Your new feathered friend is an investment. You will likely enjoy the bird that you purchase from us for a decade or more. In order for us to produce that fine specimen you are looking at, it wasn’t easy. We purchased the parents and fed them 3 times a day, misted them with water once a day, wiped the cage bars and cleaned their cage each day for 12 months before introducing a nest box. Once the birds start to nest, they may not get it right the first time. Or the third. There is frustration, loss, and even when it goes well, feeding that baby for you requires a lot of sacrifice so we can stay close to home so we can feed every 2-4 hours.

We disease test all our new birds for Polyoma, and PBFD (which requires 2 tests, 4-6 weeks apart). We also rotate and add tests for Psitticosis, and Pacheco’s on top of very long quarantine times. This is something few aviaries do, and adds to the cost of our birds.

We also feed very high end, boutique feeds (some available here) which make for an extremely healthy and robust bird, but again…. adds to our cost.

Finding quality, unrelated breeding stock that is show quality is extremely difficult and costly as they are all airline flown in. The basis of any good breeding program comes from those parent birds. We purchased the original birds from reputable breeders as very young birds, and allowed them to grow up before making a determination if they were good enough for the program. Sadly, approximately 40% of those birds were not. It was a long and often frustrating process but left us with the best specimens to use for breeding.

We keep a small number of pairs so that we can keep an extremely high level of personalized care for them. We only allow the hens to go to nest a maximum of twice a year to prevent egg binding, as well as loss of condition due to calcium depletion and the physical rigors of raising young. We want them to love to raise their babies, and only ask them to do so at their direction.

Our Lineolated parakeet babies are hand fed which can start at 6-8 times per day, tapering to 5 feedings over the course of a month. For the first 2 weeks of hand feeding, I set an alarm clock and wake up twice during the night to feed them, sleeping on the couch so I don’t wake my husband. This keeps our family from traveling during these times of the year, and if I leave the house for more than a couple of hours, I bring the babies with me to feed on the road! The purchase of baby formula and disposable syringes used at each feeding sure add up.

Your baby is not just fed and put back in the brooder. We socialize and play with the young so that they will make those next 10-15 years you spend together a wonderful relationship. That takes work, it is a labor of love.

So, yes…. you may find one out there for less. It likely was produced “puppy mill” style in large aviaries with nest boxes hung to encourage as much breeding as possible. Or by a “backyard breeder” that doesn’t leg band or record keep, and may put together mutations that are harmful for the health and longevity of the bird. These types of breeders rarely breed with purpose, to increase the vitality and beauty of the species. The birds are netted from colonies at fledging and sold to pet stores or to local buyers at a price that undercuts a breeder like us and attracts sales that way. They may be sold as “hand fed” but generally gavage fed (or not at all) and quickly filled with food and put back. We don’t want anyone to have a negative experience and put the time in so that you don’t.

We produce a high end bird for a person or family that appreciates the difference between our birds and one where the breeder didn’t put the time in. We strive for each generation of bird to be higher quality, healthier and more beautiful than the last. We feel a responsibility to produce birds that are of a standard that should be placed with other breeders as well.

Remember, you usually get what you pay for in life….. a few extra dollars here may mean the difference in health and temperament for your new family member. That translates into joy of ownership. We want to make this decision to add a bird to your family a pleasant one.