So Where Should I Get My First Bird?

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So Where Should I Get My First Bird?; how to avoid BIRD MILL birds.
Topic Started: Nov 4 2009, 09:46 PM (1,011 Views)
BUUZBEE	Nov 4 2009, 09:46 PM Post #1
www.conurecrazy.com Posts: 5,464 Group: Full Members Member #7 Joined: October 19, 2006 How many Parrotlets do you have 2 What types Pacifics What colours Blues Other Birds ? 2 Conures, 15+ Budgies, bourks & turq's I live in Sunny So Cal My name is Anna	Most of us have heard the sad stories about puppy mills. Hundreds of miserable creatures huddled in crowded cages - their only purpose in life being to breed. However, most people have not been exposed to the avian equivalent, the bird mill. Bird mills are facilities which are used to mass produce parrots for the pet trade. Almost all pet stores, especially the larger chains, purchase their parrots from some form of bird mill (such as Kaytee Preferred Birds, which supplies PETsMART). Most bird mill breeding facilities resemble warehouses. Breeder birds, many of them former pets, are kept in small cages with nothing more than food, water, and a nestbox. They are never handled or given any mental stimulation. Confinement in such conditions leads to neurotic behavior in many breeder birds. Not all breeder birds are compatible with each other. If introductions are not carefully done with acute observation and possible intervention - and they rarely are in bird mills - one or both birds of a prospective breeding pair can be seriously injured or killed. If a pair does successfully breed and a female lays fertile eggs, they are removed from the nestbox and placed in an incubator. Chicks are not allowed any contact with their parents. Assembly line-type tubes are used to put food directly into the baby birds' crops. This tube feeding makes it very hard for a chick to be weaned later on because the chick associates eating with a tube instead of food. Some bird mills wean baby birds using a technique called deprivation, or forced, weaning. During deprevation weaning chicks are refused formula with the assumption that when they get hungry enough they'll eat solid food. Deprivation weaning can result in malnutrition, starvation, and permanent behavior problems. Most bird mills wean chicks to cheap seed-only diets in order to save money. This can cause serious health problems and often make it difficult for the birds to be converted to a more nutritious diet later on. The birds the mills are unable to wean are often turned over to inexperienced pet shop employees, who in turn sell the fragile creatures to uninformed buyers. These unfortunate birds usually starve to death or die at the hands of misdirected people attempting to handfeed them. (Click here for more information on the sale of unweaned birds.) Another practice in bird mills is the prophylactic use of antibiotics as a substitute for good sanitation. This can have terrible short term as well as long term effects on the birds: broad-spectrum antibiotics destroy the beneficial flora and fauna residing in birds, leaving them even more susceptible. Fragile organs can be damaged and some birds have built up resistances to certain types of antibiotics. The less obvious result of production breeding in bird mills is young parrots that have not been handled or socialized. These chicks often develop serious behavioral problems as they mature and make horrible pets. Across the country bird rescue groups are overflowing with abandoned birds - not doubt most the result of production breeding in bird mills. Posted Image Washington State bird mill www.theangryparrot.org What Can YOU do? Unfortunately, the Animal Welfare Act doesn't cover birds. So, unlike puppy mills, the USDA has no authority over bird mills. But there are still a few actions you can take against bird mills: Never buy a mass-marketed bird from a chain pet store! These companies will not stop mass-producing and selling birds until it is no longer profitable to do so. Encourage pet stores to provide the same adoption services for parrots that they do for dogs and cats instead of selling birds in their stores. *If you see a bird being neglected or abused, report it to your local humane organization or animal control agency; or contact the local law enforcement office or nearest humane agency. LINKS/SOURCES: The Sale Of Unweaned Birds - By Lexi Puhl A Bird Mill Exposed - Video shot inside of an actual bird mill. Scudder's Parrot Depot - Story on the largest bird mill in Washington state. Hundreds of Birds Found In Mans Van - News article on bird mill operator selling birds from his van. The Problem With Bird Mills - Know the Source of Your Bird to Avoid Life-Long Issues The Sale of Unweaned Baby Birds - Many breeders and stores sell unweaned baby parrots, claiming that finishing the hand-feeding and weaning process yourself will "guarantee a hand-tame bird" and "ensure bonding." While this sounds compelling, it is not true! The Poultrification Of Parrots - Has The Bird Biz Shot Itself In The Foot? Kaytee Preferred Birds and Petsmart - Partners in the Avi-industry—Is this plan for the birds? Production Breeding & Mass-Marketing of Parrots For The Pet Trade - Over the past decade, exotic "pets" like parrots have become the rage even though they are challenging to keep in captivity. Parrots and People... A Relationship Of Conflict - by Tami Myers and Mary Margison, The Beak Retreat Pet Store Abuse: Information provided & premission given to CC! by Lexi Pulh 11/4/09 please obtain permission before reposting! Thanks!



