# Questions for the professional breeders



## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

I am breeding my cockatiels as a hobby and always love to see the miracle of life. But I have been wondering whether should I purchase more stuff (breeding cages, bird stand, more handfeeding equipments, etc) to get into the breeding business.

1. So does anyone of you make a decent profit in breeding cockatiels as a small business? 
2. How long does it takes for you to start making a profit (after deducting all the stuff that you purchased)?
3. Since they are many babies, how did you manage to hand feed most of your babies? 
4. or you only hand feed half of your babies so that you have 50% of your stock are hand fed and 50% of your stock are raised by parents?
5. Any tips for beginners that are getting involve with breeding businesses?

Thank you for reading~~~

Hope that my thread also help others too,


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## kimmikefids (Aug 2, 2008)

i dont breed yet but i would say that as a general rule u dont make much profit from breeding birds at all...not tiels anyway....getting into the larger birds of course u do because they are being bought for hundreds or thousands of dollars...BUT they are alot harder to raise and sell.....when u think about all the costs involved with buying, feeding, treating,housing, vet bills, raising a clutch then selling them....it really doesnt get u far in front./....even ppl who have dozens to breed..u still ahve to feed them and house them, care for them etc..i would suggest never leaving babies solely parent or aviary raised because ppl dont want to buy a bird that will bite them and you are putting a bird generally in a world where they will repeatedly be re-homed or just wont have the loving relationship they deserve because they dont undertstand....it is possible for parents to feed them then for u to handle them several times a day or for an hour or so each day to get them used to humans and see that we arent something to be scared of but to be enjoyed....i dont think anyone on here hand feeds more than 1...as for handfeeding u just do one after the other until all are fed properly....u should never breed birds unless ur willing to hand feed and have the time to....if u can only fit the feedings into a short period u will find urself in a bad situation because lets face it animals especially tiels never run by our schedules....i personally believe u shouldnt decided to breed any animals to make money...it should purely by for the love of animals and raising them and finding them loving caring homes....just so u know im not having a go at you or anything lol.....just voicing my opinion on the subject.....the little bit of extra money u earn should be a bonus not the incentive...i guess im kinda pig-headed about that.....too many times u see animals used purely as breeding stock...even if they are being cared for and not neglected it still is not good.....ppl forget they need love just as much as a dog or cat...but again im not breeding yet and while i hope in a few years our house will constantly be filled with the sounds of happy baby birds......that really has to be the reason to do it otherwise u are in for lots of disappointments!


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

I agree what you have posted~~~

So I guess for people who wants to get into these kind of business should start slowly. For example, start with a pair of cockatiel, then increase the number of breed stock slowly. So that the breeder will know how many pair of cockatiels can he/she handle while still manage to give his/ her best care and love to them.

From my perspective, I often feel that I should let a pair of cockatiel to breed once in their life time (if they choose to). It is because every living organism on earth survives for one main reason. They want to have a second generation, and pass on their genes, even for micro-organisms; at least that I learned from my professors, LOL.

I think no matter how big the parrot/ cockatoo is, the owner should at least spend some time each day with their bird in an open area. So that the bird don't feel like they are trap in prison. 

Currently I have two pair of cockatiels. When they don't breed I often let to play all together. It is fun to see how they react to each other.


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## allen (Aug 25, 2007)

at the present i only breed tiels and no there is not much a profit but i don,t do it to make money some of them i come across people that i get this feeling to just give them the bird or just reduce the price if you are going to breed you need to read the sticky of
*How to be prepared for hand raising babies * it will give you an idea what you need 
i must warn you though the babies are very cute and effectionate to keep them tame you need to handle the babies 2-3 x a day for 5 minutes at a time but most of all before you do wash your hands before and after handling the chicks i also just started to use a hand sanitizer put out bye *zoomed* it is called wipe out 4 you will need nest box nesting material cuttle bone you also need to ask yourself will i be able to sell the chicks if not do i have a cage large enough for the chicks do i have the funds to keep all these birds also you will need 2-3 x more seed for the parents while they feed the chicks and you will need to increase the greens

