If you enjoy the relationship that you have with your bird the concept of whether to breed it might one day be a consideration. Macaws are such socially interactive birds that many people delight in having more than one as a pet. Breeding often becomes a natural evolution in that relationship. Before you decide to breed your pet bird, talk it over with other people that have done the same so that you understand what breeding really means.Unlike breeding mammals, for instance a dog or a cat, the breeding of parrots takes on a more substantial commitment. Unlike breeding dogs, macaws form long term commitments to their mates. So once a good pair bond is formed, it is generally not desirable to break up the birds. In addition, male birds cannot be used for stud services, fertilizing the eggs and then being removed back to his role as a pet. Nor in turn can the female be used for hatching out a clutch, then returned to her former pet status. So once the commitment is made to use your pet bird as a breeder and find it a mate, you have made a commitment to bred that bird, normally for the rest of its life.Besides committing the bird to breeding, you are also committing yourself to that experience as well. Breeding birds is not for everyone. Macaw nestlings are what ornithologists term "altricial", that is , unlike a chicken which is born with plenty of down and able to eat on it's own, macaws are virtually helpless when first hatch and require vast amounts of care from their parents or surrogate humans.Species TypeIf you already have a particular species of macaw, in all likelihood that is what you will want to start breeding. After all, you already went through the decision process at an earlier date, and obviously enjoyed your choice otherwise you would probably not want to breed. Which ever species you choose, choose one that really excites you and that you would want to own even if you were never successful breeding.Here are a few of the more commonly bred species.Blue and Gold MacawsCaptive bred birds have proven to be relatively easy to breed and are a good way to start. Their beautiful coloring and their easy going nature has given them a well deserved reputation as a good pet. They are perhaps the most commonly bred macaw in the United States. We have bred these as early as two and a half years old.Scarlet MacawsThe vivid red, yellow and blue coloration never ceases to grab attention. These birds are also easy for beginner breeders and once they start breeding are fairly reliable. Two handfed birds that I raised had fertile eggs and subsequent nestlings at two and a half years old. Once they begin courtship and breeding they can become quite aggressive towards humans as well as their own mate. This is normal and usually passes once breeding season is over. There are three different types OF Scarlet Macaws; a scarlet red with a wide band of yellow on the wing that typically comes from Central America, a second, deeper red coloration which has a narrow yellow band tipped in green on the wing, and a third large variety that has a yellow wing band tipped in royal blue with royal blue flight feathers replacing the more common navy blue.Military MacawsThese primarily green macaws continue to grow in popularity and with good reason. They are extremely amicable and enjoy interacting with human. They are not as large as the Blue and Gold, Scarlet or Green-winged and many people prefer a slightly smaller bird such as this. Fewer Military's are being bred compared to the Blue and Gold and Scarlet creating a demand for babies. There are at least two varieties of Military Macaws. The more commonly seen in the United States has the overall green coloration and a narrow brown bib on the throat patch. And a second, very rare Military Macaw from Bolivia that has a brown bib that extends down onto the chest area. Few of this last type are bred in the United States.Green-winged MacawsThese birds are also primarily red, but a deeper more crimson red with a green band on the wing. These have grown enormously in popularity in the last few years for two reasons. First, they are being bred more consistently then in the past. Second, they have been found to be extremely intelligent birds to interact with. There are two varieties of Green-winged Macaws. The first is larger than a Scarlet or a Blue and Gold in the 1200-1400 gram range in weight. The second is a huge, Hyacinth sized bird that routinely gets to be in the 1400 to 1600 gram range when mature. This latter group have large bodies and heads equal to a Hyacinth Macaw in size. Despite their size, they are gentle giants.Basic Breeding RequirementsBreeding StockIt is imperative that the would be breeder find the best possible birds for his breeding facility. The selections does not include the unsuccessful discards of other breeding facilities salvaged, poor quality birds or drastically reduced birds (which usually means problems). What it does mean is finding the best quality, healthy birds of the species you are interested in breeding.Searching for these birds will take some time and diligent effort as all birds are not created equal. If at all possible, go and see the birds you are interested in buying. Especially if the person selling them is someone unfamiliar to you. Unfortunately this is not always possible. If you are unable to go to the birds, ask for references and contact those people to determine if these are the type of people that might be good to do business with.Common TerminologyDon't be in a rush. More mistakes are made by people that are anxious that they found the male or female they have been looking for. This is especially true with the "proven pair" syndrome. For newcomers that might not be familiar with all the terms here are some you might encounter. "Proven Pair" means that the pair of birds produced eggs or young at sometime in their life. "Producing pair" implies that the birds have recently produced either eggs or young. "Bonded pair" just means that the birds appear to be compatible with each other (this does not assure that they will necessarily breed or are of the opposite sex). Proven or producing pairs normally cost far more than two separate birds of the opposite sex as it is assumed that these birds will breed faster than, lets say, a bonded pair.Choosing a SellerAsk questions of the seller to determine as much information as to what housing conditions the birds are in, the environment (indoors or outdoors), their diet, and overall feather and health condition. If the seller seems uncomfortable answering your questions before the sale, it is unlikely that they will get any better after you have the bird. For some experienced buyers this might not be so important, however, newcomers might need more information or at least be guided to where they can find answers to their questions. We have answered so many questions from our own clients and others over the years that five years ago I put together "The Macaw Care Guide" for our clients which answers the more common questions. Most owners will write out the diet fed to the bird if asked along with some helpful hints.Determining Health StatusWhether you are interested in just a pet bird or a