Recommended Breeding & Chick Raising Books*

Parrot Breeder's Answer Book

This unusual book is a detailed guide for the parrot owner who wants to breed the birds but has no prior experience. The author, an experienced breeder, covers all of the basics in layman's terminology, and points out both the rewards and pitfalls connected with parrot breeding. Topics covered include who should (and who should not) breed parrots, obtaining breeding stock, providing housing and supplies for a parrot flock, maintaining flock health, avian reproduction, incubation, rearing chicks, working with an avian veterinarian, and selling chicks. The author concludes with a helpful list of information sources for parrot breeders. More than 60 full-color photos plus line art.

Ratings: 5 out of 5

The Complete Guide to Raising Pet Birds for Profit: The Greatest Backyard Business Ever

"The Complete Guide To Raising Pet Birds For Profit, The Greatest Backyard Business Ever" is written as a practical guide for the pet lover who wishes to make an income breeding, raising and selling small pet birds. Author James McDonald made his living for 25 years with exotic birds and animals before retiring in 2000 at the age of 50. He raised tens of thousands of birds himself and built a nationwide distributorship that supplied pet shops with parakeets, cockatiels, lovebirds, finches and other small pet birds. Through the years he has helped many people start their own successful backyard business breeding these small pet birds to help supply the pet industry with the millions that are sold annually. Now, for the first time ever he has put his proven methods of success in the form of a book. The book explains how to make an excellent income, either part-time or full-time breeding the most popular species of pet birds. Many breeders using these methods make from $500 to $2000 monthly on a part-time basis while full timers make much more. You will learn how you can live anywhere and ship your birds to the nationwide market. The book is actually 6 books in one. It completely covers both cage and colony breeding methods of parakeets, cockatiels, lovebirds and finches, as well as marketing and shipping. Additionally, three chapters completely cover how to become a wholesale distributor of pet birds, which can be a very lucrative business. Although the book was written with the pet lover in mind that wishes to make an income breeding birds, there is a tremendous amount of information in the book that the hobbyist will find useful as well. Many management tips and pointers can be used by the beginner as well as the experienced person to increase yearly production, thus increasing profits. As a well known animal lover, author James McDonald sold approximately one million exotic birds before his retirement and he reminds the readers of the moral obligations and responsibilities of animal ownership and encourages the reader to always accept those responsibilities by providing humane and adequate care for their birds at all times. The book is not written in some far out technical jargon or academic terminology, but in an easy to understand style with plain and simple, down to earth language by someone who has actually "been there and done that." It is a must have book if you enjoy breeding birds and would like to make a profit while doing something that you truly enjoy.

Ratings: 5 out of 5

A Brand-New Bird: How Two Amateur Scientists Created the First Genetically Engineered Animal

The brand-new bird is the red canary. It was the object of a quest that two Germans--Hans Duncker and Karl Reich --carried on in Bremen for many years, beginning in 1921. Duncker's idea was to pluck the genes from a red siskin (a relative of the canary) and insert them into the yellow canary. His method was cross-breeding. The effort fell short of the goal, producing canaries of a reddish coppery hue. But it led to success years later by others who recognized the subtle connection between genes and the environment, in this case a diet containing carotenoids. Birkhead, professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Sheffield in England, makes a grand story by weaving in lore about genetics, bird keeping and the people involved in the quest.

Ratings: 5 out of 5

Ecology and Evolution of Cooperative Breeding in Birds

Cooperative breeders are species in which more than two individuals participate in raising young at a single nest. Although relatively rare, this behavior entails dramatic forms of cooperation and competition, and provides important insights into many areas, including sexual selection, incest avoidance and other subjects. This book will be of interest to students and professionals interested in bird behavior and ecology.

How to Build Everything You Need For Your Birds

This is a construction manual intended for both budding novices and experienced bird breeders alike. Loaded with construction details, diagrams and pictures, material lists, insulating and finishing techniques and tips, environmental concerns, step by step instructions.

The designs require inexpensive, non-specialized, easy to obtain materials assembled in a straight-forward manner with the minimum tools, and give you strong, durable housing that you can be tailor-made for a specific breed of bird or modified as needed. Included also are construction plans for feeders, waterers, nesting humidifiers, hospital quarters, shipping and carrying cages, electrical wiring, plumbing and ventilation plans for the aviary, plus a host of construction tips.

Ratings: 4 out of 5

Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens: Care / Feeding / Facilities

Expert advice on selecting breeds, caring for chicks, producing eggs, raising broilers, feeding, troubleshooting, and much more.

Ratings: 5 out of 5

Barnyard in Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, and Cows

The perfect book for anyone who has ever dreamed of having that little place in the country, Barnyard in Your Backyard offers tried-and-true, expert advice on raising healthy, happy, productive farm animals: chickens, geese, ducks, rabbits, goats, sheep, and dairy cows. Each chapter focuses on a different animal, discussing the pros and cons of raising the animal, housing and land requirements, feeding guidelines, health concerns, and a schedule for routine care. Species that are easy to raise, hardy, and companionable are profiled. First-time farmers will discover simple, clear instructions for caring for animals throughout the year, as well as guidelines for processing barnyard products such as milk, wool, and eggs. Combining practical advice from real experts, easy-to-use checklists and charts, a seasonal care calendar, and detailed black-and-white illustrations, Barnyard in Your Backyard offers a comprehensive review of the ins and outs - the tribulations and triumphs - of living with and caring for a small barnyard.

