A Great Experience is Coming!

[Alwese]

A lot of his birds were former pets and a great many of them are plucked a bit. Oftentime the mate will pluck the head of their spouse, especially the Cockatoos. This doesn't seem to hurt their suitability as breeders, but I wonder about how they do in the cold snaps. Picture #3 is of a Greenwing with his head pretty badly plucked, but he is the sweetest thing, wanting you to rub his head. The first pic is of the two B&Gs that are inside the house. She had laid an egg the day before yesterday and with all the commotion of people in the house for the funeral she dropped the egg to the bottom of the cage. I thought they looked a lot younger than they really are; David said they are 24 and 26. The hen has produced a great number of eggs and chicks so far. Her first mate died, and she has been now paired up with Paco a different male. Paco has never bred before and has not yet gotten the idea. David thinks he will come around. I had previously heard that they mate for life. This is apparently not true as when one dies then can be convinced to have a new mate. The dropped egg was very likely infertile. Picture #2 is of two of several hybrid species he has. Everybody was pretty happy together as I did not see any fighting between anybody. I was surprised it was as quiet as it was, maybe I was just there at an off time. The cages looked to be commercially manufactured. The very sturdy cage wire and narrow bar spacing made it harder to get nice pictures but certainly appear to be escape proof. Food bowls slide in from the lower side and are fed through the bottom of the cage. This prevents escape and minimizes food flinging when they have to feed straight through the bottom. The cages are supported on four 55gallon plastic barrels to get them both up high enough they can be easily raked under, and prevent raccoons from getting to the birds. We found one dead drowned rat in a bucket today.

 

[sodakat]

The Golden Conure or Queen of Bavaria Conure (Guaruba guarouba) is listed on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the U.S. so their progeny cannot be sold. Only registered breeders can trade in specimens for breeding programs and it's very complicated and difficult to get these permits. Several macaws are being considered to be added to the ESA unfortunately:
[FONT=Calibri,Bold]

Military macaw and Great green macaw (Ara militaris; Ara ambiguus),
Scarlet macaw (Ara macao cyanoptera; A. m. macao), and Hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus​

hyacinthinus)
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[JerseyWendy]

sodakat, you will find Golden Conures ALL over Florida! I "think" the regulations on breeding and selling them there are different, however, you cannot take them out of state unless you have a permit.

And BTW, they ARE legal to keep here in NJ as well, as long as you have a permit.

Thank you SO much for all the pictures, Al!!!!

 

[Alwese]

On a side note, I happen to live in the heart of farm country so of course lots of GMO crops have been raised here for years. Recently even alfalfa seeds were modified as well as sugar beet seeds. The pheasant and wild turkey populations not to mention the huge herds of white tail deer in this area, have not been affected whatsoever and they pretty much live off field corn, including dried corn and silage made from corn that is stored on local farms. Just an FYI that we may not have to worry as much as we think.

I'm glad to hear that the populations of pheasants don't seem to be harmed by the corn. I haven't done a bunch of research on this yet and will check tomorrow on where his rice comes from. Thanks Sodakat for your info. This is a learning place for all of us.

 

[Chesphoto]

First let me say that I resized the pictures but I am limited as to how many I can post, so I will do it in stages.

Hi Alwese,

I am a professional photographer and if you need web space and help resizing the photos, just send me a message. I can make a gallery like the photos I took for the Arizona Exotic Bird Rescue that I volunteer at. Here is a link to some shot I took of the birds. Arizona Exotic Bird Rescue

Take Care,
Tom

 

[sodakat]

sodakat, you will find Golden Conures ALL over Florida! I "think" the regulations on breeding and selling them there are different, however, you cannot take them out of state unless you have a permit.

And BTW, they ARE legal to keep here in NJ as well, as long as you have a permit.

Thank you SO much for all the pictures, Al!!!!

I didn't post the entire ESA regulations. Yes they can be kept and bred but cannot be sold outside the state where bred unless the buyer has a permit which is impossible to get.

http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/23884440/1101661935/name/9.3.12..AFA.final.comment..4.macaw.species.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/regulations/laws/esa.html

 

[Pinkbirdy]

Alwese,Ive been following your thread [its so exciting] as Im trying to imagine what its like [I don know of anything like that here] I cant even wrap my head around it [I can just think what its like for you] As I enlarge each of your pictures i think this one my favorite the M2s but thats not so because each one gets better.If I was there I would want to visit everyone and would feel compeled to pitch a tent and stay and help Thanks for sharing

 

[Alwese]

I took ALOT of pictures yesterday Pinkbirdy as he has Cockatoos, Amazons, Grays and Eclectus too. The board is maxed out right now for my allotment for pictures, so keep checking back later as I will have to delete these before I can post more of them. I've got two more big windows to deliver out there for his greenhouse. As time goes on I will be posting more and more about how successful breeding is accomplished. He has a lot of single birds waiting to find the proper mate. David doesn't have anybody to help him with the bull work, so I intend to help him move a few cages around today as some I think would breed better in larger cages like those two Blue-Throats. Mark had some good suggestions for improving things and speeding up feeding. I like Mark's idea that David needs to have chickens there to eat all the dropped seed to help control the rats. If he has just hen chickens then there won't be any rooster noise and maybe he can even have some eggs to eat. The cages need to be in better rows and all the feeding dishes need to be the same size. David has a big heart for wanting to save all these rescues and plucked birds, but it needs to be more productive as he is not independently wealthy. We arrived before everybody left for the funeral and Mark got to meet David and see some of the awesome things he makes with feathers. He makes these Indian headdresses out of turkey beards that left Mark just stunned.
When you get to be 65 like me, there aren't quite as many things you can do for fun. I probably won't go water skiing anymore, and I likely will never own another motorcycle, but I realize I have what it takes to be a Macaw Person and I have richly enjoyed my birds. I am having a blast helping David and his flock.

