How To Buy Breeding Stock
© Howard Voren. Click here to use this content.
Starting Out: Entering the Great Unknown
For the beginner, trying to make the right decisions concerning the purchase of breeding stock is like jumping into the great unknown.
Do I buy local or out of state? Do I buy young, older, or proven pairs? Do I buy from breeders, jobbers, or at bird swaps? Do I demand health certificates—or take the seller’s word that the birds are healthy?
These are difficult questions with no simple answers. Each decision must be made based on your particular circumstances. Any of the above scenarios can be acceptable under the right conditions; every situation should be judged on its own merit.
Practical Advice vs. Real-World Reality
Well-intentioned advice can sometimes leave you with nothing to buy! Conventional wisdom says you should:
- Buy birds locally to avoid shipping stress and allow inspection before purchase.
- Buy from reputable aviculturists with clean, well-maintained aviaries.
- Buy from “closed facilities” that have not introduced outside birds for years.
- Require health certificates.
- Withhold payment until your avian veterinarian certifies the birds are healthy.
- Request references from previous buyers of proven pairs.
- Purchase only the birds needed to enhance your current collection.
While these are all sound suggestions, the reality is that it’s often impossible to follow all—or even most—of them. Some conflict with others, and your choices are often limited by availability.
Local vs. Out-of-State Purchases
The decision to buy locally or from out of state is not always yours to make. Even if you have a choice, buying from a well-known out-of-state breeder with a national reputation is often safer than purchasing from an unknown local dealer.
Your ultimate goal should be to acquire the best possible pair of birds. Only when all other factors are equal should shipping become a deciding issue.
Healthy, well-conditioned birds handle shipping stress just fine. In fact, modern freight services like Delta Dash or USAir’s PDQ are often less stressful for birds than passenger travel.
Debunking the Shipping Myth
The misconception that shipping alone harms birds stems from the days of mass importation, when dishonest dealers blamed airlines for sick birds. They’d claim the “stress of shipping” caused illness to avoid responsibility.
Healthy birds shipped with adequate food and moisture (seed and fruits like apples, oranges, or grapes) can safely spend up to two days in a crate without issue—provided they were in top condition when shipped.
The Health Check
Being able to inspect birds before buying is ideal but not always possible. When you do, check:
- The chest — full and rounded, not V-shaped
- The alertness — birds should be active and responsive
- The droppings — white urates should be pure white, feces firm and well-shaped
If birds are shipped, wait 24 hours before judging droppings—stress and diet changes can cause temporary abnormalities.
Reputation Matters
Buy from sellers who advertise nationally and have reputations to protect. Reliable breeders don’t stay in business by shipping sick birds.
Health Certificates: Help or Hindrance?
Requiring a health certificate can backfire. Such exams only confirm that a bird shows no obvious disease symptoms at the time of inspection.
If a bird later becomes ill due to stress-related immune suppression, the seller can claim protection under the certificate—you’ve paid for documentation that protects the seller, not you.
Instead, arrange for your own veterinarian to examine the birds within 72 hours of arrival. Agree in writing that the seller will refund the purchase price if a major health issue is discovered.
If the issue is minor (such as a treatable bacterial infection), it may be wiser to keep and treat the birds rather than return them.
Special Case: Papilloma
When buying Greenwinged or Redbellied Macaws, insist on a papilloma test performed by the seller’s vet before shipment. Offer to pay for the test directly, request the band numbers be recorded, and contact the vet yourself.
If the seller refuses, find another source.
Closed Facilities & Disease Risks
Before importation stopped, closed facilities helped prevent the introduction of foreign diseases such as:
- Papilloma
- Polyomavirus
- Pacheco’s Disease
- Proventricular Dilatation Disease (PDD)
- Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PBFD)
Today, with imports long halted, most imported birds that carried such diseases have already shown symptoms or passed on. Still, new birds should always be quarantined before joining your aviary.
Genetic Diversity
Responsible aviculturists recognize the need to expand gene pools and reduce inbreeding. Even large institutions periodically exchange bloodlines with other breeders to secure the future of captive aviculture.
Payment Etiquette
Newcomers are often surprised that breeders require payment in full before shipping. This rule evolved from years of bad experiences—buyers accepting C.O.D. terms, then refusing to pay at pickup.
If you don’t trust the seller with your money, you shouldn’t trust them with your birds.
Judging Aviary Cleanliness
Determining how clean a seller’s facility truly is can be tricky. Most professional aviculturists won’t allow public access to their breeding areas, as it disturbs the birds and risks disease introduction.
A clean aviary is not always a sign of good birds, nor is a dirty one necessarily a red flag. Some of the author’s best breeders came from neglected facilities where owners had lost interest, while some “spotless” aviaries produced poor results.
Regardless of appearance, have your vet run bacterial cultures and, if necessary, viral tests. If purchasing from a facility that’s selling out, ask for a letter from their avian veterinarian confirming no recent viral outbreaks.
Purchasing Pairs: Proven vs. Young Birds
Novices often make the mistake of calling around looking for “proven pairs.” This can be risky—true proven pairs are rare and valuable, and dishonest sellers know buyers are eager.
Legitimate breeders usually advertise pairs for sale directly or through reputable brokers. If you come across such an opportunity, act quickly—but wisely.
Price and Proof
Real proven pairs are rarely cheap. Unless the seller is selling out completely and has only one pair of the species, it’s difficult to verify breeding history.
Requesting contact with past buyers is reasonable only in full liquidation cases.
Buying Young, Sexed Pairs
Purchasing young, sexed but untried pairs guarantees a waiting period—but also ensures you aren’t buying someone else’s “problem birds.”
Young birds raised in your aviary adapt better and mature with your setup as their reference environment.
Parent-raised birds usually breed earlier, but are rarely available. Hand-raised birds socialized with others of the same species are the next best option.
Tame, imprinted birds take longer to breed, but they can later be resold as pets—making them a good long-term investment. Non-tame pairs have little resale value and often end up being passed from aviary to aviary.
Augmenting Your Collection
Limiting yourself to only what you “need” can be short-sighted. You may later wish to:
- Strengthen your gene pool
- Diversify your species list
- Take advantage of rare opportunities to purchase exceptional pairs
A well-bred, domestically raised pair with verifiable band numbers is always a sound investment. Such birds hold value and can be resold if necessary.
Final Thoughts
Buying breeding stock successfully requires patience, knowledge, and discernment.
Follow principles—not rigid rules:
- Prioritize quality and reputation over convenience.
- Use your own vet for health verification.
- Expect to invest time before seeing results.
- View every purchase as a step toward sustainable aviculture.
Healthy, well-selected breeding stock forms the foundation for success—not just for your aviary, but for the future of responsible bird breeding in America.
© Howard Voren. Click here to use this content.