Ratings: 4.5 out of 5

Success With Baby Chicks: A Complete Guide to Hatchery Selection, Mail-Order Chicks, Day-Old Chick Care, Brooding, Brooder Plans, Feeding, and Housing

APPPA Grit Magazine, Spring 2003 Anyone serious about raising chicks should add this book to their personal library, as an investment well worth it.

Ratings: 4.5 out of 5

How to Build Your Own Aviary, Cages, Nestboxes, Etc. and $ave a Bundle

A practical guide for both the hobbyist and commercial breeders who want to save startup cost by building their own aviary and equipment. A great deal of money can be saved by doing it yourself. For example, the parakeet breeding cage described later in this book that holds two breeding pairs of birds, complete with tray, cost $10.20 to build. Manufactured cages of similar size and quality run from $50 to $70 each, plus freight. It doesn't take a mathematician to figure out that you can build 5 to 7 cages for the same price that you would pay for a single store bought cage

Ratings: 5 out of 5

Graupapageien: Richtig halten, pflegen und verstehen

Einheimische Singvögel halten und züchten (Gebundene Ausgabe)

Einheimische Singvögel werden schon lange in Menschenobhut gehalten, weil ihr Gesang, ihr farbiges Gefieder und ihr Verhalten die Menschen fasziniert. Einheimische Vögel haben gegenüber Exoten den Vorteil, dass sie unserem Klima entstammen und in Volieren im Freien direkt am Haus gehalten werden können. Sie brüten ohne Probleme und ziehen ihre Jungen auf, so dass auch gezüchtete Tiere weitergegeben werden können und kein Vogel der Natur entnommen werden muss. Der Artenschutz verbietet dies ohnehin. Dieses Buch stellt sehr detailliert und praxisbezogen dar, wie einheimische Vögel untergebracht und gepflegt werden und portraitiert die Vogelarten, die sich besonders gut dazu eignen. Es bietet damit dem Anfänger Entscheidungshilfen und Einstieg in die Vogelhaltung und dem fortgeschrittenen Vogelhalter nützliche zusätzliche Informationen aus der eigenen langjährigen Erfahrung des Autors.

Vogelzucht im eigenen Garten: Haltung und Zucht von Weich- und Körnerfressern in der Voliere (Broschiert)

Hans Egidius ist Fachjournalist unter anderem zu den Themen Vögel, Jagd- und Wildtierkunde sowie Kleintierzucht. Er ist langjährig praktizierender Vogelkundler und ehrenamtlicher Landschaftswart im Landkreis Friesland.

Ziervogelscout Züchterversion, CD-ROM Effiziente Ziervogelverwaltung. Für Windows 98/Me/2000/XP oder Linux

Vogelzucht verwalten, inkl Bestand, Gelege, Zucht, Zuchtbuch, Preise, Kosten, Paarung, Abstammung…etc.

Strauße: Zucht - Haltung - Vermarktung (Taschenbuch)

Kaum ein Nutztier hat so viele Vorteile wie der Strauss. Mageres, schmackhaftes Fleisch, edles Leder und sogar verwertbare Federn sind die Produkte dieses genügsamen und anpassungsfähigen Tieres. Im Gegensatz zu den klassischen Straussenhaltungsländern ist in Mitteleuropa aber eine ganzjährige Weidehaltung mit geringer Zufütterung möglich, und das unter Bedingungen, die selbst anspruchsvolle Tierschützer befriedigen dürfte. Eine wirtschaftlich erfolgreiche und dennoch artgerechte Haltung erfordert aber ein solides Know-how, das dieses Buch vermitteln kann. Die beiden Autoren stehen für höchste Kompetenz in diesem jungen, dynamisch wachsenden Markt.

Japanische Mövchen: Herkunft, Zucht, Haltung (Taschenbuch)

Vor 120 Jahren wurden die ersten Japanischen Mövchen nach Deutschland importiert. Sie zählen mit den Zebrafinken zu den am häufigsten gehaltenen Prachtfinken. Diese seit Jahrhunderten domestizierte Zuchtform spielt in einer Vielzahl von Mutationen eine wichtige Rolle als repräsentativer Ausstellungsvogel. Auch in Holland und Frankreich ist die Mövchenzucht weit verbreitet. Den Liebhabern der Mövchen in Deutschland liegt nun erstmals ein ausführlicher Leitfaden vor, der genaue und umfassende Auskunft zu allen Fragen der Haltung und Zucht gibt, hier besonders zu den Merkmalen der Vererbung und den verschiedenen Kombinationsmöglichkeiten. Dazu werden die einzelnen Farbschläge, Zeichnungen und Haubenmuster sowie die Bewertungssysteme für Ausstellungsvögel beschrieben. 80 Farbfotos ergänzen den Text.

Prachtfinken Afrika (Gebundene Ausgabe)

Dieser Band ist Teil der bisher umfassendsten Monografie zur tropischen Singvogelfamilie der 136 Prachtfinkenarten. Die 70 in Afrika lebenden Arten werden mit allen ihren Unterarten vorgestellt: Verbreitung, Lebensraum und Lebensweise in der Natur sowie Verhalten, Pflege, Ernährung und Zucht in Menschenhand.