A Great Experience is Coming!

[Alwese]

I just received a phone call from a good friend in the bird world; David Clayton. His Dad passed away yesterday and he called to ask me if I could feed his flock the day of the funeral. This is no ordinary flock. At last count David had 109 macaws in 77 cages as he raises mostly Greenwings and cockatoos, but he has some real gems he recently acquired from a breeder that went out in Ohio; like Golden Conures and Blue Throat Macaws. I feel honored that he would ask little old me to help him and surely would just for the joy of seeing all of his incredible two acre aviary. This is like asking my brother if he would like to guard Richard Petty's race car in the pits at Daytona. I can barely contain myself at the excitement. I certainly will take my camera to give you all a glimpse of this incredible place.

 

[RockysMom]

sounds like an awsome deal , have fun and yes post lots of pics

 

[BillsBirds]

Sounds great! Enjoy!

 

[Turquoise]

Oh My Goodness! I would be in bird heaven just getting to see the place, let alone getting the honor of caring for all of them.

The Green Wings would be where I'd hang out mostly after I was done with the chores. You are a lucky guy!

 

[Tosca]

Who is David Clayton?

 

[aliray]

I can't imagine feeding and caring for so many birds..That's going to take you all day. By the way besides the camera you want to bring ear plugs. In all seriousness what a great opportunity

 

[HappyHummingbird]

That is a tremendous opportunity. I would love to do that. I had a golden conure and he was the best bird ever!!! Have a great time!

 

[Alwese]

Who is David Clayton?

David Clayton is the largest macaw breeder I know of in the city of Jacksonville Florida. His father brought home a Greenwing from Costa Rica returning from his tour of duty there in 1946. That bird is the oldest macaw I have personally seen and is at least 67 years old. It may be as old as 80 but this cannot be certified because it was wild caught. This started his father on the road to breeding macaws and other birds. David grew up into this business and found he could make money making native American cerimonial dress with molted macaw feathers. David knows a great deal about native American culture and macaw husbandry and is a wealth of information. I may never graduate to breeding macaws on my own, but I am keenly interested in exactly how it is done and the best techniques for success in breeding, handfeeding, rearing and keeping macaws. He has successfully glued together cracked eggs to hatching that would otherwise be lost. The joy I would feel in handfeeding macaws myself one time could not be measured in dollars and cents. I feel an incredible door is being opened for me right now.

 

[Alwese]

Update on Monday 2/25
Today I went to Davids home to learn the ropes of exactly what he wanted done to care for his flock. It poured down rain hard all day today and I went there with my umbrella. I did bring my camera but did not take it in today with the rain; I surely will get pictures on next Tuesday when the memorial service is. I went completely through the feeding today assisting. Naturally with so many birds this is a major operation. He cooks up oats and rice in two pressure cookers on the stove and pinto beans in a large crock pot. He mixes them with sunflower seeds in the shell. Rice contains all nutrients needed but one. Beans also contain all nutrients needed except one but not the same one. The water in their water bowls is boiled first on the stove. He has a well and claims there are harmful bacterial things in the water that are killed by boiling. I was rather shocked at the large amount that he feeds each bird, but the Greenwings wolf down so much on the way back he has to refill their bowls a second time! There is a mated pair of Blue and Golds in the kitchen that are nesting right on the top of a regular cage in a box. The hen is swollen with an egg in her abdomen and will lay very soon. Also in the kitchen is a mated pair of Golden Conures and a Yellow headed Amazon. His home is nestled in a wooded area under the shade of large oak trees. I did not count how many birds I saw, but I will take inventory when I return Tuesday. He has three pair of mated Golden Conures and 6 of the most beautiful pink Mollucan cockatoos. Surprisingly many of the birds talk and have been pets from others at some time. Many are plucked a bit, but some of his best breeders are quite plucked, often by their mates (like on the top of the head) I was there for 3 1/2 hours today and could probably write a book on what I learned about caring for a huge number of birds. Because of who he is, he informed me of a lot of connections he has in the bird world and I found out a Hy can be had for $4,000. We are now getting closer to my price range. David does not have Hys, but I was surprised how many Militaries and Greenwings he does have. Some of his Scarlets and Greenwings are positively HUGE. He puts all of the food bowls and water in a kid's wagon and wheels it from cage to cage. I also saw some of the cerimonial fans and headgear he creates with feathers. Someone else does this elaborate beadwork to embellish the fans. Currently he does not have any chicks to feed; it still is a little early but Sun Conures are on eggs. This has been wonderful today even in the pouring rain. I intend to help him get some barrels he needs and will help him make some new nest boxes soon also.... Al

 

[BillsBirds]

What a terrific opportunity! Enjoy it, and use it to learn all you can! I'm jealous! Good luck!

