legal to buy parrot hatching eggs?

[WalkingWolf]

Well to be honest as already stated I highly doubt there is any reputable parrot breeder that will let go of any eggs. Let's take a macaw for example, a handfed blue gold the most common will bring easily $1000. Now taking into account hatch rates with shipping the OP is going to need 2 or 3 grand to get acceptable results. Why pay more for less? That is a large investment to chance. Who will get the blame if they spend that kind of money and end up with a zero hatch?

 

[WalkingWolf]

Quote:
thank u for the info. now how do i find a breeder who is on the up and up?

and what breed would u recommend for a first timer? I have three kids, but the parrot is for me and will be mine. and does the sex of the bird matter?

You need to talk to parrot owners. There are a lot of factors such as space, if you are looking for a talker or a lover. And how important is appearance the bird has. And the factor that is going to hit you most is the price, not just the bird but an appropriate cage and toys.

It is also important whether you rent or not, a parrot can do a lot of damage to an apartment.

 

[georgialee]

I'm going to third (or fourth or fifth, lol) the info here. I worked at a petstore that had a cockatoo that had to be handfed. I loved that bird but it was a pain in the butt. The food has to be at an exact temperature. If you tube feed (and even if you don't) there's a chance the bird can aspirate the food which requires immediate vet care... from a vet that knows about birds/exotics. Very costly. I would shell out the $$$ for a weaned parrot anyday over hatching one out.

 

[chickenzoo]

I've hand raised parrots and such. Hand feeding is a lot of work if done correctly. They have to be fed on a schedule, round the clock for the first few weeks. It is truly worth it to purchase a weaned or nearly weaned chick from a breeder. Larger parrots are very destructive and loud. They go through I lot of toys and special foods. Medium parrots are better, small parrots are the best. I have had Quakers, and have one that is 17 years old. The are slightly bigger than a cockateil, not as pretty as the larger parrots, but can talk with the best of them. They are not very destructive but can be screamers or biters if not socialized correctly or given space and attention.

 

[CityChicker]

I agree with what everyone else has said already on the type of bird to get. It just depends on so many factors. Macaws, Cockatoos, and Amazons are all very loud and destructive (although I love them). They require a lot of time, space, and expense. I don't recommend them for families with children (just my opinion, other people may disagree).

The African birds require less space and are generally quieter, but can be even more neurotic (again, my opinion, others may disagree). Two of my favorite species of all that I have ever kept are Timneh Greys and Jardines. Both tend to be rather calm, have great talking ability, and are less prone to being one-person birds.

I also love some of the Conures- Suns, Jendays, Gold Caps, Green Cheeks, etc.... Some of the Mini Macaws make great pets too as do *some* Eclectus. Of course, I do love the larger birds too, but they are a massive, life-long commitment.

In the end, the reason I stopped breeding parrots was because of the anxiety and worry about where my babies were going. Finding good quality pet homes was so difficult. The emotional connection to the birds was just too much at times. It was not, for me anyway, like raising poultry or livestock. These babies would live in the house with us and require constant attention and care for MONTHS. I got to a point where I could not handle the worry of placing every baby in a good home.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

I have been a breeder/handfeeder for all kinds of parrot species. I have handfed everything from finches which I had to use a small child's paintbrush to feed it to macaws.

Handfeeding is not for everyone and there are dangers. I wouldn't recommend it for most of the public. Things like burned crops, crop stasis, bacterial infections...etc. I could go on and on.

I rescued a 5 week old Military macaw from a "breeder" who had 187 babies die in her care because she fed them all off the same syringe. Only two babies got out alive. The Military macaw who is now my Ms. Sailor Sassypants, and a little Quaker that I gave to a little boy.

187 babies died because of a rampant bacteria!!

Do yourself and the babies a favor, buy from a breeder!

Some of the last baby macaw I handfed.

Laurie

 

[WalkingWolf]

Another thing that should be pointed out is that parrots sit on their eggs after each one is laid. They do not wait until they have a clutch. That is why when you see pictures of parrot babies they are different sizes and different stages of feather development. I am not sure because I have never had a need to find out, if parrot eggs would hold up to shipment and the wait to be incubated.

 

[chicken_china_mom]

Quote:
Heres a few pics of my baby parrot that I have been hand feeding. This is my very first time doing this and It is not half as hard as people make it out to be. Hes now 4 weeks old and I got lucky and hatched out an albino.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d5/PARKBOY/dcp_2306.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d5/PARKBOY/dcp_2305.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d5/PARKBOY/dcp_2304.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d5/PARKBOY/dcp_2303.jpg

Oh what a cutie! I always loved my cockatiels! I've had them for ages.