you also need to be very carefull of some customers i have turned 4 down just because i did not have good vibes on the person some may think i am a bit wierd but i,m doing something like a bird test that the person needs to complete before they are even promised a bird i would say they have a test to do 

but for the beginners i have like a print out for them to read in this prinout i have the website for this forum i also ask what size cage they have i had 1 customer that thought a budgie cage was good enough when i showed them the size of cages i have they asked if i can go with them to pick out a cage i went with then i told them 1 out of these three would be good 
so they paid for it i went home they went home set it up expecting the bird right away i said it is going to be 1-3 weeks before i sell the bird to you they asked why i said no bird leaves here till it is fully weaned beacause a bird can die from being dehydrated


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

Hey Allen which part of Ontario are you living? Where do you usually sale your cockatiels?


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## allen (Aug 25, 2007)

sarnia ontario so far just locally and london


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

I've heard it said that if you do it right there's no profit in it! I Understand that very well. If you feed them a healthy well balanced diet. If you provide them with proper housing. All these things are expensive. If you only breed a pair 2 X a year. There IS no profit in it. If you love the birds and making a profit is not an issue. Then by all means. But if you just want to breed a couple of pairs to have the miracle in your house then I'd say don't jump in with both feet. It is advisable to breed in a separate cage.


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

Breeding is not a business it is a hobby, any one who says different is ripping people off 



> 1. So does anyone of you make a decent profit in breeding cockatiels as a small business?
> 
> *I've been breeding them for going on 2 years, in my area they're not really wanted unless they're White face , I had all my last year babies this year, actually i just got rid of the last one a couple weeks ago and she was 10 months old when I sold her..... I ended up cutting prices 4xs, Cut the price on one 5xs sold him to the childrens museum and Donated the other one*
> 
> ...


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## babybreau (May 19, 2008)

There are lots of birds out there that already need homes - why breed? And specifically breeding for business is never recommended.


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## Cheryl (Dec 27, 2008)

1. So does anyone of you make a decent profit in breeding cockatiels as a small business?
*No. You will not make a profit. You will be lucky if the baby birds even come close to pay off the new cages, large increase of food, vet care, cuttle bones, an increase in toys (since more birds=faster you go through toys), next boxes, formula..etc. *
2. How long does it takes for you to start making a profit (after deducting all the stuff that you purchased)?
*As long as it takes for **** to freeze over. *
3. Since they are many babies, how did you manage to hand feed most of your babies?
*You either, A) Don't have a job. B) Have someone else do it along with you. C) Let the parents rear the chicks themselves.*
4. or you only hand feed half of your babies so that you have 50% of your stock are hand fed and 50% of your stock are raised by parents?
*If you handle the babies daily and do not stop, hand feeding won't make THAT much of a difference.*
5. Any tips for beginners that are getting involve with breeding businesses?
*Expect a loss of time and money. Don't be surprised if they empty your pockets rather then fill it. Expect losses and the emotional distress of losses. Expect to not find homes for all the babies and be prepared for that! You should not be breeding if you alone cannot provide for the birds you bring into this world. Be prepared for medical emergencies (Vet care is EXPENSIVE.) Be prepared to no longer have a life outside of constant hand feeding. *


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## Cheryl (Dec 27, 2008)

Also to add on. Cockatiels live an average around 20 years. So as many birds as you have to "breed" and the offspring you produce from them KNOW you will be able to provide and care for *ALL *of them for that time. It is a very very big commitment.


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## huson (Feb 23, 2009)

Thnx for all the tips, I am suprised that someone mention that if the breeder handle the cockatiel babies daily it will be as tame as the hand fed babies.

Also, seems like everyone is very negative about this. This makes me why there is breeder out there breeding birds when they don't even make a profit?

