The breeding pair, where every pedigree begins
An identified pair, one named male and one named female, is the only arrangement that lets you know for certain which birds a chick descends from: as soon as any doubt exists about paternity, parentage can no longer be established, only assumed.
Three ways to breed, three levels of certainty
In an aviary, breeding does not always take the tidy form of a single pair. Three situations coexist in most operations.
The standard pair, one male and one female kept apart, gives certain parentage. Every chick has two known parents, and the pedigree can be rebuilt without assumptions.
The polygamous group, one male to several females, keeps paternity certain but leaves maternity to be determined nest by nest.
The communal aviary, several males and several females together, produces young whose father and mother cannot be named with certainty. The result is a perfectly good bird, but its pedigree stops there.
Why this matters more than it seems
Uncertain parentage causes no trouble at first. It is paid for two or three generations later, when it becomes impossible to tell whether two breeding birds are related.
It is the same mechanism described in relation to inbreeding: a calculation only sees what has been recorded. A bloodline interrupted by one season in a communal aviary cannot be repaired retrospectively.
Hence a simple rule many breeders apply without spelling it out: put in identified pairs what you intend to follow, and leave in communal housing what you will not.
The foster pair
A foster pair incubates and rears eggs laid by another pair. It is common practice for species whose parents feed poorly, or to multiply the clutches of a valuable pair.
It introduces a distinction that notebooks handle badly: the biological parents are not the foster parents. Confusing the two means corrupting every pedigree that follows, with young birds attached to birds whose genes they do not carry.
What this changes in AviarySoft
The application distinguishes the three breeding modes and never invents a link it cannot establish. In a polygamous group or a communal aviary, the tree displays “untraceable” rather than a probable parent.
A foster pair is declared as such: the eggs stay attached to their biological parents, and the actual rearing is recorded separately. The pedigree follows the genes, not the nest.
How do I create a breeding pair?
From the 'Pairs' page, click the add button. Choose the breeding type, select the male(s) and female(s), then enter the formation date and status. You can also assign an aviary, a breeding box and a label color. It's also possible to create a parent pair directly from a bird's creation form.
What are the different breeding types?
AviarySoft offers three modes: classic pair (1 identified male + 1 identified female), polygamous group (1 male with multiple females) and complex group (multiple males and multiple females). The type determines how parents are selected in the form.
Can a parent be unknown?
Yes. When creating a pair, you can select 'Unknown' for the male or female if one parent is not identified. However, at least one parent must be specified.
Is the pair name required?
No, the name is optional. If you leave it blank, AviarySoft automatically generates a name based on the breeders: for example 'R001/25 & F003/25' for a classic pair, or 'Group 2♂/3♀' for a complex group. Take the time to choose it anyway: it is what you will search a pair by, and it is what sorts the list.
What is the breeding box for?
The breeding box is an optional field that lets you identify the physical cage or box where the pair is housed (e.g. 'Cage A1', 'Box 12'). It's a reference specific to each breeder for organization.
What is a pair's label color for?
The label color is an optional color code displayed on the pair's card and on the aviary board. It helps visually identify a pair at a glance. Each breeder is completely free to use it as they wish.
How do I assign a pair to an aviary?
By editing the pair, select the aviary from the dropdown menu. You can also do this by drag and drop from the aviary board. When you assign a pair to an aviary, all birds in the pair are automatically moved to the same aviary.
How do I record a pair's egg laying?
From the pair's record or via the three-dot menu / context menu (right-click), choose 'Record egg laying'. You can also add an egg record from the Eggs page by selecting the pair. Enter the date, number of eggs and incubation details. Recent egg records are visible directly in the pair's record.
How do I see a pair's offspring?
Each pair's detailed record shows a 'Offspring' section listing all birds born from this pair, with their photos, names, species and status. You can also view the full genealogy from the Genealogy page.
How do I separate a pair?
Simply change the pair's status to 'Separated'. The pair is then excluded from active counts and breeding lists but remains in your database with all its history and egg records.
What happens if I delete a pair?
The pair's birds are not deleted, they remain in your farm. Associated egg records and health monitoring are preserved. However, the link between the breeders is removed. That's why it's generally better to set a pair to 'Separated' status rather than deleting it, to keep all the links.
Can I add health monitoring for a pair?
Yes, you can add health monitoring directly assigned to the pair from its record, the three-dot menu or the context menu (right-click). This is useful for tracking treatments or vaccinations applied to the entire pair for example.
How does a foster couple work?
A foster couple is a pair tasked with incubating eggs laid by another couple. Enable the 'Foster couple' toggle in the couple form (classic couples only), then when creating an egg record in natural incubation, select this pair in 'Assign to a foster couple'. The genealogy stays linked to the real biological parents: the foster couple only incubates. Entrusted eggs appear directly on the foster couple's detail page, and the Statistics page (Reproduction tab) compares hatch rates between foster and own incubation.