Things you need to know before you even consider breeding birds.
Breeding birds is not a easy thing to do, I know some people make it seem like it is, but really it is not. there is a lot more to it than getting a male and female bird put them in a cage and attach a nest box and leave them go to it. That is actually the wrong way to breed.
Things you need to ask yourself before considering to breed
1) Do I have room for more birds?
2) Do I have time to learn how to hand feed properly?
3) Do I have time to hand feed baby birds every few hours through out the day from 2 weeks old up to 3 months old and even longer for larger species?
4)Do I have enough money to purchase more food?
5) Do I have time to make food specially for the breeding birds?
Those are just a few important questions.
Did You know that an average clutch of babies for a budgie is 4 babies per clutch?
Did You know that if you hand feed in-correctly you can kill the bird(s) by aspiration , not to mention give them crop burn if the formula is made too hot this means there would be a hole burnt into the birds crop, also if the formula is too cold it causes slow crop which leads to sour crop and both of these issues can also kill the bird(s)
Did you know baby birds have to be fed every few hours around the clock and most birds don't fully wean off of formula until they're 2 months old.
Did you know that breeding birds eat twice the amount of food that a non breeding bird eats, and even more if they have a large clutch.
Did you know you need to make special foods for breeding birds, Like cooked foods, more veggies, leafy greens, Egg food.
Do you know what to use as nesting material ? Do you know Most of the commercial material geared to use for birds is actually toxic to them? Things you should never use near a bird rather it's in a nest box or the cage tray is corncob bedding, or any thing like it, do not use Ceder bedding,Do not use Walnut Shell litter, Do not use cat litter,
If you can't handle Death, then breeding really is not for you. Because even when everything is done right and "by the book" birds die, babies die, it's part of breeding, there is nothing you can do to stop it. Also if you can't handle noise or a lot of mess, Birds are not right for you and breeding really isn't going to be your thing.
Breeding is not easy, it's time consuming, it's hard, it's heart breaking, it's expensive. So make sure you do a ton of research before you even think any more about breeding, Breeding birds shouldn't be done to earn money, because you won't earn any money, All money made by a good breeder is put right back into the birds, for food, cages, accessories, Vet bills etc. You'll never make any thing breeding birds.
Things you need to ask yourself before considering to breed
1) Do I have room for more birds?
2) Do I have time to learn how to hand feed properly?
3) Do I have time to hand feed baby birds every few hours through out the day from 2 weeks old up to 3 months old and even longer for larger species?
4)Do I have enough money to purchase more food?
5) Do I have time to make food specially for the breeding birds?
Those are just a few important questions.
Did You know that an average clutch of babies for a budgie is 4 babies per clutch?
Did You know that if you hand feed in-correctly you can kill the bird(s) by aspiration , not to mention give them crop burn if the formula is made too hot this means there would be a hole burnt into the birds crop, also if the formula is too cold it causes slow crop which leads to sour crop and both of these issues can also kill the bird(s)
Did you know baby birds have to be fed every few hours around the clock and most birds don't fully wean off of formula until they're 2 months old.
Did you know that breeding birds eat twice the amount of food that a non breeding bird eats, and even more if they have a large clutch.
Did you know you need to make special foods for breeding birds, Like cooked foods, more veggies, leafy greens, Egg food.
Do you know what to use as nesting material ? Do you know Most of the commercial material geared to use for birds is actually toxic to them? Things you should never use near a bird rather it's in a nest box or the cage tray is corncob bedding, or any thing like it, do not use Ceder bedding,Do not use Walnut Shell litter, Do not use cat litter,
If you can't handle Death, then breeding really is not for you. Because even when everything is done right and "by the book" birds die, babies die, it's part of breeding, there is nothing you can do to stop it. Also if you can't handle noise or a lot of mess, Birds are not right for you and breeding really isn't going to be your thing.
Breeding is not easy, it's time consuming, it's hard, it's heart breaking, it's expensive. So make sure you do a ton of research before you even think any more about breeding, Breeding birds shouldn't be done to earn money, because you won't earn any money, All money made by a good breeder is put right back into the birds, for food, cages, accessories, Vet bills etc. You'll never make any thing breeding birds.
Are your birds a true pair or just a pair of birds?
While your looking around to buy birds to start breeding with, you'll run across a few terms that seem to be clear cut, but in reality the owners of the birds can lie or use these terms improperly.
Pair - Technically this just means 2 birds, Unless other wise stated never assume it means male and female
Bonded Pair - This can be a male and female, Or 2 males or even 2 females, So again unless other wise stated don't assume it means male and female, Also a bonded pair does not mean they've ever bred it just means they really like each other and are great friends, They may not have the chemistry to actually breed and have babies together- assuming it's male and female ;)
Bonded & Egg laying - This should mean they are bonded and have live babies hatch, and they raise them. what it usually means however is the eggs never hatch, this can be because they're just bonded as stated above- just great friends and there is no chemistry there, could be two females, or it could be the hen sees a nest box and runs in and starts laying but never gives the male a chance to mate with her.
