Raising Good Pets

Abstract

T Introduction

ucker Farms is a small aviary. By a small aviary I mean that our family does all the work that needs to be done without outside help. My husband Ron builds equipment and cages and does most of the heavy cleaning. I handfeed babies, prepare food, and feed breeder birds. I try to educate people about birds by writing articles and speaking at bird club meetings and conventions. I also take

. care of sales. My daughter Dawn helps with most chores. Her husband George helps with building construction. Ron and George both have "regular" jobs.

The children, Lewis (11), Stephen (9), and Samantha (3), play with the birds when the birds are old enough. Samantha has certain breeder pairs that she likes to feed. Ron and I have been breeding birds for 13 years and live on a farm near Estancia, New Mexico.

We have raised over 500 psittacine birds, including Peach-faced Lovebirds, · Cockatiels, Red-rumped Parakeets, Double Yellow-headed Amazons, Yellow-naped Amazons, Blue-fronted Amazons and Lilac-crowned Amazons, Umbrella Cockatoos and Moluccan Cockatoos, African Grey Parrots, Senegal Parrots, and Sun Conures.

Many of these birds are over 10 years old now. Most have passed adolescence and reached sexual maturity. None of these babies have grown up to become screamers, biters, or pluckers. We must be doing something different than many other breeders because we are asked frequently to take in other breeders' birds that have become screamers, biters or pluckers.

I am sharing what we do here in the

 

hope that other breeders can emulate our success in raising happy, welladjusted and confident pet birds.

Reason Number One

Reason Number One for our birds' success as pets in their homes is that our birds' owners have reasonable expectations of bird behavior. This comes from educating the prospective bird owner in normal bird characteristics and matching the natural tendencies of a species and the individual bird with the prospective owner's needs and requirements. Some of the questions that we ask to start a conversation are, "How did you become interested in Parrots? Do you have other breeder or pet parrots? Other Birds? Dogs? Cats? Ferrets? Reptiles? How many people live in your house? Children's ages, if any?"

Notice that I said, "prospective bird owner." We do not sell a bird to everyone who thinks that they want one. Sometimes, after talking to someone for a while, it becomes obvious to that person that his life circumstances are not suitable for a pet bird right now. They usually go away happy that they did not make an expensive mistake and many come back later when they are more settled. A few go buy a bird somewhere else.

Sometimes, an apartment dweller comes to us wanting an Amazon parrot and leaves with a Senegal or an Umbrella Cockatoo. Yes, we have placed Umbrella Cockatoos in apartments in downtown Denver and Washington, D.C. The right bird with the right people in the right circumstances can work nicely.

 

Reason Number Two

We have healthy birds. No bird with a parasite infestation or a gut infection will be a happy camper. Every bird that comes to our farm has to come in through quarantine including about $250 in vet tests and check-ups before he can come into contact with any of our existing flock. Our flock is all polyorna, pappiloma, parasite, PBFD, TB, and psittacosis free. We intend to keep it that way. Every bird that leaves here is guaranteed to not have any of these problems. We use a standard avian health guarantee and contract recommended by the Association of Avian Veterinarians and the Model Aviculture Program (MAP). Thank all the Powers that be that we have never had a case of PDD. There is no test available for it yet. We will probably test for PDD when a test becomes available.

All our birds eat an excellent varied diet. For any creature to live up to its potential, it must have excellent nutrition. Our birds eat a bean-com-wheatpea soak and simmer mix. We mix this with a sprouted or germinated seed and grain mixture. This mixture is served fresh every day with a treat on top for bowl interest. Treat foods may be hard-boiled eggs, .asparagus, broccoli, carrots, green beans, fresh peas, apples, oranges, pears, peaches, walnuts, almonds, pecans, noodles, spaghetti, - everything from apples to zucchini. We do have trouble finding fresh greens in the wilds of Estancia. I'd grow my own if not for the gophers and prairie dogs.

All birds have pellets free choice.

Poicepbalus and Cockatoos get a dry seed mix once a week. Some of them eat the dry seeds eagerly. Others save them for a few days.

Our breeder birds are kept indoors . in large flights separated from wild bird contamination. Buildings are heated in the winter because I don't think the birds are comfortable when the temperature gets below SSF. I know they can survive lower temperatures but I doubt that they are comfortable.

Amazons, especially, look miserable when it's cold. They can all see outside through screened windows. In our high mountain desert climate, cooling is seldom necessary. 

 

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