Aussies. i need your help.

Gemstone · Post by **Gemstone** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 2:16 am

hey guys.
as some of you know i am planning a move to aussie in the next 12-24 months.

i'm hoping to have a fir bit of finace behind me when i get there, and i would like to set up an aviary.

i'm not talking back yard like most people, i would like to make a living keeping, breeding and raising birds of all shapes and sizes.

now before you start jumping up and down screaming birdie mill, please understand that i am a bird lover and intend to do this properly.
at the moment i am thinking a small lifestyle block (no noise complaints)
with 50+ flights.

my main question is; is there enough of a bird market in aussie to support such a large operation?
i know it would be harder than here as cocky and galahs are only about $500-600 (over here $1000+)

my thoughts of the operation would be more toward a parrot rescue/sactuary. i think the enviroment would be best in QLD (centeral - southern)

thoughts please.

Post by **kyria** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:08 am

As far as I know most of the breeders (and this is just my experience) do it more as a hobby (a little extra income) kinda thing. They either have another job to compensate for wage or run a pet store with a bird section, or stock all kinds of related products, like cages, feed, toys, etc. Or they are retired older people making a little extra money to add to their pensions. I don't think there is alot to be made from a big setup.

Going into the larger fancy expensive birds requires alot of setup and alot of years to establish, licencing issues etc.

Just my two cents, but then I haven't really had alot of exposure as a breeder or to what is going on in other states, so look out for more comments to this thread.

Clare · Post by **Clare** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 5:26 am

I live in Central QLD and most breeders I have visited are retired or doing it as a hobby. There is a breeder here in CQ that breeds as a business in a place called Mount Morgan. At one time, and maybe even currently, it was the cheapest town to buy a house in Australia! 3 bedroom houses are on the market now for $110 000.

Here is their website http://www.karmicaviaries.com/
They are selling Macaws for $14 000!!!
http://www.karmicaviaries.com/salelist.htm

But I think they freight most of their sales.

Gemstone · Post by **Gemstone** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 6:00 am

thanks guys i had a feeling it wouldn't be sustainable.
perhaps i should just get a job at currumbin

julie · Post by **julie** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:04 am

The breeder I got my Alex from was telling me that most people were after older birds that are ready to breed straight away. It would take a few years to be able to have older birds and you would have to keep the offspring for a few years too.

Fah · Post by **Fah** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 4:20 am

I highly commend the idea. But here in Australia you have to be into some pretty high brow birds to be a business breeder... or own a bird store at the front and breeder out the back kinda setup.

The closest person I know to being self sufficient and making profit thats livable from breeds things like Amazons, various Macaws, and quite rare mutations of conures etc. They have some of the common money makers like normal conures, quakers but they are a very small part of his work now.

Were talking birds where you truely need to have that market already sorted out and buyers ready before you undertake such a high cost situation.

I wanted to breed for a living as well. Though if I do ever choose to do so.. it will be behind the Bird Shop I set up out the front heh.

swanwillow · Post by **swanwillow** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:50 am

Hi, I'm in a different part of the world, but.. I'd love to do the same thing your doing! In the US there ARE a lot of big-business places. They make their money by having lots of hard-to-find birds (hawkheads, rare quakers/ringnecks, macaws, 'toos, well, if it costs more than $1000 USD, they sell THOSE)
IT seems very HARD to start one without a LOT of overhead cost, to buy the breeding pairs and set up breeding flights. My dream is to become a hawkhead breeder, with rare lorikeets/lories, and ringneck mutations. I won't beable to sustain myself with that, but I bet I could cut down the amount I have to work in half with the hawkheads... To go hard-core, I'd have to get into macaws, or 'zons, or something similar to that. Meaning a lot of $$$ to begin with!

Post by **Lauren** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:37 pm

Goodluck with the big move. :wink:

As far as I know, breeders are not in it for the business unless you have rare birds. More of a hobby. Some do the Bird shop/Breeder out the back as Fah said. I know the whole birds in shops is bad. But some take very good care of their birds and know exactly what their talking about. I know of one that is run by an avian vet. You do hear of the disaster stories though. Mostly from general pet shops that have no knowledge of birds but continue to sell them. Not many bird specialized shops around here. But there is a couple in the Melb area. I'm guessing if you wanted to start a bird shop, you'd have to have some knowledge and a love of birds. Maybe this is a better gamble?

avril · Post by **avril** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 12:46 am

before you go into this adventure please do your research thoroughly as I know there are licences that you have to get to be able to keep the birds and breed them.

Also if you breed you have to report your activities to the relevant authorities and keep meticulous records, I'm not trying to discourage you, just advising to have everything in order so there will be no heartache or financial loss.

Best of Luck
Avril