 

[Jtbirds]

I am not trying tobe rude but I'd like to point out a few things. First I will start by saying I work with a large parrot rescue that has re homed more then 600 birds. Secondly I'd like to say I personally own 40 parrots ranging from a greenwing to a senegal. I proudly own macaws, cockatoos, African parrots, amazons, etc and they are all rescues.

Now to the important fact those birds are in cages that are harmful for there health. The m2 is mutilating its chest so bad it needs veternirian attention. The bucket of water idea is great but if it can drown a rat it could drown an escaped bird. Unless it is whole grain rice, rice has no health benefits. All birds should be offered pellets minimal seed and a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables supplemented with appropriate treats. I am really disappointed to see such a large parrot community even addresses this as an ideal owner. Sorry for the negative aspect of this but all of those pictures so parrots in horrible conditions and shoved in small cages and I don't agree with any of it...

 

[JerseyWendy]

I am not trying tobe rude but I'd like to point out a few things. First I will start by saying I work with a large parrot rescue that has re homed more then 600 birds. Secondly I'd like to say I personally own 40 parrots ranging from a greenwing to a senegal. I proudly own macaws, cockatoos, African parrots, amazons, etc and they are all rescues.

Now to the important fact those birds are in cages that are harmful for there health. The m2 is mutilating its chest so bad it needs veternirian attention. The bucket of water idea is great but if it can drown a rat it could drown an escaped bird. Unless it is whole grain rice, rice has no health benefits. All birds should be offered pellets minimal seed and a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables supplemented with appropriate treats. I am really disappointed to see such a large parrot community even addresses this as an ideal owner. Sorry for the negative aspect of this but all of those pictures so parrots in horrible conditions and shoved in small cages and I don't agree with any of it...

How nice of you to jump onto a forum and start critizising right away. We just love new members like this.

 

[sodakat]

I thought many of the same things jtbirds posted while looking at the pictures and reading the posts.

David definitely needs help as do the birds he keeps.

Alwese, is his property large enough for aviaries? If he kept single birds in large aviaries where they could fly instead of in small cages I think servicing the setup might be easier.

It is not horribly expensive to build an aviary. There is a rescue in Washington State that builds them out of carport frames covered with wire. http://www.cockatoorescue.org/index_files/Page492.htm http://www.cockatoorescue.org/index_files/Page331.htm

I personally am not trying to be critical, however I do think he needs help. I think it's wonderful that you may be able to help him and the birds have better lives.

 

[Jtbirds]

I am not trying tobe rude but I'd like to point out a few things. First I will start by saying I work with a large parrot rescue that has re homed more then 600 birds. Secondly I'd like to say I personally own 40 parrots ranging from a greenwing to a senegal. I proudly own macaws, cockatoos, African parrots, amazons, etc and they are all rescues.

Now to the important fact those birds are in cages that are harmful for there health. The m2 is mutilating its chest so bad it needs veternirian attention. The bucket of water idea is great but if it can drown a rat it could drown an escaped bird. Unless it is whole grain rice, rice has no health benefits. All birds should be offered pellets minimal seed and a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables supplemented with appropriate treats. I am really disappointed to see such a large parrot community even addresses this as an ideal owner. Sorry for the negative aspect of this but all of those pictures so parrots in horrible conditions and shoved in small cages and I don't agree with any of it...

How nice of you to jump onto a forum and start critizising right away. We just love new members like this.

.

Well I personally hate to see birds in horrible conditions and I hope you would to.... I was pointing out that this is borderline cruelty. Sorry if my opinions are looking after the best interest of the animal so many of us love

 

[Merlee]

I am sure this breeder means well, but how does he keep the birds occupied? I didn't see very many toys or blocks of wood for chewing. I noticed in one of the pictures that a particular bird's nails were really long. These pictures remind me of a puppy mill.

 

[sodakat]

I wanted to clarify, I did not mean an aviary for every single bird, I meant an aviary for multiple single birds (birds without mates) as opposed to housing them with potential mates who they may not like and as an attempt to give them more rewarding lives.

Also, he may need revenue from these birds but until they are housed properly and fed adequately, they don't need nestboxes, IMO.

 

[Turquoise]

Love all the photos Alwese. Thanks for sharing your experience & going into such detail for us who will never get the chance you are getting.

I look forward to hearing more about your involvement with all these different species & I certainly look forward to more pics, especially of the GWs!