 

[plax]

That is really spectacular, Al! Very, very interesting indeed . Looking forward to your next report

 

[Melandkids]

I can not imagine how fast your heart was beating as you walked around. How many personalities you were able to observe will you were assisting with the feeding today. I am very excited to see the pictures. I love their unique personalities. Their beauty. Yes your brain is in over load tonight. I know my mind would be flashing the memories of today. Thank you for sharing. Can't wait to see the pictures

 

[WharfRat]

I can relate, when I lived by our breeder I used to help her whenever I could. At the time she had around 200 birds (rescues and breeding pairs). It is definitely beyond description.

I have pics posted of her birds and even a few vids as well.

 

[Alwese]

I actually had a tough time sleeping last night as I was reviewing all of the things he said in my mind. While I am waiting to go back over there I wanted to say a little more. I noticed that he was not feeding corn. He said he has learned that the corn out there now has been genetically modified by the Monsanto corporation to resist being damaged by the weedkiller Roundup. They have discovered that this corn causes sterility in macaws!!!!! This would not be the first time that we have discovered some dark secrets about 'inventions' that have been harmful to us. I can think of radium watch dials, leaded paint, cloroflorocarbons in refrigerants, leaded gasoline, and teflon coated pans to name a few. He may not be right about the corn but I can see he is erring on the side of caution. I am starting to wonder what that corn might be doing to us too. Also I got new lithium batteries for my camera today and made up a checklist as I am going to take inventory of exactly what and how many birds are really there... he doesn't even keep track. I need to hold up a dollar bill next to some of these Scarlets and Greenwings he has so you can see the size they are. I wouldn't have believed that they could get that big! Today I checked on getting him a bunch of 55 gallon plastic barrels he needs. I also have four big 4X7 sheets of tempered glass to make a greenhouse for him. I can see a real friendship is building here.
David says macaws have a mating call, a mating song, and a mating dance. They make some strange sound when they are ready to do business. I know my three macaws make the same strange warbiling sound when they are bathing in their water dishes. One will start that sound and start flapping and the others do the same. They would never make that sound at any other time. David says HYBRIDS (Catalina and Harliquins) don't have the call or song, just the dance. Isn't that strange? I was saying to him maybe it is like some dogs dig with their hind feet after taking a dump and some don't. We got to talking about God giving them the instinct to build a nest after never seeing it done and he told me in the wild young macaws with stay with the parents over a year. In the next year when they have babies again the year old macaws bring food back to the nest for the next generation and are one of the few animals to do and are learning from the parents where the food is and how to care for the young. Certainly I have seen my macaws learn things and remember how to do them again. I will ask David to record this mating call and song; I want to hear this. Maybe playing it would encourage others to breed.
We all have feeding bowls for our macaws in the side of the cage. With his cages the birds eat through a hole in the bottom, this serves two purposes; first we all know they like to fling food and this head into the middle of the bowl thing stops most of that. Also if the latch is ever left unlatched for the bowl the macaw cannot escape through the narrow and right angle opening. The cages are all supported on 55 gallon plastic barrels. This holds the cages up high enough that the droppings can be raked below. He has a huge compost heap at the back of the lot. Plastic barrels cannot be easily climbed by rats and raccoons; a constant danger to birds outdoors. Some of his cages are within a second enclosed room with wire mesh even on the floor. Rats will burrow to get into the cage room. He has a very effective method for killing rats; the discarded food from the day before is thrown into half filled buckets of water and floats on the top. Rats jump in thinking it is solid and drown.

 

[plax]

Indeed! What an amazing experience you're undertaking there, Al . I'd LOVE to see those birds! I'll be anxiously awaiting your photos

I can think of radium watch dials, leaded paint, cloroflorocarbons in refrigerants, leaded gasoline, and teflon coated pans to name a few.

Don't forget mercury amalgam in our teeth fillings, mercury vapor in our fluorescent light bulbs, arsenic in our rice (though not an invention, but a result of lax industry regulation), Diacetyl flavoring in our margarine and other food products, Bisphenol A (BPA) lining our food cans and leaching from our plastic eating and drinking containers into our foods and beverages, various toxic chemicals used in crop-dusting that we breathe and eat, and a host of other toxic substances that are applied to or induced from the soil into nearly all of our non-organic produce. Those are just a few more profit-driven dangers flooding our environment in today's world.