Gardengail	Nov 4 2009, 10:35 PM Post #2
Staff Member Posts: 13,954 Group: Staff Member #25 Joined: January 18, 2007 How many Parrotlets do you have 1 What types Pacific What colours Blue Other Birds ? Severe Macaw and 2 Timneth Greys I live in Upstate New York, USA My name is Gail	Thumbs up for posting this Buuz!!! Thanks!



Bonnie	Nov 4 2009, 11:37 PM Post #3
Administrator Posts: 14,725 Group: Full Members Member #73 Joined: March 10, 2007 How many Parrotlets do you have 0 Other Birds ? YNA GCC. Cockatiel I live in Pennsylvania My name is Bonnie	Thanks Anna this is what I have been trying to tell people for many many years that dogs are not the only milled animals. I am not sure about the animals (birds) that go to bird fairs in the UK but the ones that arrive at our bird fairs come from less than reputable breeders and even though many of these birds are luckily disease free many times they can wipe out a loving bird owners entire flock or should I say there beloved birds.



BUUZBEE	Nov 5 2009, 08:16 PM Post #4
www.conurecrazy.com Posts: 5,464 Group: Full Members Member #7 Joined: October 19, 2006 How many Parrotlets do you have 2 What types Pacifics What colours Blues Other Birds ? 2 Conures, 15+ Budgies, bourks & turq's I live in Sunny So Cal My name is Anna	its funny Bonnie... theres was a gal on one of the budgie forums, she breeds all kinds of birds, and sells them all at her local fairs. I asked her before to post some pics of her breeding setups, as i always like to see them... and ohhh, did she get pissy with me. ever since then, i've suspected she's not as reputable as she makes herself out to be. There were also a heated discussion about "bird breeders" being licensed & regulated. I said i have no problem with that... she didnt like it one bit, even more so if they had to come & inspect her facility... she claimed it was because of her fear of disease being spred... sure made me wonder LOL!



Gardengail	Nov 5 2009, 10:40 PM Post #5
Staff Member Posts: 13,954 Group: Staff Member #25 Joined: January 18, 2007 How many Parrotlets do you have 1 What types Pacific What colours Blue Other Birds ? Severe Macaw and 2 Timneth Greys I live in Upstate New York, USA My name is Gail	Ha...I know of a bird rescue that's like that. It used to be open to the public. Then there were some really, really bad reviews about it and how disgusting and dirty it was. All of a sudden it's by appointment only... :rolleyes: Need time to clean up? ugh...



Bonnie	Nov 5 2009, 11:50 PM Post #6
Administrator Posts: 14,725 Group: Full Members Member #73 Joined: March 10, 2007 How many Parrotlets do you have 0 Other Birds ? YNA GCC. Cockatiel I live in Pennsylvania My name is Bonnie	I'm not sure how they run the bird fairs in the Uk or what regulation if any they have. I do know during my time with working with bird rescue many many of the birds for sale at the bird fairs here were from bird farms just under different names at the sale. I think it was about !999 when there were a lot of birds that were sick and sold to many many people, most of them unsuspecting impulse buying people that lost so many of there other birds. They didn't keep them away from there already pet birds and it was tragic. People fail to realize once this happens you may not be able to keep ANY bird in your home for quite sometime because they will still get it even though the other birds are gone. Even though I got a new bird a few weeks ago he was kept two floors away from my other birds until his test results came back clearing him of illness. Sorry folks don't want to sound melodramatic but for goodness sakes think before you buy....................Is that one new baby worth wiping out your other babies.



theexbrit	Nov 6 2009, 05:28 PM Post #7
Co Admin Posts: 4,144 Group: Co Admin Member #74 Joined: March 20, 2007 How many Parrotlets do you have 3 What types Pacifics What colours Green, pied Other Birds ? 2 Conures - Crimson Bellied & Green Cheeked I live in So. California My name is Andy	Great idea to post this BUZZ! Thanks.



birdgirl089	Nov 6 2009, 09:50 PM Post #8
Senior Member Posts: 263 Group: Full Members Member #3,001 Joined: February 4, 2009 How many Parrotlets do you have 1 What types Pacific What colours Green Other Birds ? Kakariki I live in Canada My name is Traci	That is awful! I can't imagine what it's like for the poor birds to have to live through that. I guess I'm pretty lucky that with Mochi I was invited into the breeder's house and breeding area (inside the house) before I even knew if I wanted a parrotlet, everything was spic-and-span even the giant finch cages that houses up to 20 birds showed barely any bird waste. Thanks for the info buz!



Jan	Nov 9 2009, 09:45 AM Post #9
staff member Posts: 3,748 Group: Staff Member #1,157 Joined: November 18, 2007 How many Parrotlets do you have 3 What types Celestial What colours Blue & Green+Green Dominant Pied, Other Birds ? Zippi & Drummer Cockatiels I live in Wales uk My name is Jan	Ive not seen any of the breeders set up's in UK..( Only the ones photoed on the net) Be good to see some maybe.. Also I know nothing abour bird fairs..



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