Overall, it is always good to start slowly and increase the number of breed stock as the breeder have more time do due with all the hassle.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Some breeders do make a profit but sadly it is usually the ones who feed a substandard cheap feed House them in as small a cage as the can get away with so the have more room for breeding pairs and breed them more than 2 X a year. Some even breed non-stop...yea...they make a profit! 
Also it really isn't true that a hand tame bird is as affectionate as a hand fed bird. In my experience the younger you start hand feeding they tamer the bird. I usually pull my babies at 3 weeks as I have found older than that is almost too late. I have had cases where I had to pull babies sooner because the parents were inexperienced and those are my sweetest birds. They never revert back to even a semi-tame state. The idea behind hand feeding is to have the birds regard you as parents. They get their food and protection from you. Therefor they never view humans with suspicion. Only with acceptance.


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## Cheryl (Dec 27, 2008)

People breed because they love birds. It isn't negative.. people just need to get their facts straight. It is people who breed for money who are the naive ones that make it "negative". If you go in it for the joy of the animals, it is certainly well worth it.
Breeding animals isn't a "profitable business", it isn't even a business at all.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

Ditto Cheryl! Well said!


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## Cheryl (Dec 27, 2008)

sweetrsue said:


> Also it really isn't true that a hand tame bird is as affectionate as a hand fed bird.


I have "hand raised" birds that are more affectionate than some of my hand fed ones. It depends on the bird's personality for sure and also how often it was handled. Trust me, if you handled them you would swear they were hand fed from day one. I also discovered that even though the birds may seem extremely tame, but then_ stop handling_, the bird does become fearful. With constant and continuous handling you will most likely get a desirably tame bird. 
But even with hand fed birds that stop being handled for time even develop somewhat of a fear, although it doesn't develop as quickly.
Another thing that would probably help (I read that some people do this), is have the parents raise the chicks, but also hand feed them once a day for a bonding experience as well. I have never done that, but I feel like it may work.

Note this is only from my experience, and Sue has had more experience than me by far.. So I wouldn't 100% trust this.


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## sweetrsue (Jul 8, 2008)

If huson is heading down the road to breeding there may come a time when she has too many to handle them all every day. I have a 'tiels from several different backgrounds. Some were not hand fed and were handled. Some were hand fed but then not handled. One I got (******) was supposed to be weaned but wasn't really. Then there is the group I raised. Usually I pull them for feeding at 3 weeks. In my experience 4 weeks is almost too late. others I had to pull early because the parents were inexperienced. Tiny was fed from day 4 because of that. I go into the aviary every day and i take my time doing the feed and water. Without fail the ones who come to see me (jump onto my shoulders, my head and my arms) are the group I hand fed. ****** will allow me to give her scritches but would rather not be picked up. Tiny never wants to get off me! The 2 I got that were handled but not hand fed tolerate my presence but rarely want to hop on me.


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## atvchick95 (Sep 17, 2007)

with my hand fed ones they don't want to be touched pooh is just now allowed me to touch him and he'll be a year old next month 

I had a parent raised one who I talked to and had step up a couple times a day - sweetest bird , loved attention, loved being touched. 

so that's my experience

hand fed does not always mean your going to get a nice loving bird I can vouch for that with my love bird who I hand fed my self, and she's been pure evil for the last 6 1/2 months and the others who are not hand fed are the sweetest bunch of love birds 


But you don't make a profit when your spending the money made to buy more food, toys, cages, dishes, mineral/cuttle bones, Vet bills. Perches and everything else birds need. 

it's a hobby not a business 

Good , decent breeders (the ones who care for the birds and buy them everything under the moon that they need) Do it to better the species. not to make a quick buck


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## babybreau (May 19, 2008)

I think the best piece of advice is to start with 1 pair. Tiels can lay 1-6 eggs (sometimes more) and if all are fertile, you're looking at hand-rearing up to 6 babies at once. The last thing you need is about 4 breeding pairs and up to 24 babies all at once!!!

Also, when pulling them to hand feed, don't just feed them and put them back. Hold them, talk to them, spend time with them, play with them. The more you handle them the more likely you are to have great babies. This is what my friend does, she pulls them about day 10 and spends LOADS of time with them. She always has such sweet babies and has never ever had anyone return or re-home or complain about one of her babies. 

Also do your research on hand feeding tools, brands of hand feeding mixes, have the available cage space avail. Also, like other mentioned, be prepared to keep some of these long term if you are not able to sell them all.


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