What would you do?

[Birdman666]

Well, I agree with socializing them by taking them out, but that's about all...

It doesn't sound like he's following the recommended practices for sterilization and quarantine for the babies, and that, more than his drinking, is the red flag in my book...

 

[Minimaker]

Bartleby, you and I have very different view points and that's ok. You live your way and I'll live mine. There are people here who have perfectly wonderful good birds from M & D, because it was here I read stories about them and saw photos of great healthy loving birds. They hardly operate like a puppy mill: Avian Nursery

I fully intend to socialize my parrots, take them out with me a lot of the time I'm out and about, and provide a covered outdoor aviary for them. I bought a flight leash, because in my neck of the woods (and it IS the woods) we have hawks and plenty of bald eagles. Last year we had a huge golden eagle land outside our family room window, Even the breeder I talked to that allows his to fly free agreed this is not a safe area to let them loose because there are larger birds of prey here that can and will kill even a large macaw. He lives in a large city suburb, I live in the country. Vastly different areas with plenty of danger here. I cannot safely let mine loose if I wanted to.

Now I'm done talking about this, it's my decision and I think I've made the right one for me and my family.

Thanks to everyone for their viewpoints and I appreciate all the information

 

[Birdman666]

I used to free fly my birds. And just look at the face on that blue throat! It's bright red! He's so excited he's coming unglued...

And at the same time, I had a number of accidents, including a bird (Papaya) who flew back to me too low across a parking lot, and got hit by a car.

I don't free fly anymore. However, my birds do still get outside and climb trees, even though I have had a few incidents where they have flown off on me. This gives them such an improved quality of life... that I feel it's worth the risk.

I don't just leave them outside unsupervised. (Except Sally, of course. She has special privileges. But only if I am still inside the house or close by.)

As for hawks, they will take anything that looks like food and is "getable."

A bird's gotta eat, y'know.

My neighbor in NorCal lost a small dog to a hawk. Swooped in and took it right out of her yard.

And I had a friend who had a greenwing taken (by the neck) right off his shoulder while walking on a trail in a park in the Berkeley hills...

It can happen, even if you're careful.

 

[Minimaker]

Yeah they wouldn't live long here, I can assure you that. We can't take a short drive without seeing bald eagles right on the side of the road eating road kill or up in the sky searching for something to grab:
Number of eagles in Illinois soaring | WGN-TV

And their view point is from the city, mine is the country right on the Mississippi River which is where they hang out the most. You can go to a bridge area 15 minutes away and see around 20 of them of them circling above the water. This place is packed to the gills with eagles and there is no safe place to fly free. Plus a ton of different hawk species, owls of every size-you name it. I can walk out my back door at night and hear owls hooting and hooting and it goes on all night long.

 

[thekarens]

If you're near your bird an eagle or hawk isn't going to come for it unless it were starving. And eagles mostly eat fish, which is why you almost always see them near water, same as osprey.