The Ten Commandments Of Buying Birds For Breeding

The Ten Commandments For Buying Birds For Breeding

Your success or failure as a bird breeder will depend greatly on the quality of the birds that you own. To get things started you will first need to invest in the parent breeds. When you are setting up your farm or your breeding centre, one of the most important responsibilities that you have is sourcing of healthy parent breeds. We can never stress enough the importance of the initial set of birds that you source for your bird breeding centre in India or your bird breeding farm in India. Here are your ten commandments for buying birds for breeding, these factors are applicable regardless of whether you are purchasing conures, grey parrots, African love birds, ordinary budgies, show budgies, cockatiels or macaws.

1. Never rush to buy your birds. Take your time. If you rush, you are likely to make rash decisions and end up with something that you don’t like for example birds that do not enjoy good health or birds that are not of breeding age.
2. Do your research; learn about the birds that you would like to buy. Find out information like their total life span, breeding age, how to distinguish between male and female birds if they are dimorphic, how to approximate the age of the birds based on the plumage, eye rings and so on. You can find whole lot of information online, if required invest in good books that will help you see things in better light.
3. Enquire around for the market price. The cost of the birds varies depending on from where you are purchasing your birds. Number of factors come into play here such as the city that you are in, the city or the area from where you are purchasing your birds, whether you are purchasing from a pet shop, from a trader or from a breeder. You will understand how things work here when you gain experience in buying and probably selling your birds. The cost of the birds also vary depending on their age, nature of the rings, health condition, etc. You should learn to compare an apple with an apple when you are comparing your prices. As a breeder, I would not mind spending little extra if I can establish that the birds are in prime health condition rather than trying to save a little on birds whose quality that I have reservations about. So play your cards carefully here when you are comparing and shopping around for your prices.
4. Never blame the seller! The seller could be a trader, breeder, pet shop or anyone from where you are purchasing your birds. Take complete responsibility for your decision. It is your responsibility to examine and establish the quality of the birds that you are planning to purchase. You cannot skip this step and throw childish tantrums later. You might say that you don’t have experience in selecting birds, this is where all the above commandments make sense. Do not rush to order your birds, do your research, read around different online forum, learn, gather as much information as possible so that you become a well-informed buyer that no one can con you. By saying this I do not mean to say that the seller has the right to cheat their customers but the problem is that in every niche industry there are both good and bad individuals. So you need to be on your guards and tread cautiously. No one is putting you under the gunpoint to buy from a particular seller. You have all the freedom to select your sources. I have been lucky to come across some of the best sellers, genuine, friendly and very helpful providing support. I have purchased from breeders as well as from traders. My personal experience with them has been very good so far. So do take time to identify your sources. After all some of the birds cost us thousands and I will certainly not prefer to throw away my hard-earned money due to my careless approach while selecting my birds.
5. Purchase from a local source or from place to which you can personally make a visit to pick up your birds. Examine the birds personally before purchasing, it is your responsibility to ensure the quality of the product that you are purchasing no matter what the sales person tells you. It is much easier and convenient to have the birds transported to you but it is worth it to put yourself through little inconvenience here so that you do not regret later. No seller will object you doing this, they will rather be happy to receive you because they will not have to go through the hassles of transporting the birds to you. You could be pointing to practical difficulties, expenses involved, time taken, etc., in having to visit places just to pick your birds. It is up to you to decide, you could come up with a long list of reasons or more so excuses… but don’t lament later. 
6. Regardless of what the seller says, you should be the one that makes the final decision. Do not allow yourself to be swayed by the seller’s words regardless of whether the seller is telling the truth or otherwise. If you have done your homework, you will be in a better position to make your choices and decisions. Pick up your birds only when you are 100% sure and confident. If not, you can always find a different seller. Do not worry about factors such as missing the deal if you are not comfortable with something.
7. Always buy from reputed sellers that are concerned about their reputation. I know sellers that are so concerned about their reputation that are prepared to take up loss rather than sell a problematic bird to you. You need to deal only with such people because they know that it is not just a one-day show, if they want to be successful in the industry in which there is so much of competition, good reputation in their forte. Don’t think there aren’t any such sellers in the field, I have come across them and you too will, if you look in the right places.
8. Never purchase birds without DNA if the birds are not dimorphic unless you are ready to pair them later. Even with dimorphic birds, purchase only when you can visually confirm the differences personally no matter what the seller says to convince you on the sex of the birds.
9. Never pay more for birds just because it is a confirmed pair, a bird that has been breeding successfully need not necessarily breed in a new location. Birds are sensitive! They take time to settle in a new place before they could breed. I personally feel that it is not worth it to bet heavy on confirmed pairs given all else being equal.
10. Do not buy birds for breeding if you are not ready to wait. They are not machines that you can switch on to produce young ones as soon as you install them! If you are 100% commercially and with no personal love for birds or interest in them breeding may not be right for you. You could find your money elsewhere and probably, you will be more successful there.