How do I start breeding my CAG?

So I acquired a 23 year old Congo African Grey a few months ago from a friend who did not know how to take care of birds. Her name is Nicky and she developed a plucking problem when her owners had her for twenty years and then passed away. Then giving her to a friend of mine to be stuck in her cage in a corner for two years. We've been trying our best to rehab her but I know its very hard to. But anyway, to get to the point. We feel bad for her because she is lonely. She tries to eat our other birds but I know that different breeds often do not get along. We want to get another male CAG so she can have a partner because she is constantly trying to make nests. One time she did and lay 3 eggs at once! She tries to feed us like a hatchling (I know it is because she loves us) but I just want her to be happy with another bird and babies of her own However... we know it is A LOT of responsibility to breed and we dont know where to start! We want to get rid of our smaller conures to help pay for another grey and a bigger cage. Where should we start? If you have any information please help, Thank you!

'Get rid of' spare birds? Sorry, that makes them seem like baseball trading cards. What if these apparently dispensable conures have bonded to someone in your family? If Nicky your CAG is lonely - spend more time with her. Getting another Grey may not yield babies, and could result in one hurting the other. I guess you could trade both away for a macaw. Like trading up your Honda for a Accura.

Kudos for attempting to rehabilitate a sadly neglected grey, but you'll find few folks on the forum comfortable with the stance of trading companion birds like commodities.

There is no guarantee your grey will accept a male nor breed to success. So many variables that a sample of two is fraught with horror.

IMO the better option to consider is working to develop a closer relationship. Once bonded, greys are wonderful lifelong buddies!

Some ideas:
http://www.parrotforums.com/congo-timneh-greys/59366-cag-101-a.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Have you not thought that you are not the right fit for Nicky? Why not find her a home where she can be the focus and be loved but as an only bird. You can advertise her on here. The finding a mate and playing at breeding is fraught with expense and danger. Greys are sensitive birds and thrive when given the right kind of attention but totally different to conures which it sounds like you get on better with? Just my tuppence anyway.

wrench13 said:

'Get rid of' spare birds? Sorry, that makes them seem like baseball trading cards. What if these apparently dispensable conures have bonded to someone in your family? If Nicky your CAG is lonely - spend more time with her. Getting another Grey may not yield babies, and could result in one hurting the other. I guess you could trade both away for a macaw. Like trading up your Honda for a Accura.

Click to expand...

No, we love our conures very much and we are aware that you cant just "get rid of them". We had to give away our parakeets to another home and before we did we made sure they would be taken care of by a lovely caring family. And we are aware that nicky might be aggressive or incompatible with another bird. Which is why we can ask some of our friends from a local bird rescue to bring one of their friendly CAG's to meet Nicky and see how she reacts with another male bird. I can assure you that we care for our birds very much and are to be very cautious with them. Also, Nicky is given a lot of attention but sometimes birds just never give up the habit no matter what. For how long she has been plucking she probably never will but we're not going to give up.

Scott said:

Kudos for attempting to rehabilitate a sadly neglected grey, but you'll find few folks on the forum comfortable with the stance of trading companion birds like commodities.

There is no guarantee your grey will accept a male nor breed to success. So many variables that a sample of two is fraught with horror.

IMO the better option to consider is working to develop a closer relationship. Once bonded, greys are wonderful lifelong buddies!

Some ideas:
http://www.parrotforums.com/congo-timneh-greys/59366-cag-101-a.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

Click to expand...

Thank you but we have no intention of trading her. She is bonded to two people very much in our family. She is very aggressive to other people besides adult men. We understand that it may not work but there's always hope. We can see that she desperately wants to lay eggs.

As far as greys having mates, it's very difficult to predict whether or not your grey would welcome the presence of another grey. My counsel to curb the hormonal behavior:

Do not allow your grey to regurgitate (feed) for you. When this happens, divert attention and walk away.

Provide 10-12 hours of covered sleep time.

Provide as much natural light as possible (not direct sunlight).

Increase fresh vegetables and some fruit. Lower amount of seed-based foods. Good natural based pellets and birdie bread are great as well. Greys need calcium in their diet. I provide crushed eggshells in their birdie bread. I also boil eggs, peel them, and smash the egg with some of the shell in their daily veggies and fruits (more veggies than fruit). I also give boiled chicken meat especially when they are molting, they need the protein. A proper diet is so important.

Provide lots of enrichment, toys, training. As they begin to play, they should learn how to be alone as well as with company. Videos for training on youtube. Also Saltys dad (Mr. Wrench) is an amazing source of info for training.

Talk to your grey as much as possible. They are vocal and social.

Plenty of showering/misting.

Also if you have an avian vet, please see them for blood work and checkup asap.

I recommend you avoid another grey until you get the behavior and hormones sorted. It may take a year or more to get to the place where things normalize.

Let us know how it goes!

TheBirdBuds said:

wrench13 said:

'Get rid of' spare birds? Sorry, that makes them seem like baseball trading cards. What if these apparently dispensable conures have bonded to someone in your family? If Nicky your CAG is lonely - spend more time with her. Getting another Grey may not yield babies, and could result in one hurting the other. I guess you could trade both away for a macaw. Like trading up your Honda for a Accura.

Click to expand...

No, we love our conures very much and we are aware that you cant just "get rid of them". We had to give away our parakeets to another home and before we did we made sure they would be taken care of by a lovely caring family. And we are aware that nicky might be aggressive or incompatible with another bird. Which is why we can ask some of our friends from a local bird rescue to bring one of their friendly CAG's to meet Nicky and see how she reacts with another male bird. I can assure you that we care for our birds very much and are to be very cautious with them. Also, Nicky is given a lot of attention but sometimes birds just never give up the habit no matter what. For how long she has been plucking she probably never will but we're not going to give up.

Click to expand...

Another bird should not be introduced without the required period of quarantine. Some excellent advice above, by adding another bird you could be just adding more headache. Implore you to do what you can for Nicky without adding another.

It is possible that you will never quash the plucking but it should not make her any the less to you?