breeder, it is advisable to request some type of health check prior to your receiving the bird. We recommend a complete physical, blood work, cultures from the throat and vent and a chlamydia screen done by an avian veterinarian. In addition, you might wish some of the new viral screens to be done on your bird for PBFD and Papovavirus. This will add a couple of weeks on to your receiving the bird, but might be a worthwhile investment. Each breeder or seller has their own policies regarding how they sell their birds. Some automatically include health testing in the price of the bird. For the buyer this has a great advantage in that an initial screening was done. Should you wish to still have a follow up exam by your own veterinarian when the bird arrives, then the bird has two chances to discover any potential problems.Not all bird owners are willing to have the bird veterinarian checked for you. In those cases it might be advisable for you to have some type of contract that allows you a specified amount of time for your own avian veterinarian to examine the new bird, with the stipulation that the bird can be returned if the bird has an incurable problem or a major anatomical defect. An example would be if you had purchased a bird for breeding only to discover it had a viral disease, was the wrong sex or perhaps was ancient and likely unbreedable. The time frame for return should be short to protect both the buyer and the seller, commonly 48-72 hours is suitable to most people.QuarantineIt is always wise to separate you new bird from any other birds you might have for a period of thirty to forty five days. You should discuss this with your veterinarian prior to getting your bird. Make sure a special area has been set aside for your new bird. Switching homes is stressful for even the most hardy, even tempered of birds. Careful attention should be paid to them during this quarantine period to insure that they are eating and adjusting to their new environment. It is helpful to know if there were any special food that the bird enjoyed at its old home and provide them for them now. Stress from the move might bring latent diseases that might not have shown themselves before. Despite your being anxious to introduce the new bird to a new mate, fight the urge to break this quarantine period.HousingDue to their large size and powerful mandibles, macaws require special housing. The larger the structure the better. For breeding purposes we house each pair of our macaws in an outdoor aviary eight foot wide by twelve foot long by eight feet high. This allows them room to fly and play. A shelter area four foot wide by eight foot high by four foot deep provides shelter from the heat or cold. The nest box and their feed bowls are inside this shelter. Larger flights of twenty or more feet have been used successfully by some breeders. Larger housing also minimizes their interest in destroying their aviary. Small cages where they are bored can lead to their destroying the wire and their possible escape. The concept that if too much space is provided the birds will not breed is false. More room encourages a healthy, well exercised pair and long term breeding success.In a home situation, macaws are best housed in the largest space available. Their powerful mandible can eventually break all but the most sturdy cage welds. Specially designed cages should ideally be large enough for them to open their wings and have ample room for their tail or head without hitting any cage surface. Their feeding and water trays need to be quite large in order to accommodate their large mandible and head. Bowls that are eight to ten inches in diameter are ideal as the birds can see the variety of food available and access it easily. Because of their immense size, proper housing is sometimes difficult to find.In addition to commercially available housing, some owners have built beautiful environments for their macaws. They may incorporate enclosing a porch, building a backyard aviary or remodeling a room in their home to properly house the bird. Some have even incorporated waterfalls, rope swings, and wooden jungle gyms as play items. This type of environment is not only more stimulating and healthy for the bird, but more enjoyable for their owners. Watching them swinging from a cotton rope, bathing in a small pool under a waterfall, or climbing all over a wooden structure is much more enjoyable then seeing them in a small cage.DietThroughout the birds growing process and prior to breeding the bird should have a well balanced diet. An ideal diet would include, seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables and possibly some form of pellet diet as a supplement. They must be on a good diet long before you see the first egg to insure optimal fertility. Extra calcium is often needed in the hen's diet and a good natural source for calcium is almonds. Nuts are readily eaten by macaws.BreedingThe decision to breed any animal should be made with great care. Breeding requires a great deal of commitment, time and expense. Blue and Golds, Scarlets, Militarys and Greenwings would likely produce young faster and more reliably than Buffon's or Hyacinth Macaws. I would suggest that a beginner start with some of the easier species first to determine whether this is really what they want to do. Many macaws are produced that are not good breeding potential. You want to find healthy, full sized birds that have been raised by long time breeders that will stand behind their birds.Our most consistent breeding success from macaws has come from captive bred stock. Some of these birds we raise ourselves and some were raise by other aviculturists. When we were initially putting together our breeding stock in the mid 1970's there was only wild caught stock available. Thankfully, by the early eighties, some breeding success had been achieved in the United States and we were able to acquire some captive bred stock. Many of the older wild caught pairs took far longer (as much as four years longer) to breed as did the captive bred birds. The captive bred birds were also much calmer and more adaptable to new situations. In the long run it may be better for aviculturists to acquire young captive bred macaws and wait the three to four years necessary for them to breed. The initial cost is less and the long term breeding may be more advantageous.ConclusionBuyers should look for captive bred closed banded birds as these will undoubtedly be the cornerstone for future and long term captive breeding programs. As previously mentioned, these captive bred birds are the best way to acquire pet or breeding stock. Potential buyers should be warned that low prices are rarely a bargain and high prices do not necessarily insure a healthy bird. Ask for references and contact them. Require a successful health check as part of the purchase of the bird. If at all possible, see the bird before you purchase it. And lastly, buy from people that you can trust. If they are unwilling to help you before you get the bird, it is unlikely that they will help you after you have it. It is a big investment, take your time in finding the right bird.
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