How to find a breeder?

[sflint23]

I’ve heard everyone talking about the importance of finding a good breeder; one who breeds for the love of lovebirds rather than profit, but how do you find such a breeder who hand-feeds and socializes tame baby birds?

I heard that a good breeder really shouldn’t breed their birds more than 3 or 4 times a year, and probably shouldn’t use the gavage method of hand feeding. However, I live in the East Bay Area of Northern California and am having trouble finding anyone who breeds peachfaced or dutch blue lovebirds or even a local lovebird society, period.

Any ideas on how one finds a good breeder?

[Angelwing]

I think breeding a pair twice per year is more than enough.

But as for finding good breeders, I'd suggest looking into your local avian club. No doubt you'll find decent breeders through it. You can also check around at petstore bulletins for breeders, then do some research from there.

[Mummieeva]

this site has bird shows http://www.parrotexpo.com there might be one in your area soon. You can find breeders there and lots of other things. I also did many google searches and jsut typed in diffrent combinations of words. I cleaned my favorites out or I would of had a list. You can call them and ask to visit. Most breeders will let you visit(they will not allow you to see breders though it can disturb the poor dears). Just remember not to vist more then one in a day.The reasons being you could carry things from one breeder to next. just better to do that to be safe incase.Also petfinder.com can give you some places that do rescues. My lovie Baggy is a rescue and a few here have rescued birds.




Steph

[Janie]

Also, buy a copy of BirdTalk Magazine. In the back of the magazine you'll find a list of breeders by state as well as calendar events (bird fairs, etc.). I subscribe to it and love it. Lots of great stories and I just picked up a copy, a once a year publication from them, that list avian vets in ever state.

[sflint23]

Are Bird Fairs and Expo's a good place to buy a bird or jut to get in touch with a breeder? I ask, because I see 3 are coming to my local area.

[Rubygem]

I personally love bird fairs, but you have to remember that you get what you pay for, and most bird fairs will have less expensive birds, because they have a lot of different breeders all in one area...and it works with supply and demand. Most breeders will not bring their rare mutations or their better birds to the fairs, as they will not get half of what the birds are worth, and they don't want to expose their birds to some of the things they can be expose too from a fair.

Like Linda, when I take my birds to the fair, when they come home they go straight into quarantine, so I don’t bring anything home to my flock. When you buy at a fair you also take the chance of not being able to find the breeder if your bird dies because it wasn’t weaned when it should have been, or it was already sick, and the seller didn’t disclose this information. There is a lot of pro’s and con’s to bird fairs. I prefer to go to the fairs as a customer rather than a breeder – and I like making new friends, and meeting other breeders, but I prefer to do my buying away from the fairs, after I get to know the breeders better. Unfortunately we have as many bad breeders as we have good ones – like with anything else. Some people are only in it to make money (which I haven’t figured out how anyone makes money breeding birds..LOL).

My suggestion would be go to the fairs talk, and look, pick up business cards. You can learn a lot at a fair about many different types of birds…and there are some wonderful people that set up at fairs…but look and listen to the people buying…because many people go back over and over once they start going, and they will be happy to tell you who they bought from, and who the “good” breeders are and who the “bad” breeders are.

Rubygem

[LauraO]

Where exactly are you located. Maybe someone on the board who breeds or knows of someone can help you out.

[sflint23]

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, the East Bay in Oakland to be specific which is why I’m so surprised that I can’t find a peep about lovebird breeders. There are two fairs that are coming, the San Jose Bird Mart on the 18th and the California Bird Mart on October 16th. Not sure I’ll be able to make the San Jose fair it’s on a bad day a little far to drive.

[Janie]

I agree with Rubygem.....you can meet just as many bad breeders at a bird fair as good ones. It helps to talk to the breeder and ask lots of questions. I think a "good" breeder will also ask questions back to you. Ruby IS the breeder I met at a bird fair! :D Her birds were beautiful but more importantly, she had complete information on them, i.e., hatch date, how long they'd been weaned, etc. She asked me if I had any other birds and what type relationship I was hoping to have with any birds I added to my flock (I did already have an older lovie). She stressed the importance of an avian vet visit for the new birds AND also a quarantine to protect my existing bird. Any GOOD breeder will tell you to take your new bird for a vet check immediately after you purchase it. They'll also give you information on cage size, safe toys and diet. Her birds had not been DNA sexed at that point and I did want males so I asked her to DNA them at my expense and then if the two she had that day were not males, I'd wait for another clutch. That's what happened, one was a female and one a male so we kept in touch and a couple of months later she called to tell me she had two males for me, clutch brothers. :) If you can find a breeder that lives close enough to visit, that is also a plus. Ruby lives only 45 minutes from me so I got to meet several of her birds when I went to get my new boys. Even after my first meeting with her, at the show in April, my gut feeling was that she IS a good breeder. :) I'd been on this forum long enough to know that she understands breeding and cares deeply for her birds and would not let them go to a home where she didn't think they'd receive good care. The questions that she asked me, told me that.

I'd suggest that you do go to one of the fairs coming to your area. Walk around and be prepared to fall in love with every single lovie you see but also be prepared to get to know the breeder before you buy.

[Paulette]

Hey Sflint23.....I don't know if it's close to you or not, but Micaboo Cockatiel Shelter is in Pacifica, CA. Here's a link to it: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/CA181.html
they have tons of birds of all kinds.....more than any other shelter on the petfinder.com.

My husband and I visited your city in April 2001.....absolutely beautiful.....I'm a country girl myself and I can remember thinking how beautiful the city was, the architecture....outstanding.....Pier 39....(the sealions)...so much fun......the Trolley car ride was a hoot....the Birdlady at the Trolley car waiting area with Pigeons and Poop all over her telling the city history)....well just scary.....the sunset from inside the Nations Bank....was to die for....Alcatraz....erie. I took tons of photos and got some cool ones of the light house on the island.....actually some of the best pictures I ever took.

Oh yea, good luck finding a breeder.

[mjm8321]

If you don't mind a drive north, there are many breeders here in Oregon as well as in Washington. If I can help you find someone here, let me know.

[sflint23]

Thanks for the advice everyone, I think I will check out the bird show and see what happens for now.