Abstract
What do you think of when I say ''eggs''? Some people might say "golden.' others "chicken'.' For some people in this world, it's where nylons come from. Of course, eggs come in many sizes, colors, and even varying shapes. Let's consider parrot eggs. All are white in the family of parrots, ranging in weight from a few grams to over thirty grams each. Upon seeing the incubators in our nursery, some folks ask "where do you get your eggs?" I just wish I could send away for hatching eggs as is done in the poultry industry, but the companion bird industry isn't quite that far along yet. Since we are located in one of the coldest states in the U.S.A., our birds are housed in a super-insulated breeding facility with forced air heat during the winter months. Although we spend as little time as possible in the building to avoid disturbing the birds, there are some pairs that go about their business, however intimate, as we go about our chores. Relaxed as many of them have become, they are still wild and stress becomes evident in the form of broken and/or buried eggs. After one clutch of broken eggs under our Moluccan cockatoos, I was convinced I could not entrust another valuable egg to nervous parents and see if "things might get better:' Armed with "The Incubation Book" by Dr. A.F. Anderson Brown and advice from friends, I launched into the ominous world of incubating and handfeeding from day one. Chicks followed. There were some failures, and then more chicks.
