Macaw Care Sheet
Incubation figures, feeding by life stage, and the things that actually go wrong with this species — on one page.
- Incubation
- 26 days
- Incubator
- 99.3–99.5°F
- Humidity
- 45–50%
- Lockdown
- 65–75%
Macaw Incubation
Forced-air figures. A still-air incubator runs about 101–102°F measured at the top of the egg — setting 99.5°F at the wrong height is one of the most common causes of a full-term chick that never pips.
| Where | Temperature | Humidity |
|---|---|---|
| Incubator | 99.3–99.5°F · 37.4–37.5°C | 45–50% |
| Last 3 days | unchanged — stop turning | 65–75% |
| Breeding room | 70–85°F · 21–29°C | 55–70% |
Run macaw eggs DRIER than other parrots — 45–50% rather than 50–55%. Excess humidity is a well-known cause of dead-in-shell in macaws, where the chick is too wet to position and pip. Weigh the eggs and target 13–15% weight loss to pip rather than trusting a hygrometer.
The honest check on humidity is not the hygrometer — it is the scale. An egg should lose roughly 13–15% of its lay weight by the time it pips. Too little loss means the air is too wet; too much means too dry.
Feeding Macaws
What the diet should be day to day, and what changes when a pair goes down to breed.
Every day
Pellets as the base, with a genuinely higher fat allowance than other parrots — macaws need it.
Fresh food
Fruit and vegetables daily, plus nuts: palm nut, brazil, walnut and almond.
While breeding
Increase nuts as a conditioning food; keep calcium available.
Feeding chicks
Higher fat and higher volume while feeding chicks; soft warm foods daily.
What goes wrong with macaws
- Unlike most parrots, too LITTLE fat is a real risk — hyacinths especially need a high-fat, palm-nut-led diet.
- That said, fat without flight or exercise still causes obesity. Judge by body condition, not by the bag.
- Powerful beaks: nest boxes and fittings need to be metal-reinforced.
General guidance used by breeders, not veterinary advice. Conditions vary by climate, setup and individual bird — watch your birds first and consult an avian vet for anything health-related.
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