Northeast Gardening: Where is your DG central?, 1 by WNYwillieB

WNYwillieB wrote:
Hey Thom: I have your same grand aspirations.

I do not "YET" breed actively -- birds, that is! I love the Black Palm and Hyacinth. However, I would start with Scarlets or Military Macaws, and (of course) African Greys and Umbrella Cockatoos (more wallet friendly).

I even have TWO huge rolls (6' x 100' rolls; 3" x 1/2" spacing) of heavy gauge wire I can make cages for them out of in storage (probably 10 years now) that I have used more to make plant tables than cages. Maybe when I retire??

The long story (not so) short of how I came to have this rewarding opportunity is:

I had an African Grey and wanted to get a cockatoo. (new house furnace improperly installed -- CO poisoning -- got my Papaguyo, the grey, and Gennie, the Conure -- Sad, sad days, but the Cockatoo made it!!)

Found a "wild" cockatoo for $400 (a male) locally and worked him to be handleable. He's awesome.

Skip to a year later. Mom's (a school nurse) co-workers (Married 5th & 6th grade teachers) adopted a female on their summer vacation and showered her with love and attention all day long.

Skip to the end of summer. Back to school. No more attention for the lovely Lady, who promptly started to pick and pull all her feathers. Soon into the school year, I was GIVEN her, as the owners could not bear to see her plucked and picking and they knew I had the male and was good with birds. We call her Lady Godiva, as she truly pulled EVERY feather she could reach. Ever see a naked Cockatoo??? Not a pretty sight!

Took about 5 or 6 months of having them in the same room (opposite ends) to moving them next to each other, to where they would sit on their perches, next to each other, against the wires separating them, trying to touch.

Woo Hoo!! A Breeding Pair of Cockatoos!!! Well, it took them almost EIGHT years to produce eggs!!! The first year they did, however, the eggs were addle .... She was doing her job, but HE wasn't doing his!! OH NO!!??!!

The next year, 2001, I got The Queen in late April and then her brother about a month later, early June.

Interesting note: Both of my babies get the same showering of attention, however, Leukos munches his feathers, just a bit. Something he learnt from Mom whilst still in the nest box!! About 6 years now, and this is the first full year he has let his feathers grow in, still a little tattery, but full feathered.

Queen Boudicca is perfectly feathered, from head to toe. Monkey see, monkey do, I guess, with Leuk.

Leuk and Boo are kept in separate rooms, so Boo has not seen Leuk chew. I keep them separated, so if I ever sell one, the other wouldn't be so lonely and heartbroken. Like I would ever sell one of them!!

Then, one day, while the babies were still VERY small, I took them to PetSmart to show them off (the bird girl there wanted to see them, who was I to argue). While standing in line at the checkout, the couple behind me expressed an interest in adopting my "proven breeding pair" to add to their flock.

I said noooooo; they said, $2,800; I said "When you want them?"

Since I really wanted PETS, and not a BREEDING PAIR I could not socialize with, I kept my babies and made a good $2,400 in profit. The key here is PROVEN as opposed to BONDED breeding pair. Proven pairs have laid and hatched eggs before, Bonded pairs just get along well together.

OK, another novel, I'll stop ...... for now!! :-)

[brief side note: If you EVER have time, go to your ZOO and get involved in their bird breeding program and volunteer to feed some babies (or ANY animal, for that matter), even if just for a day!! An opportunity you won't regret! esp. if you have kids -- Plus, ZOOS NEED VOLUNTEERS!!]

Here is a shot of one of the greatest sights I ever saw! My first Eggs In The Nest Box!!