Abstract
Knowing that Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD) is no longer at the forefront in the parrot world, I wondered if an article at this time would be appropriate. But let me assure you, I have learned a lot more about PBFD than I ever expected to need. Just those letters can inspire more emotion and questions than I ever realized. Yes, folks PBFD still can rear its ugly head.
While my story has a very happy ending, I know that there are still some who may appreciate a new point of view on this issue. In addition, there may be others who can benefit from my personal experience. This is my story.
I have been trying to call myself a breeder since about 1995. I basically started out breeding smaller birds, finches, and canaries. Next was my first pair of Senegal Parrots. At this time my veterinarian pointed out to me that it was not ideal to have smaller birds in the same room with parrots. Parrots require a completely different protocol in their keeping. He mentioned quarantine, blood work, and other ideas I had never considered. He suggested that if I wanted to keep both types of birds I should keep them in separate areas.
Soon the Senegals were breeding and boy, what a happy camper I was. I had signed up on several lists on the internet, talked with bird club members, experienced hand-feeders, and was well on my way to become a breeder of parrots.
Then the most wonderful thing happened. In the local sales paper, I saw a pair of Congo African Greys for sale. I called and spoke with the owners. They informed me that they had a small aviary and wanted to retire. They had purchased a travel home and were off to places of adventure. They had the greys shipped up from Florida as a pair. Unfortunately, this pair had never even laid eggs during the five years they owned them. They were anxious to sell and I was just as enthusiastic to purchase.
I took the pair to the vet for their CBC, CBP, protein electrophyresis, worm check, and toenail clip. I had contacted Bobbi Brinker, a large Grey breeder and she had been kind enough to email me a list of the necessary tests and their costs so upon presentation at the veterinarian's office I was well informed.
After quarantine, into the bird room they went. By this time, I was becoming much better informed on the necessary steps in keeping parrots and was confident everything was fine. Again, my veterinarian reminded me I should separate the larger parrots from the smaller birds. This time I took his advice.
The house was in shambles. Lets see, I have to have how many areas? One for quarantine, one for sick birds, one for the nursery, and one for the breeders, one for food preparation and clean up. I wasn't sure how I was going to pull this one off with the family, so I finally decided to sell the smaller birds.
Lo and behold- just let someone get a few dollars in their pocket and the telephone rings. It was a good friend and vendor. He had just purchased some pairs of Timneh African Greys and other bird paraphernalia from a lady in New York and she also had some Congos for sale. If I was interested, I better give her a call right away. These were proven breeders and her only reason for selling, was the loss of her husband. I decided to give her a call.
We chatted back and forth over the internet until the deal was finalized. I had just recently had surgery and would be unable to pick up the birds for several weeks until I recovered. Shortly, I was on my way to New York with my girlfriend who would share in the driving. My husband was left in the construction mode. Three walk-in flights lined with wire for climbing, three nestboxes, four feeding stations, and of course a clean-out door, a walkin door: All too much one would think.
I returned home the following evening at 1 :30 A.M. to find my husband moving the cages around in the bird room to accommodate the new flights. I arrived with a negative PBFD performed on the new birds in 1999. The new birds went directly into the new setup in the bird room.
Three weeks after arrival, two of the pairs began laying. I cannot express the excitement I felt.
Following pulling the babies and placing them in the nursery, I called the veterinarian to schedule an appointment for him to come to the aviary and vet check-up all the new birds. Then, it happened. The results came in from the lab on the new pairs and smack dab in the middle of the page was the terrible word POSITIVE. Boy, I know there are highs and lows in life, but this one knocked me for a loop. It was so unexpected. How could this be? What about all the babies? Did this mean they would all have PBFD. Why hadn't I listened to my vet and quarantined these new birds? How could I allow my enthusiasm to overwhelm my good sense? I learned a very...