Lineolated Parakeet (Linnie) Information

Breeder Interview: Pat Burke

Name: Pat Burke.

Username: Patsb

Aviary Name: Flights of Fancy Englewood

Location: Englewood, FL (just S of Sarasota)

How many species are you breeding?

I breed 5 different species: Linnies, Bourke parakeets, red rumped keets, turquoisines, and parrotlets

How many Linnie breeder pairs do you have? 8

Are your breeders pets as well?

Most aren’t, though some were hand fed and still let me handle them

How long have you been breeding lineolated parakeets, specifically?

Had my first clutch in 2005

How many times a year do your breeding pairs have clutches?

I prefer quality to quantity – so one, at most two clutches/year. I want to be able to give them time after weaning to keep them friendly and you can’t do that if you have too many of them.

Do you hand-feed and hand-raise your babies? Share some of your socialization practices:

Yes. I pull them at about 2 weeks for hand feeding. Babies are weaned onto veggies, fruit, sprouts, a small hookbill seed mix, and Roudybush pellets. All babies are allowed to fly – I don’t clip wings until they’re ready to go to their new homes – and then only if the owner requests it. I usually start them out on a basket and small play stand in my bedroom, for safety reasons. Then when they’re getting around a bit better I bring them into the living room. They really make better use of the “big guys” playstands than the big guys do. This is my first year with multiple clutches so I’m still experimenting a bit with the best way to keep them human friendly. Instead of keeping clutches intact, I’m breaking them up in hopes that they won’t get too attached to a sibling. Switching their cages around, etc. Most days, they all get to come out and fly around and play together, but on the days I’m short on time, I still reach in and grab them out and give them a snuggle – like it or not. It really bugs me when people get their linnies, not knowing their little quirks, and immediately decide they’re afraid of hands. None of mine are afraid of hands – but it doesn’t mean they don’t like me to give them a good chase! 99% of the time, as soon as I catch them, they relax and come on out. A few will step up, but I do find them to be the exception rather than the rule. Blubird, who’s over a year old now, loves to come out – but he only started stepping up for me a couple of months ago.

Will you ship out of state/province?
Yes. I ship via Delta Pets First – either out of Sarasota or Tampa

Cost of birds:

$ 150 and up (with d/n/a certificate) depending on mutation, but will give multi-bird discounts.

Mutations/Colors you can breed:

So far, green, dark green, turquoise, cobalt and lutino. Next year, hope to get some olives and mauves, as well as some dilutes.

Contact info:

E-mail: rora.dora@verizon.net

Phone: (941)475-7103

Any other info you would like to include:

Linnies are certainly a lot tougher to breed than the other species I’ve worked with. But, in the end, they are worth the extra effort

Category: Lineolated Parakeet Breeding & Raising