To the person wanting to hatch parrot eggs:


I used to breed cockatiels for more than 15 years. A challenge? That's and understatement! I loved it but after I had my first daughter, getting up to feed a newborn AND newborn chicks, who definitely were NOT on the same feeding schedule, it got to be too much. I took a break for a few years and let my parent birds hatch them out and raise them the first few weeks, and then I would step in and finish the hand rearing. I've never hatched the eggs myself since cockatiels are magnificent broodies, but I loved having them. Now all I still have is Bailey, one of my parent birds. He's 13 now and he was probably the last bird I bought to bring some new blood in. His mate was much older than him and she passed away about 4 years ago and he's been alone ever since. Now, even though he's an old man he is trying to convince his button quail friends at the bottom of his cage that he would make a MUCH better father to their chicks than they would! They haven't laid yet because he won't stay out of their box! But that's off topic. To be truthful, unless you have handfed parrot chicks before and are aware of the challenges involved, it can be intimidating. They are hatched completely naked except for a soft down, depending on the species, eyes sealed shut, unable to feed themselves or maintain their own body heat. What I did was use one of those little plastic portable tanks (like the kind you can put a hermit crab in, or take a tiny lizard to the vet. And I think you can use them for a beta fish too) I would line the bottom with papertowels, put in a soft wash cloth to snuggle up into, and I would place a heating pad under the tank. Worked wonderfully as a brooder and in nearly 15 years of breeding I think I lost two chicks? But I had to learn like everyone else. I only ever used Kaytee formula, never anything else. It's the feeding part that is so tricky. If you don't keep the formula at the right temperature it can develope yeast VERY fast, and it can infect a chick's crop. And you have the tilt the syringe as you feed them because it's very easy to aspirate a chick by putting the formula down into their lungs instead of their crop. I highly recommend researching before you try to hatch any eggs. Hatching the eggs is the easy part, seriously! Parrot chicks are NOT easy to raise, and those that do raise them to weaning age, well I give them kudos! Chicks need to eat every two hours or so for those first few weeks, and the consistency of the formula has to change as they grow, plus there are a whole lot of other details that you have to account for. I also recommend that you read more than one book on rearing chicks. Decide on what breed of parrot you want, and research as many books as you possibly can. I've handfed cockatoos, macaws, eclectus, cockatiels, quakers, and a few other species. The larger the bird, the bigger the challenge. Oh, and the formula is NOT cheap either, so the larger the bird, the more they eat, the more you will spend. Good luck in your quest to hatch parrot eggs. Have you decided on a species yet?

 

[WalkingWolf]

I also want to point out that we have parrots for 30 years, and we love them. BUT if we had started with chickens we would have never had parrots. Parrots are a joy but take considerable work to keep them, both in care and in the process of socializing them. They are expensive to buy and they are expensive to feed. Should you decide to raise them you can not just throw a male and a female together and expect babies. They must fall in love(not joking) and then they still may not produce. It could take years to get offspring from some breeds.

Now chickens which we have had for a year now. The first was a gamehen who was to be company for a duck who lost her mate. Without any coaching this gamehen found a home in my lap, and purred like a cat. Our next chicken was a male silkie that demanded to be held and followed us everywhere and cried like a puppy if we left him alone. I might add that both parrots and chickens will poop on you, parrot owners do not seem to mind as much from a parrot.

Parrots can be trained to not poop on you, but it takes time and it is not easy. I would imagine a spoiled chicken could be trained too, we have too many to train.

Parrots will not weed and eat insects from your yard, and if they do get out and get a taste of freedom you may never see them again. Another aspect of parrots and chickens is your parrots will most likely outlive you unless you are young. This is very traumatic for the parrots. Chickens lifespans are comparable to a dog.

Now I am not turning you away from parrots, but they are a big commitment, and outside of talking chickens can provide companionship and love just like a parrot. A male parrot when he reaches maturity will become mean either towards you to protect you or towards others. Same for a rooster, OTOH a pullet when she reaches maturity becomes more friendly.

I really wish that the laws would be changed so everybody could keep a rooster for a pet. This would save many roosters lives and they make wonderful pets when there are no hens around. They would also be a better first step for many before buying a large parrot. Yes they crow, but that can be controlled if the rooster is a pet. Serama's are becoming housepets and very good ones. Even my little OEGBs would make great housepets they are a little smaller than my parrot. And even though I have been breeding them I can still pickup the roosters and hens. Just try that once with mating parrots.

I would suggest you start with a cockatiel for your first parrot they are one of the easiest of parrots to keep. They are friendly the males talk well they sing. And they are not so large that they take up a whole room.

 

[Fluffy-Butt-Farms]

It is easier to buy a bird from a breeder at 4 weeks out of the nest. You will save over 1/2 of the cost of one. Example, My blue and gold cost me 450 out of the nest for a 1200 bird. My African Grey cost me 400 for a 800 bird. My Pineapple Green Cheek conure cost me 85 where the petstores wanted 200. Breeders are easy to find on the internet. Feeding isn't that hard either, as long as you make sure your food is 105 and your syringe is clean.