Bird mills

[Maria_Metropolis]

Everyone has probably heard of puppy mills, where dogs are bread in small crowded cages, no human interaction, overcrowding, etc. . .

However, what about bird mills? I just recently heard of them.

I was in touch with an avian breeder who has glowing reviews all over the internet. He has tons of happy customers, but he told me his aviary has 300 birds in a "commercial warehouse location" and no one is allowed to come in there, except a few volunteers and himself. The birds obviously get very little human contact.

Does this sound like a bird mill?

I don't want to accuse this person of anything, as he obviously has tons of happy customers, but you know, sometimes everything is not what it seems, especially if you're only viewing the surface. Perhaps they are being kept in pristine circumstances, but since no one is allowed there, who knows? I understand that he won't let people in his aviary because of infection, and security reasons.

I am looking for an Eclectus, so he also recommended that if I get an Ekkie, I should feed him/her zupreem or roundybush pellets, which is also a bit disconcerting, as I hear they need fresh food and/or specialized pellets for Eclectus. It's so difficult to find a decent Ekkie breeder in my area. I heard people that obtained Ekkies from him have "wonderful pets" now, and he allows the owners hand feeding once a week, for one hour a day at his home (where he hand feeds his birds once they are out of the nest), until they can come home fully weened of course. He will not allow unweened babies to come home.

As you can see, I'm doing a ton of research on these parrots once I commit, as I know this is a major lifetime commitment. I also want to make sure I buy from a reputable source. I'm thinking of getting a baby instead of adopting because I have young children, and I can train him/her for better socialization that way. I am considering adopting, but there are no Ekkies in rescues, but I am looking at one adoptee tomorrow. I just am very ambivalent about an adopted bird in my circumstances. If I didn't have a large family, then I would probably adopt. I have plenty of time for training the bird in either case.

 

[thekarens]

A closed aviary is not uncommon and personally I think it's a good idea. If you let anyone in there there could expose your birds to all kinds of things.

 

[TessieB]

A closed aviary is not uncommon and personally I think it's a good idea. If you let anyone in there there could expose your birds to all kinds of things.

Very true. It is common practice to not allow visitors to prevent disease transmission. However, there should be plenty of pictures available for viewing. Yeah, I know pictures can lie. And you can always talk to the volunteers/workers on what they think about the facility and care of the birds.

 

[JerseyWendy]

My honest opinion is that I actually prefer small hobby breeders, who do this solely for the love of their birds, and don't hardly (if any) make money selling chicks. I'm talking of hobby breeders who spare absolutely no expense, and make sure their birds are all cared for excellently, and are vetted regularly.

 

[Jewelz]

I agree with JerseyWendy!! I got Felix from a hobby breeder & Felix is so well adjusted socially....he came completey hand tamed & friendly.... Anne has been wonderful in helping if I have questions about him. She knows Felix extremely well from all of the time she spent with him & hand feeding him. Also, if something happens in my ife & I am no longer able to keep Felix (it would have to be a pretty cold day in hell for that to happen) she made me sign a contract guranteeing he goes back to her!!!!! I am sticking with hobby breeders from now on

 

[henpecked]

I think what most folks don't realize ,is that most bonded pairs of parrots want no human interaction.

 

[Boysmom]

The breeder Flora came from has welcomed me to visit her aviary any time I am in her town, which is twice a year. She does have sanitary precautions she asks of visitors to prevent spread of disease though. She doesn't allow just anyone in, but if you are purchasing a baby from her, she welcomes you to pick of the clutch in person if you wish. I didn't visit and pick Flora, as she was given to me because she was up for sale for months and no one wanted her with her bad toe, and she refused to wean at 5 months. The breeder had 40 macaws to hand feed also, and needed to get Flora in a forever home with a experienced handfeeder. Flora already knew how to play with toys and was already speaking quite clearly. This breeder has bred birds for over 40 years, and while she does have many birds and species, each baby does get attention and training. Her facility is indoors and attached to her home. The breeder your baby comes from makes a very big difference in the personality of the baby and how much work you have to put in, IMO. Hobby breeders have more time to spend with the babies and train them and love them. It produces babies that need less training from the new owner from the start. I was very pleased Flora already knew how to play with toys, as it took me nearly 6 months to teach Ruby to play with toys.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I think what most folks don't realize ,is that most bonded pairs of parrots want no human interaction.

