How Do Domestic Mynah Birds Breed? A Full Breakdown of Methods and Tips
After the mynah birds mate during estrus, the female begins to build a nest. At this time, nesting materials such as rice straw should be provided. The female lays 4-6 eggs per clutch, varying from 1 egg per day to 1 egg every 2-3 days. Once all the eggs are laid, the female begins to incubate them. During incubation, the female does not leave the nest box except to eat, drink and defecate, and the male also takes on the duty of guarding and protecting the nest. The entire incubation period is 15-18 days.
Feeding and Management of Domestic Mynah Birds
1. Feed Formula
The ideal feed for mynah birds is egg rice. To prepare egg rice, put rice into a pot and stir-fry over low heat until it turns yellow but not burnt, then pour it into a basin. While still hot, mix in beaten raw egg liquid, stir well, and once cooled, break it apart and rub it loose. Generally, add 4-6 eggs per kilogram of rice, along with an appropriate amount of ants, leather beetles, shredded lean meat, tender greens, bananas, and so on.
2. Feeding of Nestlings
The feed for young birds is mainly hill mynah powder, with a formula of 150 g cornmeal, 270 g minced meat, 20 g cooked egg, 0.5-1 g bone meal, 50 g soybean powder, 20 g fish meal, 20 g silkworm pupa powder, and 10 g mashed greens. Mix the powder with water into a semi-dry, semi-moist paste and feed with a bamboo spoon, 5-8 times a day.
3. Feeding of Adult Birds
When young mynah birds begin to feed themselves, the formula is a soft feed of 150 g mung bean or soybean powder, 70 g minced meat, 30 g cooked egg, 10 g mashed greens, and 0.5-1 g bone meal. After the feathers are fully grown, switch to adult bird food. Much experience shows that feeding mynah birds with chicken compound feed plus some shelled shrimp meat, silkworm pupae and other animal-based items also works very well.
4. Sanitation Management
Mynah birds eat a lot and defecate a lot, and their droppings have a foul, fishy odor. The cage bottom and droppings tray should be cleaned and scrubbed once a day. A little fine sand can be placed on the cage bottom to prevent contamination of the mynah bird's toes. Food must be fresh, especially soft feed and powder feed, which spoil easily; generally it should be eaten within 1-2 hours. The food dish should be washed daily, fresh drinking water provided, and other cage accessories should be cleaned 3-4 times a week.
5. Bathing Management
Mynah birds enjoy bathing. Generally, bathe once every 1-2 days. Stop bathing during the molting period, and reduce bathing in winter. During the rainy season and in high temperatures, bathing should be appropriately increased. Bathing can be done in a bathing cage, or a shallow basin of water can be placed in the cage for the bird to bathe on its own, or water can be sprayed onto the bird with a spray bottle. If the weather is rather cool, the bird should be placed in sunlight after bathing so its feathers dry quickly.
6. Disease Prevention and Treatment
Mynah birds are most prone to catching colds, especially when temperatures are low in winter, so management should be strengthened in winter to prevent the birds from freezing. If a cold occurs, first use a twisted paper spill inserted into the nostril to twist out mucus, then drip vegetable oil into the nostril to clear it. Add long-acting sulfonamide to the drinking water, 1/10 of a tablet per 10 ml of drinking water, changing the water twice a day.
7. Daily Management
Pay attention to changes in cold and heat for mynah birds and prevent them from getting too cold or too hot. In summer, place the bird in a ventilated, cool spot and use a mesh cover at night to prevent mosquitoes. In winter, place the bird in a warm spot and let it get about 1 hour of sunlight each day as much as possible. In addition, caged mynah birds have a tendency to peck people, and children in particular are vulnerable to attack, so children should not approach the bird cage to prevent accidents.