Starting Out Breeding Parrots?

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MistressReborn

MistressReborn

In the Brooder
Aug 21, 2015
10
7
39
Southern Maine
Hi there. I love birds to death. Started with chickens, then got some parakeets, and began researching parrots before I knew it. I've bred other types of animals before, so I'm not new to the concept, however I am aware that parrot breeding is not even close to chickens or other types of animals. I'm interested in hobby breeding these birds and I have done as much research as I can. I haven't been able to contact any breeders personally, however. I would like to start out by getting fertile eggs to incubate.'

I haven't been able to find much information on the internet however. Are there any specific books that you would recommend? I haven't been able to find much information on when they hatch, so any information would be useful. Any information to start out would be immense help. The breed of parrot I am looking into is the Eclectus.
 
Thank you for the info! Macaws can live for a lot longer than an Eclectus can. I've read that the average lifespan for a Solomon Island Eclectus is about 40 years, though they can live up to 70, you're right. I'm looking into breeding birds for myself mainly, selling is not what I have in mind. That in mind, if they DO live up to 70 years, I'm entirely committed to taking care of them.

Honestly I'd prefer parrots over children lol.

Anyways! I'm fairly young myself, so I'm not guessing that they would outlive me if living 40+ years. I do have plans for the future yes, where I can take them with me where I go. Besides, Eclectus parrots are flock birds, so they bond to a family rather than one person, unlike Macaws and African Greys.
 
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I'm glad you are doing your research before attempting to breed these magnificent birds.
I don't know how familiar you are with raising psittacine chicks, but you might want to familiarize yourself with tube feeding first. Also, macaws are flock animals and smart birds. Different psittacine have different food requirements also. They are long lived and demanding, so it is great that you are planning your life around raising them as many people don't understand the amount of work and dedication that have to be put towards raising these birds.
You might want to check the Gabriel foundation: thegabrielfoundation.org
It is a rescue organization where you will find useful info.
Best of luck to you!
 
I'll definitely check them out, thank you! I need to do a lot more research to be sure, but there really isn't much out there for raising baby parrots. Yeah, I'm most concerned about the feeding and initial hatch day. I'm totally okay with having to get up during the night to feed the babies, but I'm just worried that I'll do it wrong since I've never exactly done something like that. Thank you for the information though! Anything helps, really!
 
You're welcome! Read as much current info as you can, as there is a lot of info on psittacine chicks out there. Talk to avian vets specialized in companion birds, talk to people who are serious about rescue and conservation. Who knows, you might direct your love for theses birds towards rescuing or conservation efforts of so many species that need help in the wild.
 
breeding large parrots is a lot of work that doesn't bring in steady money. The birds will not constantly breed so you have to pay for feed during the year when no money is coming in. Add on to that the cost of feed, vets, possible heating/cooling and cleaning costs and you will start to see why $1000 a bird is not a lot of money.

You will also require a large indoor area (covered area at least) at least 1/4 mile away from neighbors. I have been to places that breed and the noise is constant.

Keeping a parrot and breeding is not the same thing. It may be better to learn on a smaller parrot/keet like cockatiels. You need to learn a lot of the basic skills and be comfortable around birds that can remove fingers before jumping head first into trying to breed them.
 
Good points. The facility I worked at had well over 400 macaws. The noise was deafening.
Add to that the barking of 30 dogs they kept as watchdogs to keep people from breaking in and stealing the birds.
 

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