Does My Bird Need to Breed?

Some believe their bird is unhappy and would be happier if it had a mate and were allowed to breed.  Some people get a mate for their bird and try this on their own, while others give/sell their parrots to breeders believing the bird will be happier if he had a mate and was allowed to breed.  We get many birds at the rescue as the result of these types of pairings.  I think it’s important to understand the dynamics of breeding and what happens when pet birds are placed in breeding programs.

Understanding the dynamics of bird breeding

Birds used in breeding programs are typically wild caught or parent raised.  They are  kept wild and do not make good pets.  They usually fear human contact or prefer little human contact and have all the natural instincts they would posess in the wild.

They are usually used in breeding as they have the natural instinct, drive and are  taught by the parents  the dynamics of breeding including how to nurture their young and how to look after each other during brooding.

Pet birds on the other hand are usually removed from their parents before their eyes are open and imprinted on human handlers.  They have not been taught how to raise young or how to feed their mate during breeding season and do not have the same natural drives and instincts. 

 This does not mean that some don’t get hormonal urges, but these are usually seasonal and typically milder in nature that their breeding cousins and can be controlled somewhat with a few behaviour modifications. 

What we have found is most pet birds, when placed into a breeding program are not very successful breeders.  They don’t understand the dynamics, have a higher rate of killing their mates or being killed or having their beaks ripped off  or other injuries(this is fairly common even with normal breeders but much higher in pet/breeding). 

Breeding is extremely stressful on even healthy birds but it is also the time when many birds shed dormant but deadly viruses which may have been remained dormant their entire lives.  There is a much higher rate of illnesses found in breeding aviaries compared to a pet home.  Much of this is brought on my the stress associated with breeding.

Pet birds usually don’t understand the physical aspects of breeding, courtship and typically don’t produce viable eggs .  They also have a much higher rate of killing their own babies as they don’t understand the parenting aspect as they were not taught if they are able to produce viable eggs.  They have been known to eat their young.

But, what typically does happen with birds in general is when they find a mate, they tend to mate for life and will protect the mate so they revert back to a more wild nature to an extent where they don’t want to be handled by people any longer, they only want their mate and will protect the mate by attacking anyone that they fear will harm their relationship.   Their homonal instincts are now much stronger.  The breeders encourage this by not handling them at all, not talking to them and no toys so they learn that the only thing left for them is to breed.  Breeders understand that in order to successfully breed, they need to regain most of their wild tendancies back.   They leave them strictly with a mate and breeding box for a number of years.  They typically end up plucking themselves bald and/or get plucked by their mate from all the stress.

The majority of breeders once they realize that this particular bird will not successfully breed, which usually occurs after several years of unsuccessful attempts to produce viable eggs,   usually try to sell them to someone again as a pet. Usually for a reduced price as they are now damaged goods and typically they sell them to someone without the knowledge or ability to care for it properly.  These people think they are getting a deal with the cheaper price.  Usually it is someone without the skills or this particular knowledge, so are setting them up for failure.  In some cases they go off to another unsuspecting breeder.   They no longer want the burden or expenses for housing, feeding and space so they can make room for other breeders.  

What is left of the bird?  He no longer wants human interaction as it once did  as it has now become fearful of humans and touch.  It is usually badly plucked with little hope of regaining its feathers due to all the stress of trying to breed and now gets hormonal with more frequency.  It is no longer a pet or breeder if he survived the ordeal at all.

These birds are now very messed up.  They are much harder to manage and typically end up in rescues.  If they are lucky they will get an experienced behaviourist that may be able to help them to adjust to life with humans again.  Otherwise they end up in a cage somewhere where they live a fearful life not wanting interaction, unloved and very stressed.

Presently we have 6 such birds at the rescue and we are finding our own frustration in trying to reintegrate them into a place that would be best suited to them.  We do work towards behaviour modifications to help them re-adjust back to life with people.  We just hope some peeople will read this and realize the long term results of wanting their parrot to breed.