Breeding Lady Ross’s Turacos

In 2008 I acquired two young Lady Ross’s Turacos from two places far apart in the hopes of obtaining different bloodlines, so as not to have inbreeding.

They first laid two years later, but both eggs were clear. Over the next few breeding seasons, things got better and better, with fertile eggs, but abandoned a few days later, and then one egg out of two hatching, with the other embryo dyeing during incubation. The chick that did hatch was reared by the parents until it fledged. I was careful when I ringed the chick, so as not to panic the parents.

On the advice of a friend, who also breeds birds, I resolved to learn to hand-rear. I was also warned to keep a watchful eye on my birds on their perches in my aviaries, and he was right. During a visit to my aviaries, I could not see the female; not on the eggs, nor in the flight. I was worried, until I found the bird huddled in a corner of the aviary hiding from the male. I had no problem taking her in my hands and observed that the male had scalped her head leaving no red feathers. Luckily, she was not dead! I kept the two birds apart while the female made a full recovery and the red feathers on her skull returned to a good length. After about a month, I decided to put the male into the aviary where the female had been, and not the other way around, so that he did not feel like it was his territory. What do you think happened? … The love passion took over, and I made this video. Everything got back to normal in a few weeks.

Download and watch the movie.

Being retired, it is easy for me to go and see my birds several times a day. For people who leave for work in the morning and return in the evening, it is more difficult to make checks, but when it is your passion, you have to find a way.

I would not like to finish without mentioning the excellent article by Louise Peat in the magazine, Issue 53, published by I.T.S., concerning Violet Turacos and Lady Ross. If breeders stop breeding these two species, for different reasons, it is possible that they will disappear from captivity, and I am also concerned about this.

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