True pair or True Bonded pair - This normally means you are getting a male and a female and they have produced together live babies and took care of them either until they were weaned (parent raised babies) or the owner pulled them to hand feed them.
Proven Pair - This normally means they are proven male and female, not necessarily proven with one another.
Also keep in mind even a pair that are truly bonded and have produced live babies together for the owner, doesn't mean they'll do it for you right off the bat when moved to a new environment this is why it is important to let them get used to their new environment,they need at least 1 month with no nest box to get used to the new place, sights, sounds, your routine. etc. So don't rush them, and bring them into your home and give them a nest box straight away, You may not get the out come your expecting if you do this.
Be sure to ask a lot of questions that aren't really answered in the ad,( A good reputable breeder will not mind answering them) specially if the species your looking to buy can not be visually sexed, Make sure they have proof the bird(s) are the gender they say they are, Either Surgically sexed (best option) DNA or real proof they've had babies in the past. Make sure you ask if its not stated if the pair has produced live babies and raised them together or with other mates, if the advertisement states this then you wouldn't need to ask. Also be sure to ask when the last time the hen has had eggs - not necessarily babies but eggs, the egg making process takes a lot out of the hen, So if she just laid infertile eggs and no babies, she would still need a break & depending on how many clutches she's recently had how long that break should be- for an example, if she had 1 clutch of live babies and took care of them until weaned or pulled then her 2nd clutch was all clear - she'd need at least 2 months down time, you'll want to use this time to feed her properly - with lots of veggies, egg food, home made bird safe foods , etc this is called conditioning, it needs to be done at least a month prior to setting them up to breed, during breeding and while they're raising their babies.
Also it's good to read the posters entire advertisement this way your not asking questions that were clearly stated in the ad. Because even the best breeders get frustrated when they're repeatedly asked questions, that the answers are right in the ad, we do take a lot of time to type up the ads and make sure we add the most important information in. Some of the questions I am often asked that are right in the ad (and some are there more than once) is "Where are you located?" , " Do you ship?", " What age is the bird?", " Is the bird tame?''. there are many more but those seem to be the top questions I am asked over and over, and the answers those questions were answered in my advertisements.
Pair - Technically this just means 2 birds, Unless other wise stated never assume it means male and female
Bonded Pair - This can be a male and female, Or 2 males or even 2 females, So again unless other wise stated don't assume it means male and female, Also a bonded pair does not mean they've ever bred it just means they really like each other and are great friends, They may not have the chemistry to actually breed and have babies together- assuming it's male and female ;)
Bonded & Egg laying - This should mean they are bonded and have live babies hatch, and they raise them. what it usually means however is the eggs never hatch, this can be because they're just bonded as stated above- just great friends and there is no chemistry there, could be two females, or it could be the hen sees a nest box and runs in and starts laying but never gives the male a chance to mate with her.
True pair or True Bonded pair - This normally means you are getting a male and a female and they have produced together live babies and took care of them either until they were weaned (parent raised babies) or the owner pulled them to hand feed them.
Proven Pair - This normally means they are proven male and female, not necessarily proven with one another.
Also keep in mind even a pair that are truly bonded and have produced live babies together for the owner, doesn't mean they'll do it for you right off the bat when moved to a new environment this is why it is important to let them get used to their new environment,they need at least 1 month with no nest box to get used to the new place, sights, sounds, your routine. etc. So don't rush them, and bring them into your home and give them a nest box straight away, You may not get the out come your expecting if you do this.
Be sure to ask a lot of questions that aren't really answered in the ad,( A good reputable breeder will not mind answering them) specially if the species your looking to buy can not be visually sexed, Make sure they have proof the bird(s) are the gender they say they are, Either Surgically sexed (best option) DNA or real proof they've had babies in the past. Make sure you ask if its not stated if the pair has produced live babies and raised them together or with other mates, if the advertisement states this then you wouldn't need to ask. Also be sure to ask when the last time the hen has had eggs - not necessarily babies but eggs, the egg making process takes a lot out of the hen, So if she just laid infertile eggs and no babies, she would still need a break & depending on how many clutches she's recently had how long that break should be- for an example, if she had 1 clutch of live babies and took care of them until weaned or pulled then her 2nd clutch was all clear - she'd need at least 2 months down time, you'll want to use this time to feed her properly - with lots of veggies, egg food, home made bird safe foods , etc this is called conditioning, it needs to be done at least a month prior to setting them up to breed, during breeding and while they're raising their babies.
Also it's good to read the posters entire advertisement this way your not asking questions that were clearly stated in the ad. Because even the best breeders get frustrated when they're repeatedly asked questions, that the answers are right in the ad, we do take a lot of time to type up the ads and make sure we add the most important information in. Some of the questions I am often asked that are right in the ad (and some are there more than once) is "Where are you located?" , " Do you ship?", " What age is the bird?", " Is the bird tame?''. there are many more but those seem to be the top questions I am asked over and over, and the answers those questions were answered in my advertisements.