 

[Alwese]

Drum roll folks; Tomorrow is that great and glorious day where I will get to feed this incredible flock. My truck is loaded with 4 big sheets of glass and two plastic barrels I found to give him. I also found some old kitchen cabinets made of 3/4 inch plywood I intend to clad inside with metal to make more nest boxes in the upcoming week. I have two cameras and a clipboard in there too to take inventory as I feed. Going the rounds with David last week, naturally every bird has a name and he knows each bird's history and performance he relates as we go from cage to cage. Tomorrow you positively will get pictures; maybe the most pictures ever posted on this board, but the real gain is I intend to learn later all the secrets to successful macaw breeding and raising so YOU will know exactly how it is done, how to best manage a commercial aviary, and what hurdles a person faces in this endeavor.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I can't wait to hear about your adventure today!!!

 

[haleybird]

I can't wait to see all the pictures!!

As if I needed another distraction from writing term papers (I have five 7-10 pagers due...ouch! But I guess thats what I signed up for taking 20 units of legit "thinking" classes....)
Reading all these articles and threads are so much more interesting and vital, and of course enjoyable!! Plus it makes me feel even that much closer to finally being able to get my fid. (I havent even found a breeder yet, but I'm researching and researching to start making connections now, since I'm still a year or two out and I know a waiting list is likely..)
So maybe I'm living vicariously through your posts. And youtube videos of parrots being adorable!

 

[sodakat]

So he feeds rice but not corn. Rice grown in the U.S. contains arsenic, even organic rice. Arsenic in Your Food | Consumer Reports Investigation

You/he can buy organic, non-GMO corn. I do. Here's how: contact your county extension agent. The phone number for the Duval County Extension Office is (904) 255-7450. Ask them for the names of organic dairy farmers. Contact a dairy farmer and ask them where they obtain the organic grain they feed their milk cows.

There are no organic dairy farms in my county so I called the Extension Agent in a neighboring county knew of several. The extension agents were very interested and very helpful and the farmer I buy from is just tickled to sell me 5 gallon buckets of corn for my parrots. He also has organic oats and field peas. Of course the first question they all want to know is, "do they talk"?

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.

 

[Alwese]

OK folks, here it is! My neighbor Mark is kind of a naturalist and has bred and raised many kinds of animals. He was dying to accompany me for this inside view of a huge aviary and help me off-load the glass as well as assist in the feedings. 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. The pictures were 1.6 meg apiece and I have them down to roughly 100KB where you still can see them and I can fit about 10 in my "board limit" I also took inventory as we went and the grand total there is 106 birds; 55 macaws, 15 cockatoos, 17 amazons, 9 conures and 8 greys in 64 cages. Best pictures come first. Inside the house was a breeding pair of Bavarian Golden Conures. These are kinda special as they cannot be transported over state lines for some reason... I'll find out more about why later. He has 6 of them. About 2 years ago he got this breeding pair of rare Blue-throat macaws. When they were being transported from Ohio they dropped an egg during transport. They have not bred again in their new home. Third is a large cage with three Greenwings and one Harliquin. I can't begin to tell you how these boys can EAT!!! I filled up their food dish (large) three times just while I was there. Fourth; he has six of these pinky colored Moluccan cockatoos. These things can really talk and we were treated to such an array of personalities as we fed and watered from cage to cage. This Moluccan says "woodja, woodja, woodja" all the time. An amazon in the house said "Gobble, Gobble, Gobble" and sounded just like a turkey. An umbrella would say "Cracker???" every time you passed by... What a hoot! David had made up huge cauldrons of food for us to delve out to them so we didn't have to do any mixing. He has a kids wagon to deliver the food and water which we used. David insists on washing the bowls every time, so we were switching them out. We are just coming out of a cold snap where it got down to 40 around there. He is right on the salt marsh where the water modulates the temperature somewhat. I was surprised to see all the plastic covering he had around the cages to protect from wind. It does do a pretty good job, but I have a hard time subjecting my birds to anything below 70 degrees. When I was loading the pictures after 5 it said I had reached my limit... I don't know if that was my daily limit or for this post, so I will try another post. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge the pictures.