 

[Alwese]

First let me say that not all is what it seems. The M2 had a sore from it's own personal plucking. David has several 'toos with these plastic collar things on their necks and has spent a great deal on veterinary care. When I used to go to the same vet, he was in there many of the same times. Those two M2 I photographed are on the front porch and to my surprise spend most of the day on the top of their cage. Oddly they do not try to walk off and although they are not trimmed do not fly away! I went to his house today to take back the house keys and deliver several more sliding glass doors and David and his mother had gone to put his father's ashes in the moseleum. The M2s were out on the cage top while he was gone. Same thing indoors with the two breeding B&Gs and the two breeder Goldens; they are out all the time and do not leave their cage... my birds would be all over the house checking things out!!! Most of his birds are rehomes and were badly plucked before they ever got to him. Many plucked birds never grow all the feathers back in again even when ideal conditions for them are restored. When I was taking pictures (I took 45) many of the birds in the normal longer breeder cages (6 X 6 X 10) would shy to the back of the cages and with the bar spacing so close I could not get good pictures. A large Oak tree branch had fallen smashing a shed. The person who will be taking the tree down soon wanted all the cages near the tree moved and so many of the birds are in smaller temporary cages; like the Blue-Throats, but this made for easier picture taking. Today David and his Mom showed back up when I was hauling the glass out of the truck. He showed me these big 100' rolls of cage wire that are 6' long and makes two cages from each roll. He had many large unocupied cages that I will help him move to the other side of the property soon before the tree comes down. Since his mother cannot help him and he is otherwise alone there he needs a good second hand for the bull work of moving things for which I offered my services today. He lives a good 12 miles from my home and I could not daily drive to help him, but I will when he needs me. I had done some shopping at Sam's Club and bought a big bag of rice for myself. He noticed it in the truck and told me it was the wrong kind if I was going to feed it to the birds. He said white rice has half the nutrients of long grain brown rice which he uses. Next these cages are escape proof. Only one cage had 4 macaws in it and three of those were sibling Greenwings with a Harlequin. No bird is going to drown in any of the buckets or going to escape. In addition to the seed mix he does feed almonds and especially walnuts plus they DO get oranges and other vegetables; he simplified my feeding to make it easier for that one day. The Greenwings really like these little Kumquat things. When you see all the pictures you will see that they live in roomy cages, no they don't have flights but then my three macaws have not flown either in the past decade at least because I keep them trimmed. None of his birds are trimmed but I don't see them in distress trying to fly either. They are breeders. They have their mates to give their attention to, but they get plenty of daily loving attention.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

My experience [sorry to get off topic] Is if anyone knows their stuff its the breeders [and I do listen] They want the healthiest birds they can get [dont we all] They know what works and how to detect the firsts signs of them being sick. What they know about their diets is impressive. My Macaw almost died last year due to illness. I went to vet after vet without their [the breeders]guidence she would have died. I used to feed mine mostly pellets some seed and fruits and vegs everyday. Ive changed that to every other day a cooked up natural meal[any recipe that I can find on here] and I can see their feathers being brighter.Theirs nothing wrong with that. I think outside the box.

 

[Alwese]

...Alwese, is his property large enough for aviaries? If he kept single birds in large aviaries where they could fly instead of in small cages I think servicing the setup might be easier......

There is at least two acres of land. I have seen several concepts for people raising macaws where there was one huge building with a pole up high that the birds mostly stayed on and picked their mate. All around the perimeter were smaller cages with nest boxes in the back. I like this setup but it can get really hot inside a building. His Oak tree forest there keeps the hot Florida sun off the birds. In the wild they are certainly under the forest canopy. Not all birds get along in one big open aviary and keeping them in pairs where they DO get along keeps them from being damaged. Birds of different species like Amazons and 'Toos with macaws might not work out in one big aviary but maybe segregated according to species would.

 

[Alwese]

My experience [sorry to get off topic] Is if anyone knows their stuff its the breeders [and I do listen] They want the healthiest birds they can get [dont we all] They know what works and how to detect the firsts signs of them being sick. What they know about their diets is impressive. My Macaw almost died last year due to illness. I went to vet after vet without their [the breeders]guidence she would have died. I used to feed mine mostly pellets some seed and fruits and vegs everyday. Ive changed that to every other day a cooked up natural meal[any recipe that I can find on here] and I can see their feathers being brighter.Theirs nothing wrong with that. I think outside the box.

Personally at home I am constantly trying new things to eat on my birds. It is amazing how different their wants and favorites can be. Clifford likes raspberries. Doogie likes frozen peas FROZEN and yellow squash. Kayko wants banana slices first before anything. David and I had a long talk about vets today, particularly the one that I formerly used. He was always feeding antibiotics to David's birds and he lost a lot of babies. David is a little parenoid about bacterial things and insists that the feeding dishes are WASHED each time, plus he always BOILS his well water before giving to them. I first thought this was a little extreme but since he has done this and stopped feeding antiboitics he hasn't lost a single chick. I'm sure he has learned from experience what works and what doesn't work

 

[faeryphoebe1]

Alwese, I'm on board with pinkbirdy. I also would be quite intrigued and hang out with the toos.