Please Capt, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they should get much human interaction because it will only unnecessarily stress them out, no? Feed 'em well, keep 'em clean...and leave 'em alone. :54:

 

[Abigal7]

Maria, he sounds like he might be a big aviary. You could ask him questions if he needed to be licensed, what laws are imposed on him, and if he has state inspections etc. Some breeders are small time breeders with birds in the house while others are big aviaries (just like there are big hatcheries). When we lived on a farm my dad would sometimes buy baby chickens and baby guinea fowl from a hatchery and he would have to pick them up at the post office. They no doubt have a big building and even big outside aviaries etc. Keeping a bunch of parrot especially in a neighborhood probably will get some complaints of noise and may even anger the neighbors. Birds bonded to each other do not need human interaction. Yes, no doubt he does not let a bunch of people in his aviary to prevent infection, and for security reasons. Maybe he could send you a couple of pictures of the parents. It is good that you are doing a lot of research and being diligent when looking for a parrot.

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

I think what most folks don't realize ,is that most bonded pairs of parrots want no human interaction.

That's what the breeder told me, and he said they could even attack you.

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

I agree with JerseyWendy!! I got Felix from a hobby breeder & Felix is so well adjusted socially....he came completey hand tamed & friendly.... Anne has been wonderful in helping if I have questions about him. She knows Felix extremely well from all of the time she spent with him & hand feeding him. Also, if something happens in my ife & I am no longer able to keep Felix (it would have to be a pretty cold day in hell for that to happen) she made me sign a contract guranteeing he goes back to her!!!!! I am sticking with hobby breeders from now on

As much as I like hobby breeders, none of them are breeding Eclectus in my area. There is one hobby breeder I like, but she only has rosebreasted cockatoos for $$$$$$, and some quakers, and large macaws. I love rosies, but they're a bit too expensive at $1800 a bird. She wouldn't budge on the price either since she knows she'll get that price for her bird.

Thanks for all your replies, at least it makes me feel better about this breeder, as I am a very skeptical person.

 

[Echo]

I think what most folks don't realize ,is that most bonded pairs of parrots want no human interaction.

That's what the breeder told me, and he said they could even attack you.

Yes but most importantly they can attack their own babies if disturbed by strangers (displaced aggression).

 

[crimson]

without getting a personal look on the inside of his warehouse, it is impossible to reserve judgement.

to most people 300 sounds like an incredible amount of birds, I know of one breeder in souther Ontario who has over 1000 birds. He has one numerous awards at the yearly bird shows.

It is not uncommon for a breeder to have over 100 pairs.

I'm on a small scale and have 12 breeding pairs, plus my pet parrots, trust me it is A LOT OF WORK!!!

go with your gut instinct, if you feel this particular breeder it too large for your liking,(even with great reviews) then find one that will suit your needs and wants, rest assured you will be happy with your choice.

 

[Kimma]

Having a lot of breeding pairs would make it a whole lot easier to work on establishing new mutations with a minimum of inbreeding, so that's one reason to have a lot of birds that's not about churning out pets for a profit.

And $1800 for a galah? That blows my mind. I mean, I know there are good reasons for the cost, but still...

 

[RockysMom]

Maria where are you located at ? their a few Eclectus breeders in Michigan , one is in port huron her name is Lori and she is a excellent breeder , I have her web site if you need it let me know

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

Having a lot of breeding pairs would make it a whole lot easier to work on establishing new mutations with a minimum of inbreeding, so that's one reason to have a lot of birds that's not about churning out pets for a profit.

