How to Recognize a Bad Bird Breeder

[Spiritbird]

This is an article that anyone intending to purchase a baby bird should read.
Criteria for Bad Breeders

 

[IcyWolf]

That's why my door is always open to anyone that wants to come see how we run things here. I understand that some people don't want strangers in their home and I've heard of breeders that will take birds to a public place to show a potential buyer but, I'm sorry, I'm completely against this! If you don't want strangers in your home, then don't start breeding birds out of your house! There are plenty of precautions you can take, we have driveway alarms, a large very protective dog, and I never have anyone come over if I'm the only one here. It also probably helps that my fiance has guns and a carry permit. Honestly, I love when people come to visit the birds, I love to show them off and teach people how to properly care for them, this includes showing them how we do it. If I'm meeting you in a parking lot somewhere not only am I removing babies from their brooder and exposing them to the outside world but then you have no idea what kind of conditions the birds are kept in and no visual example of how they should be kept. That's just my two cents...

 

[Sulphiria]

I wish I lived closer to you Icy!

 

[IcyWolf]

That would be a recipe for disaster! Could you imagine us living close to each other, we would end up having to buy a building just to house all of our rescue birds!! lol Were you planning on going along for the bird transport? I'd love to actually get to meet you!

 

[Sulphiria]

That would be a recipe for disaster! Could you imagine us living close to each other, we would end up having to buy a building just to house all of our rescue birds!! lol Were you planning on going along for the bird transport? I'd love to actually get to meet you!

I wish I could, Ive got little ones at home though Theres no way unless it doesnt happen until June when its summer... hmmm. I was admiring your baby birds and told my boyfriend we should have a baby and I thought he was going to faint, until I showed him the bird pics. I told him we would be in trouble if I lived closer to you and asked if he wanted to move to Pennsylvania. he said no But then he made a good point and said "besides if we lived close enough, you could just go visit the babies and be like a grandma"

 

[IcyWolf]

That would be a recipe for disaster! Could you imagine us living close to each other, we would end up having to buy a building just to house all of our rescue birds!! lol Were you planning on going along for the bird transport? I'd love to actually get to meet you!

I wish I could, Ive got little ones at home though Theres no way unless it doesnt happen until June when its summer... hmmm. I was admiring your baby birds and told my boyfriend we should have a baby and I thought he was going to faint, until I showed him the bird pics. I told him we would be in trouble if I lived closer to you and asked if he wanted to move to Pennsylvania. he said no But then he made a good point and said "besides if we lived close enough, you could just go visit the babies and be like a grandma"

That would be so awesome! I need more local birdie friends! I've been seriously thinking of trying to find an apprentice of sorts, it really scares me that I don't know anyone that lives close enough and knows enough about birds(including babies) that I could trust to come and care for them. If anything would ever come up I really don't have a back up plan and I really need to. My fiance knows enough to care for them and feed the babies but he does have a full time job so that's a bit conflicting, it just scares me if there was ever a freak accident or some weird thing that would require one or both of us to be away from home for more than a day, ya know?

sorry, didn't mean to take this thread so off topic, I also wanted to add, a big thing I look for is if they sell unweaned babies, to me that is just a huge red flag. It's one thing to sell out of nest babies to another experienced breeder but I think selling unweaned babies to the general public is just asking for trouble and in my opinion, it really makes me question how much they actually care about their babies. I would be constantly worried if they were being fed on time and correctly and if they are going through the weaning process okay, nope, that's just too risky for me, I'd rather do it myself and just have the new mommies and daddies come visit their baby during the hand rearing process.

 

[Spiritbird]

Why do people purchase an unweined baby? I guess breeders would lower the price because they do not have to take any more of their time taking care of the baby.

 

[Mayden]

Why do people purchase an unweined baby? I guess breeders would lower the price because they do not have to take any more of their time taking care of the baby.

I know a lot of breeders do it so they have more time for more of their babies. They sell them at a lower price. Usually they will only sell to people they know are experienced with rearing though.

I wouldn't mind hand rearing them - but I think I'd feel better if I got to visit the breeder who then in turn let me do it under their supervision.

 

[IcyWolf]

Why do people purchase an unweined baby? I guess breeders would lower the price because they do not have to take any more of their time taking care of the baby.

Most people do it because they think that it will give them a stronger bond with the bird, but if you look at things from a natural perspective that doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. In the wild babies are fed by their parents and then they fledge and wean and usually go off to start their own lives, they don't stay in the nest with their parents forever.

Many breeders will do it because if they sell the babies out of the nest for a lower price, they don't really have to do any of the work. I have known people that sell unweaned babies but not until they are absolutely sure that you are comfortable hand feeding. I don't really have a problem with that, it's when I see ads that say things like, "will come with formula and syringe and instructions on handfeeding" and yes, I just saw an ad like that on hoobly the other day. It's like they are just going to hand them their baby with a little hand feeding starter kit and send them on their way, it just makes me sooo mad!

 

[Mare Miller]

At what age would you consider a goffins weaned? Do most birds have a round about time to be weaned?

 

[IcyWolf]

I had a goffin but I have no experience breeding them. I just did a search and it seems like they are usually weaned around 8-12 weeks.