it does depend on how much the bird drinks and whether it will drink due to the change in taste!
  
  

• They will probably enjoy a millet spray about now cos it's easier to digest to feed the chicks.
  
  

• Once the chicks have fledge and are fully independant, it may be wise to move them to a separate Aviary, as the Father-bird may see the cock chicks as a threat, and attack them.  
  
  

• This is really an individual thing both on the birds and the owners part.  As some parents tolerate the young being left with them as they go back to nest and others won't have the young cock birds in the same Aviary.  So it's very much, " play it by ear" and err on the side of caution at the sight of any aggression.