And $1800 for a galah? That blows my mind. I mean, I know there are good reasons for the cost, but still...

Thanks,

How much does a baby galah normally cost. I live in the Chicago area, and everything here is so expensive.

ETA: I see you're from Australia where galah's probably cost as much as a parakeet here. LOL!

They're pretty expensive in the U.S., and Major Mitchells are around $4K here as well.

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

Maria where are you located at ? their a few Eclectus breeders in Michigan , one is in port huron her name is Lori and she is a excellent breeder , I have her web site if you need it let me know

That's a bit too far for me to drive, but if you want to send me her website, I'll take a look. Does she ship?

Thanks.

 

[Kimma]

Having a lot of breeding pairs would make it a whole lot easier to work on establishing new mutations with a minimum of inbreeding, so that's one reason to have a lot of birds that's not about churning out pets for a profit.

And $1800 for a galah? That blows my mind. I mean, I know there are good reasons for the cost, but still...

Thanks,

How much does a baby galah normally cost. I live in the Chicago area, and everything here is so expensive.

ETA: I see you're from Australia where galah's probably cost as much as a parakeet here. LOL!

They're pretty expensive in the U.S., and Major Mitchells are around $4K here as well.

I hadn't actually checked... but a quick look on gumtree says between $30 and $500.

I'm not suprised Major Mitchells are more expensive. They aren't as common as galahs. Gumtree has them at $250 to $700.

Or you could get both at once with a galah/major mitchell hybrid.

 

[Klaery]

I too like the small time breeder and when I used to breed Aus parrots I used to trade and sell with other small time breeders.

When I got Elroy I was getting a bird that is quite a bit rarer in this country and so I went to the place that could tell me (and show me with excellent record keeping) the parentage.

I got Elroy from what is basically a parrot farm but I tell you what, it is the cleanest, happiest, most professionally run place you will find. The species bred here are rarer species in Aus and so their is no flooding of the market or hard sell. On top of that, visitors are welcome (and requested to make sure you get on all right before you take home a parrot). The operator there was also in contact several times over the next few weeks seeing how it was all working out. I couldn't have asked for a better breeder.

Tab also got Fargo from the same breeder I believe. The breeder is there almost full time (it is what he does) and the hand raised birds are always out and interacting, not only with people but also with other birds. Birds are given sprouted seed, fresh fruit and veggies everyday as well as twigs and foliage etc to pick apart daily.

Based on my experiences with this breeder (and I am sure Tab would agree) I have to say that they are definitely not all bad

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

Having a lot of breeding pairs would make it a whole lot easier to work on establishing new mutations with a minimum of inbreeding, so that's one reason to have a lot of birds that's not about churning out pets for a profit.

And $1800 for a galah? That blows my mind. I mean, I know there are good reasons for the cost, but still...

Thanks,

How much does a baby galah normally cost. I live in the Chicago area, and everything here is so expensive.

ETA: I see you're from Australia where galah's probably cost as much as a parakeet here. LOL!

They're pretty expensive in the U.S., and Major Mitchells are around $4K here as well.

I hadn't actually checked... but a quick look on gumtree says between $30 and $500.

I'm not suprised Major Mitchells are more expensive. They aren't as common as galahs. Gumtree has them at $250 to $700.

Or you could get both at once with a galah/major mitchell hybrid.

Yes, in Australia, they're far less expensive than here in the States. Likewise, Macaws are far more affordable here, than they are in Australia, where pricing is crazy.

I love rosies, and if I were to ever consider a cockatoo, that would be the one I would get. However, they're price prohibitive for me. I don't mind spending up to $1200, but that's my limit right now.

Do they sell Gang Gang cockatoos in Australia? They are so darn cute. I've never seen one as a pet though.

You never ever see Red Tailed Black Cockatoos for sale in the United States either, and I hear they don't do well in captivity.

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/bunb...-red-tailed-black-cockatoo-samuli-/1031426602