What to get?(waterfowl)

[toejam]

Now that my aviary is about done, I am looking to add more to my collection. I'm looking for a species that doesn't need a permit to sell(legally) that is between $50-$200 a pair. I have a pair of mandies and ringed teal now, but for selling Purposes would it be a good idea to get another pair or two? Even so, I'm still lookin to expand. I think the fever is startin

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[KansasKid]

I would have to look but Chiloe widgeons aren't on the list (i don't think)
Cape teal?
Sharpwing?
brazilian?

Don't quote me on it, its still a good idea to make sure they aren't on the MBTA list.

 

[toejam]

Quote:
I think your right, all those aren't on the list. I'll look into some prices. Thanks Kansas.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

nope those are all good.
I cant remeber which page I put it on, but on the Migratory waterfowl thread, I do have the full list of permit requiring species and non permit species. It's on 75 or so I think, some where close to it.

75% of all of them fall into you price range. all the teal are off the list except blue and green wing, cinnamon, baikal, and falcated
there's 20 some odd of them, all are good choices and beautiful.

treeducks are tops on my list too, all but the cuban, black belly and fulvous are permit free.

shelducks are all permit free but are aggressive and should have a pen to themselves.

 

[toejam]

How much do sharpwings cost a pair? Brazilian? Is about 150 a fair price for white faces tree ducks?

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

sharpwing usually run in the $100- $125 pr range

yes $125- $150 is right for white face

brazilians, well they are nuts on them. $80 is good, personally I wouldnt pay a penny more

now for some reason a lot of folks have them listed as some super rare miracle bird and have them at around $250
back when I had them, a lot of times you would about have to give them away. They breed like rats, and really arent all that pretty. Not ugly by no means, just drab compared to all the others. And to see folks selling them so high now a days just makes me laugh

 

[toejam]

Thats kinda strange how the price could change THAT much...

 

[Dr. Todd]

Seems pretty simple to me: supply and demand! The more obscure species like Brazilian teal go through waves of popularity in a rather predictable pattern. When a species is common and readily available it is cheaper, when a species is harder to find it is more expensive.

Only a handful of people keep the less popular species through the highs AND lows and those few have the ability to set the price at whatever they want when interest in the species develops again.

I personally think that the prices on all waterfowl are bargains when you consider the money put into building the enclosures, predator protection, feed, electricity, incubators, hatching and rearing, water, fuel, shipping, and of course, labour. The cost of keeping birds has skyrocketed but some people seem to think the prices should remain the same as they were 20 years ago. Go figure.

DT

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

Dr. Todd :

Seems pretty simple to me: supply and demand! The more obscure species like Brazilian teal go through waves of popularity in a rather predictable pattern. When a species is common and readily available it is cheaper, when a species is harder to find it is more expensive.

Only a handful of people keep the less popular species through the highs AND lows and those few have the ability to set the price at whatever they want when interest in the species develops again.

I personally think that the prices on all waterfowl are bargains when you consider the money put into building the enclosures, predator protection, feed, electricity, incubators, hatching and rearing, water, fuel, shipping, and of course, labour. The cost of keeping birds has skyrocketed but some people seem to think the prices should remain the same as they were 20 years ago. Go figure.

DT

$50- $80pr to - $250 is not inflation, it's ripping new comers off, call it what you like.

$35 on wood ducks to $45-$50 now is proper inflation, even with such a high demand on them.

many of the teal and tree ducks are in much higher demand, and equally as rare even rarer, yet their prices havent budged in 30+ years.... if anything gone down.
It's not supply and demand if the supply and demand hasnt changed.
Inflation yes to a point, but we havent changed enough to justify a 500% increase.

green wing teal $50 - now $80 fair
widgeon from $50- $80 fair
pintail $40- $60 fair

see a pattern here. personally I can go on and on with examples. Point is, some species to me people have gone nuts on, it is NOT justifiable threw any of your so called obvious points. Over the months you have seemed to harp on how long it's been since I last raised waterfowl (almost as if you are constantly trying to TOP me and other waterfowlers at everything, kinda sad actually), it hasnt been all that long since I quit, 20 years ago I was in my peek of it actually. Raised them from mid 80's threw early 2000's.
I'm not out to be right or wrong, but simple fact is on some waterfowl people arent being fair on the price, Like or not, that's my opinion. When you have 20 breeders still selling a species at say $80, then you see 1 with a website selling them at $300, explain that?
You have you opinion, that's fine too. I'm not out to top you all the time. But sure seems you are bent on the snippy remarks to EVERYONE on here who has anything to do with waterfowl. We can all get along here, the constant derogatory comments on every thread you post on need to stop though. It's gone beyond old and doesnt show much character. Instead of always slipping in a negative comment in an of the cuff mannor, just stick to providing folks with answers and assistance, after all that's why we are here, to help others, not to constantly try to prove others wrong, obserd in their statments, or whatever the case may be.

Sorry to have gotten a touch off topic for those participating here.​

 

[Dr. Todd]

Whoa there Boggy Bottoms! Try some deep breathing while I use a calculator try to figure out how $80 to $250 is a 500% increase...

Two main points:

1. If someone likes a particular specie and thinks it's worth what a seller is asking for it, then the price is reasonable to that buyer. If another buyer doesn't like the price, so be it. That buyer goes and looks somewhere else.

2. With fewer and fewer folks keeping waterfowl anymore and even fewer folks successfully breeding waterfowl in numbers, there is an increased demand for all species. This is exacerbated when a species is uncommon and demand peaks (like recently happened in Brazilian teal in the US). When availability increases and demand wanes the price will go down. With the price down, more people buy them, the supply will exceed the demand and many of the 'breeders' sell off the species. Eventually demand increases because the birds become uncommon again and round and round we go.

Let me ask you this: are those selling pygmy geese for $3000. USD (a 1400% increase from 1970's prices) or king eiders for $2500. USD 'ripping people off'? How about Baikal Teal at $400pr (a 100% increase since the 90's)? What makes that ok and the price of something like Brazilian teal not? I will agree with you that $250. is too much for Brazilian at the moment, but I've yet to see the price that high. I see them most commonly at $150 to $200pr, an 87.5-150% increase from your $80.pr price.

Somehow you seem to misinterpret a dissenting opinion as derogatory. I'm simply trying to give these (mostly young) readers another perspective to chew over.

To ToeJam:
There are lots of species that fall into your price range but you'll need to filter the list by your aviary size, current inhabitants, weather in your area, ease of care/breeding, potential for hybridization, etc. etc. etc. There are several helpful books out there that would help you sort all this out, I'd suggest 'Waterfowl: Care, Breeding and Conservation' by S. Tarsnane. I've offered this before to another youth on here, and I'll offer it again, if you don't have a copy and would like one, I'll buy it and send to you. We need more kids like you to succeed with birds.

DT